Enjoy a sandwich of “Serrano” ham, tomato and olive oil, or some sobrassada or cheese tapas, surrounded by the warmth of the chimney, the walls full of paintings, and tables full of people.
Can Costa is, without a doubt, one of the most characteristic bars where you can truly breathe the Ibizan essence. Located in Santa Gertrudis, in the very heart of the island, the tables of the terrace invite to enjoy the aroma of coffee and warm bread from the early hours of the morning.
Sitting on the main square and overlooking the charming church of the village, I see the neighbours arrive. Families, grandpas, couples and friends, some with the diary in hand, all with their sandwich served, while the birds sing and fly from tree to tree.
In the past, the bar only opened on weekends and rainy days, when the payeses could not go out to the fields and work. Then, they would gather in the bar around the chimney, drink and roast the traditional sobrassada.
Later in the 70s, the hippies and artisans arrived in town, and among those was a Chilean, Andrés Monreal—painter, playwright, and designer of decorations—who had already earned his fame as a painter. One day he offered his paintings in exchange for drinks to Vicent, the owner of the bar, and his personal friend. He accepted the deal, and this is how the restaurant got filled with paintings, of Andrés and other artists of the time until the collection reached 80 paintings, all exhibited on the walls of each room. Among them, artworks by Antonio Villanueva, Monreal, Pomar, Vicent Calbet, Perelló, Azócar…
His huge legacy continues in the family and now his son Pep and his grandson Vicent carry the business. The paintings are no longer for sale, as they’ve become the soul of the bar. Considering that the prices are friendly and that is far enough of the hustle and bustle in the middle of the season, now you know why Can Costa is and will be, an excellent option to enjoy good meetings, in a bar that just makes you feel at home.
Plaça de la Esglèsia, 6. Santa Gertrudis.
Featured images: moverelbigote.com