Vivo Is Relaxed Family Dining At Its Finest

Santa Gertrudis is a small village right in the middle of Ibiza – so small, in fact, that basically everyone that lives in or frequents the village knows each other, and you could complete a tour of all the (exquisite) bars and foodie offerings in a matter of hours. When something new pops up, then, it’s certain to pique interest. Vivo, a brand new Italian fusion restaurant, opened its doors this year – and it’s been packed out every night since. We simply had to go and check it out.

With views of the church and quaint little village square and sitting nearby burger, tapas, sushi and haute cuisine offerings, Vivo is the perfect addition to the melting pot that is Santa Gertrudis. Despite its location in the middle of the village, it feels private and exclusive – not least because it is exotically sheltered by trees, making visitors feel like they’re dining in the middle of the jungle as soon as they sit down. The gravel floor gives the perfect beachy illusion to al fresco diners, and the light bulbs and lanterns that hang from the trees make the space feel warm, friendly and enclosed. The ‘den’-like space would particularly appeal to little ones – so it’s a good job that Vivo is incredibly family friendly, with a designated children’s play area and menu. The vibe is semi-formal but very welcoming at the same time – it seems like the sort of place you could as readily come for a big family celebration as you could an impromptu dinner with a friend or partner.

As we ordered our food and sipped crisp, dry and super-chilled rosé wine, we enjoyed the pleasant surroundings. Not long after we ordered, we were brought an aperitif of bread, salted olive oil and hummus – the hummus was vibrantly yellow and genuinely incredible, and although I begged for the secret ingredient, it remains a mystery. Honestly – go just for the hummus.

We ordered three starters: deep fried sardines, a selection of bruschetta and aubergine caponata. The sardines were brilliant – really strong, salty and aromatic, with an indulgent crunch to the batter, and the cold aubergine caponata with capers, red onions and almonds was equally aromatic and had a lot of dimensions and flavours (the latter is also suitable for vegans). The standout was the bruschetta selection – while four were classic fresh tomato, red onion and basil, there were also two with creamy guacamole and two with – my favourite – impossibly rich anchovy butter.

For mains, we were brought a generous serving of clam spaghetti, fillet steak and fish of the day. The spaghetti was served al dente in a silky sauce and laden with seafood, and was the perfect dish for anyone looking for a Mediterranean fusion to really get them in the holiday spirit. The steak was the table favourite – deliciously melty and served simply with rosemary potato wedges and the fish of the day was also incredible – a super thick white fish fillet with crispy, salted skin, caramelised onions and salty mini baked potatoes.

The generosity of the portions and maybe the moons aligning meant that we were genuinely too full for dessert, so instead we decided to take coffee and liqueur (limoncello for half the table, hierbas for the others). As we sat in the warm glow of the mood lighting, sheltered from the dusky evening outside, we all heartily agreed that this was exactly the sort of place we’d want to visit time and time, and time, again.