While in the summer I typically end up going to more fine dining and high end restaurants, in the winter I tend to seek out a good menu del dia and tasty comfort food. I have been to “Il Padrino”, as we call it in my circles, several times before, but I have always sat outside on the terrace and have never explored the interior till earlier this week.
I came with a visiting friend, who had some business next door, so Il Padrino seemed like a good choice for lunch. When we entered, I was pleasantly surprised with the interior… Black painted walls and the corrugated metal bar were adorned with an eclectic mix of black and white photos, neon signs and wooden plaques with cute messages printed on them. The shelves housed tins and jars of Italian food, interspersed with antique typewriters and radios. The ceilings were another curiosity, adorned with black spray-painted old bikes that served as light holders. Classical music added a touch of calm to an otherwise slightly chaotic – in the cutest sense of the word – place.
We were greeted by a smiley waitress, Kiki, who arrived from Berlin three months ago and settled in Santa Ponsa with the intention of improving her Spanish. It was already pretty good for someone so new on the island.
We ordered some still water and a couple of glasses of white wine to drink and parmigiana gratinada to start with, while we took our time to decide on our main dishes. Parmigiana came in a black metal dish and it was very tasty, bursting with the familiar combination of flavours that included tomato sauce, aubergine and plenty of melted cheese. There was plenty of it even for the two of us to share, which made me think that it could serve very well even as a main dish for just one person.
In the end, for our mains, we chose pasta de la mama for my friend and a house specialty of tagliatelle with burrata, boletus and truffle for me. While we waited for our food, lovely Kiki walked past with a plate of carbonara for another table, and we noted in horror that it was made with cream. Thinking back, I believe that this choice of a recipe had more to do with the tourists that frequent this area - mostly the Germans and the English – and their preferences, rather than the cook not respecting his Italian roots.
Either way, when our food arrived, we were very happy with it; both dishes were good and, again, the portions were huge. Pasta de la mama consisted of a rich tomato sauce and a generous handful of prawns. Looking at my own plate, I could see that they were not skimping on the ingredients, there was a big ball of burrata, plenty of boletus mushrooms and a decent shaving of a truffle. This dish was pricier than what you would expect to pay for a plate of pasta, even with truffles, but it was 100% worth it.
By the time we finished every last crumb on our respective plates, we were so full that we unanimously agreed to skip a dessert. I did have a peak in the fridge, though, and spotted tiramisu and several other cakes, typical for Italian restaurants. But they will have to wait for another day.
THE VERDICT
I loved the interior at “Il Padrino”, as we call it locally. The food was good and the service friendly and efficient. Friends tell me that the pizza is very good here too. Curiously, during all my visits so far, I have eaten pasta, so I guess that I will have to return to try one of their pizzas as soon as I can.
THE PLACE
Pizzeria A Casa Del Padrino
Plaza Santa Ponsa 4, 07180 Santa Ponsa, Illes Balears
Tel: 971 69 19 83
Instagram: @acasadelpadrino
OPENING TIMES
Daily 12pm – 12am
THE BILL
Still water 2.50 euros
White wine 3.90 euros
Parmigiana 10.90 euros
Tagliatelle with burrata and truffles 24.90 euros