Ibiza, South Side’s destination for wine and tapas

By Kaitlin Marinelli

Although Pittsburgh hosts its fair share of small-plates eateries, Ibiza is currently the only restaurant in the city that offers tasty tapas as well as 40+ wines by the glass. 

Ibiza Tapas & Wine Bar

2224 E. Carson St.

Pittsburgh, PA

(412) 325-2227

(3.5 / 5 forks)

• Hours: 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sunday
• Prices: Appetizers, $6-$24; entrées, $19-$29; desserts, $7; wines by glass, $7-$39
• Summary: Charming wine and tapas bar in Pittsburgh’s historic South Side that also boasts a full bar, valet parking, and late night dining in style. Cuisine includes Spanish and Portuguese fare alongside an extensive wine list. Ibiza also hosts daily food and drink specials, private events for up to 50 guests, and monthly wine classes.
• Reservations: Recommended for weekends and required for wine classes

Although Pittsburgh hosts its fair share of small-plate eateries, Ibiza is currently the only restaurant in the city that offers tasty tapas as well as 40+ wines by the glass. This format is right up my alley; I’m the girl who makes everybody at my table order first so that I can make a game time decision, only to end up jealous of what my neighbor is eating or drinking. The ability to over-order and share provides me with a regret-free dining experience.

Ambiance

When we arrived at Ibiza, the hostess invited us to select our seats. We chose a cozy spot on the patio: a romantic four-season room adorned with exposed brick, dim but warm lighting, statuesque heat lamps, and a glistening water wall. On our way, we passed a bright, spacious, and well-stocked bar that I imagined to be the perfect setting for a great night out with friends.

Romantic dining on the patio

Drink Menu

Ibiza's extensive menu of wine flights

I must admit, what really caught my eye about Ibiza was the expansive selection of wine flights, a series of 2-ounce tastings of the same varietal or region. I’ve only seen thematic wine samplings at one other restaurant in Pittsburgh (cough cough, restaurateurs), and none with flights from nine regions plus dessert and sparkling selections. In order to complement our Iberian fare, we ordered flights from Spain and Portugal.

We preferred the wines from the Spanish flight and both favored the Altos Raiza Rioja. When paired with our zesty dishes, the wine’s spiced oak aromas came to life and contrasted nicely with its primary fruit flavors. The tasting was fun as well as educational, and enabled us to choose a bottle with confidence.

Although we were pleased with our wine selection, we were disappointed to see a 300% markup (and even more by the glass) which is the high end of the industry standard. With markups in mind, the most budget-friendly way to taste your way through Ibiza’s menu is to take advantage of daily specials such as buy two flights get one free on Mondays and half price bottles on Tuesdays.

Spanish wine flight

Cuisine

When our server informed us of the evening’s specials, we were immediately impressed by Ibiza’s authentic Iberian offerings. Among the featured tapas were grilled octopus and a rare black pig sausage.

We were intrigued by the night’s exotic menu and special entrées including fresh rainbow trout festooned with crispy prosciutto and grilled sirloin smothered in melted bleu cheese. We passed, because we wanted to spend our first visit to Ibiza sampling a few dishes we were lusting over: blackened sea scallops in mango sauce ($16), spinach and chorizo with raisins and pine nuts ($10), veal-stuffed banana peppers ($10), and the cheese & charcuterie plate that was on special ($20).

Veal-stuffed banana peppers

Each tapa was artistically balanced. The chorizo delivered a harmonious blend of spicy, bitter, sweet, and nutty flavors, and the spices from the scallops were both mellowed and brightened by the fruity mango sauce.

The pepper dish did not make an arresting impression (it just looked like a bumpy plate of tomato gravy), but the sauce was such a bright and attractive hue of red that I was enticed nonetheless. After taking one bite, I stealthily pulled the plate right in front of me. The meat was savory, the peppers were spicier than I had anticipated, and the sauce tasted just as good as it looked – not so rich as to overshadow the peppers, but flavorful and just acidic enough to make the heat in the peppers pop. This dish was unquestionably my favorite, whereas the chorizo won my husband’s affection.

The cheese plate was the only dish that played us foul. My husband has an intense aversion to goat cheese, and specifically asked our server to leave it off of the plate, preferably replacing it with non-goat varieties. She brought a plate that included “goat blends” that to most would seem innocuous, but not to my husband. As a result, he nibbled at the cow’s milk options while I was relegated to the “drunken goat.”

Charcuterie plate

Unfortunately, none of the cheeses were enjoyable because the olive marinade contaminated each slice and muted the flavor in the cheeses. We should have sent it back, but we were too busy organizing and savoring all of our tasty little bites and sips to make a fuss. When we learned that our wasted charcuterie board cost us $20, we wished we had spoken up. If you are looking for the traditional tapas experience of cheese, meat, and bread, I recommend one of the basic cheese boards ($11-$13), with olives on the side.

We hoped we would have room for additional plates after finishing our first course, but we did not. I, however, do not pay any attention to my appetite and ordered the dessert on special: coffee crème brûlée ($7) topped with raspberries. The flavors of fresh fruit and espresso served as the perfect bookend to a satisfying smorgasbord.

All of the dishes at Ibiza are presented simply, the way tapas ought to be, but I think the plates might benefit from a modern twist. Ibiza’s plates are still lined with paper doilies and lack garnish or creative plating of any kind.

Coffee crème brûlée

Personnel

One of the highlights of the meal was a visit from General Manager and Sommelier, Manny Cardoso, who had no idea that I would later write a review. He was happy to divulge how he chooses and rotates selections for a menu of over 80 bottles (basically, he tastes a lot of wine), and that he imparts his knowledge to the general public through monthly wine classes.

Manny spent over 20 minutes sharing memories of rising through the ranks of the hospitality industry and making wine and brandy as a child in Portugal. We also learned that he and owners Antonio Pereira and Fausto Simoes decided to relocate their entrepreneurial spirit to Pittsburgh based on a tip from a client of Manny’s tortilla factory. This is how Mallorca – the group’s first cooperative venture – was born in 1991. Mallorca is located next door to Ibiza, and continues to shine as a local favorite in a city of approximately 9,000 restaurants.

When I later scanned Ibiza’s website to tighten up a few details for this very article, I learned a bit more about how Mallorca’s little sister came to be. Inspired by the general lifestyle of the Balearic island of Ibiza, Mr. Pereira dreamed of creating a space where people of all cultures converge to enjoy “sunshine, good food, and wild nightlife.”

"The perfect setting for a night out with friends"

I have not been able to locate any marketing materials on Ibiza’s wine courses, so I wanted to share the following: This month, Manny will cover sparkling wines to prepare us for the upcoming New Year’s festivities. “Class” is in session Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Attendance is $28 per person, and reservations are required.


Ibiza has not yet scheduled 2015 class dates, but if you resolve to learn more about wine in the new year, give Manny a call in early January at (412) 325-2227.

If you love Ibiza, we also recommend:

• Tapas/small plates: Allegheny Wine Mixer (Lawrenceville), Bar Marco (Downtown), Seviche (Downtown); Also, look out for Senti, opening in Lawrenceville later this winter
• Wine selection: Sonoma Grille (Downtown), Allegheny Wine Mixer (Lawrenceville), Toast (Shadyside)
• Iberian Peninsula cuisine: Mallorca (South Side), Marisqueira (Aspinwall)

All photos taken and edited by Kaitlin Marinelli