Not only has Palma’s Izakaya High Japanese Cuisine been named Spain’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the Tripadvisor 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards, but also the Second Best in the World.

Tripadvisor’s annual Best of the Best Restaurant Awards are based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings over a full year, as well as an additional editorial process. Izakaya’s success was in the category Best Fine Dining. In the World’s top 10, Izakaya achieved an impressive second place, but it topped the list for the whole of Spain. I had to find out what was key to its success.

Dining at Izakaya

We went for dinner (it’s also open for lunch) at Izakaya and found easy parking in the nearby Marqués de La Sènia underground car park.

Izakaya has several areas for diners: a covered front terrace that’s ideal for drinks, sushi cocktail bar, and what they call the ‘sala’. Our corner table was in the latter, at the back of the stylish restaurant. It’s the perfect area for intimate dinners. Upstairs, there’s a smart VIP room for private dining. The open kitchen on the ground floor gives views of the chefs at work. And judging by the popularity of this High Japanese restaurant, they work hard.

Maître d’ Toni Felix Merino greeted us warmly and showed us to our table. Other members of the service team smiled at us as we passed them – one clue to the restaurant’s success: warm hospitality from personable staff.

Izakaya opened eight years ago but moved to its current location almost two-and-a-half years ago. If you’re wondering about the name, izakaya is the Japanese word for a tavern or pub serving drinks and small plates of food. Take it from me, Izakaya is far more than just a tavern or pub!

The High Japanese Cuisine at Izakaya

Choose from the à la carte and three tasting menus. At lunchtime, there are two additional set menus: the classic for 35€, or the four-step menu for 49€; both include a glass of wine or Japanese beer.

The à la carte menu includes raw-bar dishes, sushi, nigiri, hot dishes, and desserts. We had the eight-step tasting menu (the others have six or nine steps) at 85€ per person. Our ‘steps’ included ‘usuzukuri’ – extra-thin Balfegó tuna belly with truffle sauce, kizami wasabe, sprouts and vegetables, seared scallops flambé with white miso carbonara and crispy air-dried beef. Each one of the menu’s dishes thrilled us with its presentation, flavours, and textures. The following photos are just a few of the dishes we ate.

We eat out at least once a week, sometimes more, as I also review restaurants for Mallorca Sunshine Radio, but it had been a long time since I’d seen my husband so enthusiastic about a restaurant experience. At one point in the evening, he took my hand and said, ‘If I were a single man looking to impress someone on a first date, I’d bring her here.’ Praise indeed from him. Guys, take note: it’s ideal for any date night.

The tasting menus don’t include dessert but we decided not to indulge in anything sweet this time, wishing to retain the savoury flavours of what we’d eaten. When I saw the exquisite dessert photos on the website at home later that night, I resolved to make room for a sweet indulgence on our next visit.

Wagyu beef fans can treat themselves here to the highest grade – Wagyu Miyazaki A5 – of the exceptional Japanese beef. Highly recommended, albeit understandably pricey.

The Team at Izakaya

From what we witnessed, the high level of service at Izakaya has also played its part in the restaurant’s success.

Our first encounter was with maître d’ Toni Felix Merino, as I’ve already mentioned. The second maître, Luciano Pastore, is also the knowledgeable sommelier and has a good sense of humour. Two other members of the service team also impressed us.

The kitchen is where the culinary magic happens. Head chef Carlos Piedrabuena leads the team of eleven chefs, with Karol Koper as second chef, and Ezekiel Occhiuzz in charge of the hot dishes. All of them have a high level of Japanese cuisine experience. Masahide Ozawa holds the important and highly respected Japanese position of ‘itamae’, the sushi master.

‘If I were a single man looking to impress someone on a first date, I’d bring her here.’

The Boss

Q&A with Izakaya’s Owner – Dani Celis

Izakaya’s owner is Dani Celis, originally from Argentina. He previously worked for some years as general manager at Mallorca’s Zhero Beach Club, where he gained experience in high-level service and managing large teams.

EDSM: Dani, why did you decide on a Japanese restaurant?

DC: Japanese culture has fascinated me since I discovered it in 2009. In 2014, alongside maestro Ozawa, I learnt about the flavours and textures of traditional Japanese cuisine, respect for the produce, its aesthetics, and the search for perfection. That’s how my path towards high Japanese cuisine began.

EDSM: What’s Izakaya’s story?

DC: I began preparing the restaurant in 2016 and it opened its doors as a Japanese tavern in March 2017. In July 2023, we took a decisive step and moved to this current location, evolving into the concept of Izakaya High Japanese Cuisine. It’s been a long journey of many hours a day, working with fortitude and constant focus, and overcoming numerous obstacles along the way,

I wanted to create a space uniting Japanese precision with quality and personal service – a restaurant that would tell a true story, where the produce, techniques, service, and experience would be perfect.

EDSM: You’re a hands-on, warm, and energetic proprietor, who spends many hours a week, day and night, in the restaurant. Why is that important to you?

DC: I like to greet diners personally whenever I can. For me, that connection with our clientele and taking care of details with the team make the difference and will continue to be the essence of everything we do at Izakaya.

Eat at Izakaya and I think you’ll understand why it’s received those Tripadvisor Best of the Best accolades.

Jan Edwards ©2025