Ibiza can also be told through a dish. At UNIC Restaurant, chef David Grussaute has built a gastronomic proposal that looks at the island through its produce, its memory and its traditional trades. His cuisine starts from kilometre zero, but goes beyond the label: it seeks to give a voice to the fishermen, farmers, livestock breeders and artisans who keep Ibiza's identity alive.
From Platja d'en Bossa, an area now closely associated with tourism and nightlife, UNIC recovers the agricultural, fishing and salt-making history of its surroundings and transforms it into a fine dining experience. With one Michelin star and a contemporary outlook, Grussaute combines French technique, Mediterranean sensitivity and local produce to invite diners to discover a deeper, more authentic Ibiza. Ingredients such as xeixa wheat, porc negre, Posidonia seagrass and carob appear on his menus, treated with technique while maintaining their connection to the island.
UNIC speaks a great deal about Ibiza, local produce and kilometre zero. How does that philosophy translate into the day-to-day work of the kitchen and into your relationship with the island's producers, livestock breeders and fishermen?
For us, kilometre zero is not a trend. It is a way of understanding gastronomy. Every dish begins long before it enters the kitchen. It starts in the fields, at sea or in the workshops of the people we have been working with for years. We work closely with the island's fishermen, farmers, livestock breeders and artisans because we believe the best way to represent Ibiza is by respecting its produce and the people who make it possible. Behind every ingredient there is a story, a family and a craft, and our responsibility is to give all of that the value it deserves. At UNIC, we try to ensure that diners do not simply enjoy a dish, but also discover Ibiza's landscape, culture and identity through it.
Platja d'en Bossa is usually associated with tourism and leisure, but your proposal recovers its agricultural, fishing and salt-making past. Why is it important to tell that other story?
Because we believe gastronomy also has the power to preserve memory. Before becoming one of the island's best-known areas for tourism, Platja d'en Bossa was a place deeply connected to farming, fishing and the salt industry. That history deserves to stay alive, and we wanted to make it the guiding thread of our proposal. Each menu is a way of remembering that past and showing that the identity of a place can also be told through food. When guests finish the experience, we want them to know a more authentic, deeper and often lesser-known Ibiza.
The menu includes ingredients closely linked to the island, such as xeixa wheat, porc negre, red prawn, Posidonia seagrass, gerret and carob. How do you decide which products deserve a place on the menu, and how are they transformed into fine dining?
We do not choose a product only for its gastronomic quality. We look for ingredients that have a real connection to the history, landscape and culture of Ibiza. When a product enters the menu, it is because we feel it has something to say. From there, a creative process begins, where we apply technique, research and sensitivity to respect its essence while still surprising the diner. For me, fine dining is not about transforming a product until it becomes unrecognisable. It is about understanding it, enhancing its qualities and offering a different perspective that moves the guest.
You combine French technique, Mediterranean sensitivity and Ibizan produce. How do you work with a product so closely linked to Ibiza in a creative kitchen without moving it away from its essence?
My roots are French, and technique is part of the way I cook. But after so many years living in Ibiza, I feel that the island is also part of my identity. Creativity should never impose itself on the product. On the contrary, it should serve it. I try to ensure that each ingredient keeps its personality, and that technique only helps express its full potential. That balance between the precision of French cuisine, the light of the Mediterranean and the extraordinary produce of Ibiza is probably what defines my cooking today.
The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2023. What has changed since receiving that recognition, and what part of UNIC's identity do you work to keep intact despite its growing international profile?
The Michelin star is a very important recognition for the whole team, and also a great responsibility. It has given us international visibility and has allowed us to welcome guests from all over the world who come looking for a unique gastronomic experience. But at the same time, it reminds us every day of the importance of staying true to our project. What has not changed is our philosophy: working with local produce, collaborating with the island's producers, continuing to research, and telling Ibiza's story from an honest and contemporary point of view. That essence will always remain at the heart of UNIC.
With menus such as UNIC, La Xanga and La Huerta Ibicenca, the experience seems to be conceived almost as a journey around the island. What do you want diners to understand or feel about Ibiza when they leave?
I would like guests to take away a different image of Ibiza. To discover that the island is much more than a tourist destination; that it has enormous cultural, agricultural, fishing and gastronomic richness.I want them to understand that behind every dish there are people, traditions and landscapes that deserve to be known and preserved. If, at the end of the experience, someone feels they have understood the essence of Ibiza a little better, travelled through its history and connected with it emotionally, then we have achieved our goal. Because at UNIC we do not simply serve a menu. We try to tell a story through gastronomy.
