World Paella Day is being celebrated on Sunday, September 20, giving food lovers another reason to sit down with friends and family over one of the Mediterranean’s best-known rice dishes.

To mark the occasion, four Ibiza restaurants have shared their approaches to paella, from the importance of fresh ingredients and homemade stock to the patience and experience needed to prepare the dish well.

Paella’s Valencian Origins

Although paella is now enjoyed internationally, the dish originated in the Valencian Community before spreading far beyond Spain.

September 20 is now recognised as World Paella Day, with Valencia hosting the international World Paella Day Cup as part of the annual celebration. The 2026 final takes place at La Marina de València on Sunday.

On Ibiza, the occasion offers an opportunity to look at how local restaurants prepare their own versions of the dish.

Ca n’Alfredo: Quality Ingredients and a Good Picada

Ca n’Alfredo in Ibiza Town has been preparing paellas for decades and offers a wide selection of rice dishes.

Owner Juanito Riera told the newspaper that the restaurant specialises in different varieties, including seafood and meat paella, seafood and fish, arroz negro, cod and vegetable rice, caldoso rice and rice featuring traditional matanzas ingredients.

For Riera, the key is straightforward: quality ingredients and a good picada.

During the visit to the kitchen, cook Vicente was preparing a fish and seafood paella and highlighted the importance of using good-quality ingredients, preferably fresh, together with a good fish stock.

Can Salinas: Tradition and Practice

At Can Salinas in the Las Salinas area, owner Carmela Ribes also places tradition at the centre of the restaurant’s paella.

Ribes explained that her family is Valencian and that the restaurant originally operated in Valencia before the family brought the business to Ibiza in 1989.

She said that making a good paella requires love, patience and plenty of practice.

Can Salinas currently specialises in rice dishes and offers several paella varieties, including traditional Valencian-style preparations, lobster rice and vegetable options.

The restaurant says its record is 52 paellas prepared during a three-hour service, while its usual average is around 44 to 45 paellas per service.

Cala Martina: A Paella With a Sea View

For diners who want their paella alongside a coastal setting, Cala Martina is another option highlighted in the report.

Steven, who has been preparing paellas at the restaurant for five years, demonstrated a traditional Ibiza-style paella for two people.

He explained that the kitchen uses fresh fish and seafood, a natural fish stock made with Ibiza produce and a good picada.

He learned the recipe from a pagès and said he continues to follow the same method rather than changing the preparation from one service to another.

According to Steven, the restaurant can prepare around 60 paellas on a Saturday or Sunday.

Sa Caleta: A Long-Standing Rice Tradition

At Sa Caleta, owner Jordi Cardona described paella as both a gastronomic dish and a social occasion.

The restaurant has been preparing paella since 1988, when the Pujolet family took over the establishment. Its current menu continues to feature paella alongside other traditional seafood dishes.

Cardona said the restaurant can prepare around 250 paellas on a busy sunny day.

For him, quality produce and careful preparation are fundamental. He also recalled customers asking for unusual combinations, including black rice with lobster.

Fresh Produce Takes Centre Stage

Although each restaurant has its own recipes and techniques, a common theme runs through their approaches.

Fresh or high-quality ingredients, good stock, careful preparation and experience are repeatedly highlighted as important elements.

The restaurants also demonstrate how varied paella can be, with versions based on seafood, fish, meat, vegetables, lobster and traditional Ibiza ingredients.

More Than Just a Rice Dish

For the chefs and restaurant owners featured, paella is about more than combining rice with other ingredients.

The dish is closely associated with sharing food around a table, bringing together family and friends and taking time over a meal.

That social element is part of the reason World Paella Day has become an international celebration of the dish.

Celebrating Paella in Ibiza

World Paella Day 2026 provides an opportunity to explore the different styles available across Ibiza, from traditional recipes influenced by Valencia to local interpretations using island produce.

The four restaurants featured in the report each have their own methods and specialities, but all place importance on ingredients, preparation and experience.

For anyone celebrating World Paella Day on Ibiza, the island offers plenty of opportunities to discover how local restaurants put their own stamp on this internationally recognised dish.