Dabiz Muñoz, Streetxo Ibiza Chef: «StreetXO Ibiza is a rollercoaster with no brakes that blows your mind»

Dabiz Muñoz is not a conventional chef. He is disruptive, he likes to provoke and entertain, but he never loses sight of the highest standards when preparing each dish. These are precisely the values that helped him become the best chef in the world for three consecutive years, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and build the four Michelin stars he currently holds: three at DiverXO and one at RavioXO. This season, after years of looking for the right place in Ibiza for his most irreverent restaurant, StreetXO has finally landed at The Site to offer experiences beyond the imagination.

StreetXO Ibiza is now a reality. How did this project come about?

We had been talking to the people at Palladium Hotel Group for almost three years and the connection and synergy were always very strong. We could not find the right place or the right moment for StreetXO because, in the end, it is a different restaurant in terms of both concept and format, and it needed a location that fitted what it is. But over these years we have been building towards what StreetXO is today. The starting point was the good connection between Palladium and the StreetXO world. What was missing was finding the ideal time and place.

Why now, and why Ibiza?

Coming to Ibiza is a natural move for a brand like StreetXO, which is about good food, having a good time, a unique experience and a party around food. There are many things in which Ibiza connects with StreetXO. Also, the island, which perhaps many years ago did not have as much gastronomic interest, certainly does now. I think you only have to look at the kind of restaurants that make up Ibiza’s gastronomic scene. There is everything, is there not? It is a bit like Madrid: there are restaurants with more spectacle, Japanese restaurants, restaurants of all kinds. I think the island is a destination where you eat very well and where there are very interesting things happening. StreetXO is a place for people who want to have fun, with great food and people from all over the world. So it fits perfectly.

What is StreetXO Ibiza?

For me, StreetXO is like a rollercoaster with no brakes. You get on, it blows your mind, and you do not know when it is going to stop. Then, when you get off, you are like, ‘Wow!’. What happens at StreetXO is so different, so radical, so energetic… And if there is one thing Ibiza has, it is energy. It connects very well.

How do diners react when they try the restaurant for the first time?

The other day we had five journalists for dinner. Three had already been to StreetXO and two had not. One of them, when he sat down at the bar, said: «Wow, this is very intense». He told me he thought: «Maybe I should sit on the terrace. Perhaps I would feel more comfortable there». But he did not. At the end of the dinner I spoke to him and he said: «Thank goodness I stayed at the bar, because it has been one of the most fun, most different experiences I have enjoyed in recent years».

How has Ibiza welcomed StreetXO?

The welcome and the feeling have honestly been very good. People who already knew StreetXO Madrid, and there are many international guests who had been there, come here and say: «Congratulations, because you have done what you do in Madrid and we love it». And people who did not know it are like: «Wow!». This is completely different from what they see on the island, and they tell us: «It is great that you have brought it here». So I would genuinely say the connection is as strong as it could be.

StreetXO has that irreverent, provocative side…

And a desire to have fun. Above all, I think people in Ibiza are always eager to experience different things. Creating new experiences is not easy, but it is even harder to create experiences that are both good and unique. In the end, an island that is a global reference in many ways, especially in high season, always needs a spark around it. And I think StreetXO makes its own contribution in that sense.

For those who have not been to StreetXO Madrid, what makes the Ibiza restaurant different?

It is exactly the same. It is like going through a three-dimensional door and moving from Madrid to Ibiza. The only difference is the terrace. Conceptually, it is the same, but outside we have StreetXO by the Beach. It is an area inspired by the street food found on the beaches of South-East Asia.

So the proximity of the sea is what makes the difference?

Yes. What makes this terrace different from the one in Madrid is that there is a bar that simulates an Asian grocery store. It is a bar that gives you freedom: some people are having dinner inside, they stop eating, suddenly go outside, have a cocktail, then come back in…

Is it a way of creating that sense of movement, of street chaos?

Exactly. It creates a spectacular synergy. And I think it has to do with Ibiza, and also with having an outdoor bar inspired by South-East Asia and its beaches. That is giving us a dimension we had not had until now and brings something different to the brand that only exists in Ibiza.

And what about the menu? Is it the same as StreetXO Madrid?

They literally handed us the premises the day before we started operating. We used the opportunity of coming to Ibiza to create new dishes in Madrid and brought them here. We have a little surprise saved for later in the summer, inspired by the island, but for now we want to settle in, guarantee quality, make sure people eat incredibly well and leave here flying. There will be time. We have come here to stay for many years. But I can tell you that we will have a little surprise this summer that is 100% inspired by the island.

In recent months we have seen on your social media that you have spent quite a lot of time in Ibiza. What catches your attention about its cuisine?

I like that Ibiza’s cuisine is a bit like the island itself. It is relaxed, fresh and, of course, looks towards the sea. It also has depth, with its stews. It has its own identity. Also, when you look at iconic, well-known dishes such as ‘bullit de peix’, you realise that, despite being a hearty dish, it invites celebration. It is a very 360-degree dish, with a lot going on. It is substantial but not heavy. I think Ibiza’s cuisine is festive, full of flavour and depth, but it looks very much to the sea, as it should. As a true island, you are not going to find better quality than in places that do not face the sea.

Any clue about a product that made you think: «Wow, I would like to work with this and include it on the StreetXO menu»?

I really like the rock fish found on the island. Also the Ibizan red prawn, the small one you get here. I like it a lot. I think we would do something connected to that small red prawn, or with lobster… I do not know, but I think we would go in that direction.

Apart from ‘bullit de peix’, is there another dish you have tried here that you particularly enjoyed?

There is one dish that may not have as much history, but I love it: fried lobster with fried eggs and chips. When it is done well, I still think it is spectacular. The other day I tried a version that came with a kind of base, like a rockfish stock, and I thought it was unbeatable. The potato appeared a little, then broke with the egg yolk and mixed together… It felt like a small twist on a version I had already tried in a different way, and I loved it.

Your cooking is very connected to travel and the wider world. What do you look for when you visit other countries?

I look to understand and learn. I do not aim simply to see something and bring it back. We want to understand it and let it inspire us. For example, both South-East Asia and China inspire me a lot, but I do not intend to make South-East Asian cuisine or Chinese cuisine or anything like that. But when you understand, comprehend and respect another country’s gastronomic culture, it is much easier to be inspired by it.

What do you think of Ibiza?

I like Ibiza a lot for many reasons. Clearly, in terms of clubbing, it is at the forefront worldwide. The other day I was at [UNVRS] and I was amazed by what it is. Not only by the production, which is world-class, but also by the type of crowd there. You see a man in his eighties, dressed as if he were Robert De Niro as Al Capone, literally, sitting at a table with his friends. Then you see very informal people, with a more hippy aesthetic, in their forties, fifties or sixties. Then very young people, in their early twenties… The island is great fun because it welcomes everyone and, more than ever, I think it can offer varied options to travellers who come looking for different things.

You have been in the kitchen for a long time. What still excites you about opening a new restaurant?

I really enjoy creating a restaurant, especially in Ibiza, because it is a place that inspires me because of its idiosyncrasy and everything the island contains. Ibiza has always represented freedom in every sense, and I think StreetXO speaks of gastronomic freedom.

You mentioned the variety of audiences you found at [UNVRS]. Is StreetXO suitable for all ages?

I think StreetXO is very much for everyone. Older people come because there is a huge focus on food, and it is a very fun place for different reasons depending on what kind of person you are or how old you are. For us, it is still a gastronomic restaurant with a party atmosphere, but one that takes food very seriously. In Madrid, for example, we have clients who have been coming to StreetXO for many years and are now parents, so they come with their children. There are also young people who come to StreetXO of their own accord because they find it great fun and a different experience. Then we have older guests who enjoy it a lot because of that gastronomic focus. StreetXO is a way of understanding gastronomy that reaches many different social backgrounds and age groups.

At StreetXO, food is very important, but cocktails almost reach the same level. What is AISH, the restaurant’s cocktail space, like?

What we do at AISH is an extension of StreetXO. They share the same DNA. We do what we call liquid cooking, because much of it is also inspired by flavours from around the world, by techniques used in the kitchen and by culinary concepts. It also aims to drive you a little crazy, both in substance and in form. We want the cocktail offer to be spectacular. We set ourselves no limits. AISH’s cocktails have their own identity and I think they also surprise people at the same level as the food, which is not easy.

What would you like to achieve with StreetXO Ibiza?

I would like it to become a reference point on the island, a place that people absolutely have to visit when they come to Ibiza. For now, we are very comfortable with the welcome we have received, and hopefully that feeling from people will continue for many years. On such a highly competitive island, we are always willing to give people new reasons to come back. That has to do with the fact that we never stop doing new things in the kitchen, new things never stop happening in the restaurant, and we are always trying to turn everything on its head. Our mantra is: «if something works, change it so that it works better», and we apply that to everything we do.

Will we be seeing a lot of you in Ibiza?

A place as competitive as Ibiza forces you to be present. Being just one hour from Madrid, and because it is Ibiza, which I love, I will be coming all summer to work, to see how things are going and to keep doing new things so that not only this season, but every new season at StreetXO, feels different.