We had lunch on Tuesday at Aquilino Restaurante, down in San Pedro del Pinatar and boy what a find this place is.
As well as the restaurant where we had a menu del dia, you can also sit at the bar for tapas and then go to the cheese and meat deli counter to buy produce to take home, which we did.
What We Had
Drinks:
We both opted for Coke Zero, these were the large bottles, served with a glass and ice.
Food:
We both had the menu del dia. Which started with the customary tuna salad and basket of bread.
Starters:
I went for entremeses while Soph had vegetables on the plancha.
My starter was really tasty, Soph watch one of the staff go and carve the serano off the bone, the cheese was crazily smooth and the different meats were all very good quality.
Soph’s starter was really good, the different vegetables cooked to perfection, seasoned with a little rock salt and were very enjoyable. It made for a lighter starter for the courses yet to come.
Mains:
Soph went for the chicken pinchos and I decided to give the fillet ternera a try. Mine tasted better than it looked, plus it was very tender. Sophs chicken was beautifully cooked, seasoned and had that tiny bit of char to it, for added flavour.
Dessert:
Soph had the tarta de queso which she really enjoyed. As soon as I saw the whiskey cake on the menu, my eyes lit up. Yes, this had a tiny surcharge, but the portion was big and it was soaked in whiskey.
I also rounded off my lunch with a really good Café Bombón. This was one of the best Café Bombóns I’ve had recently.
What We Liked
A really great, traditional Spanish eatery. We arrived just before one, there were already 4 tables in use, plus several people at the bar, all of whom were Spanish. By 2.20pm the place was rammed, with people waiting for tables.
There are plenty of staff, they worked well and it was a nice, steady, unhurried lunch service.
The food was decent, it’s cooked to order which is great.
What Could Be Improved
There was nothing that needed improving on.
How Much Did It Cost
Lunch was menu del dia at 14.00€ base price, with the following additions:
- Tarta Whisky + 2€
- Grilled Vegetables +2€
- Cheesecake + 1€
From the deli, we bought Sobrasada @ 1.80€ some fresh chorizo @ 2.34€ and also some Longaniza ( peppered sausage ) which cost 3.91€. The deli bill was 8.05€ for all three items.
Would We Return To Aquilino Restaurante
Without a doubt, we are going to try the extensive tapas menu next time. They have their menus online too, which is great.
How To Get To Aquilino Restaurante In San Pedro del Pinatar
Because we were meeting friends in San Javier, we went down the back way through San Miguel, to San Javier. From there we put the address into Sat nav and boy this was a weird trip. It took us to the back of beyond, down a dirt track that looked like it was used by battle tanks for driving down, it was so badly dug up and pot holed.
The reality was had we carried along the road past Food Co, past the supermarkets, past the aircraft on the roundabout, it was a couple of hundred meters on the left.
These are their contact details.
Phone: 968 185 365
Email: baraquilino@gmail.com
Address: Paraje Las Beatas, 28, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar, (Murcia). Find them here.
Despite us living not far from here about 10 years ago, following Sat nav for that last stretch was not needed, with hindsight. So if you’re driving out of San Javier, the Burger King will be on your right, with the retail park.
