Restaurant 190 Pasos  

Gastronomic Festival Winner

Formentera, June 11, 2025

Last Tuesday, the award ceremony for the ‘Formentera Gastronomic Weeks’ of May 2025 took place, an initiative organized by PIMEF in collaboration with the Tourism Promotion Department of the Consell Insular.

The winning establishments were selected based on votes cast by customers during the gastronomic weeks, who rated their dining experience at each of the participating restaurants.

The first prize, worth €1,500, was awarded to Restaurant 190 Pasos, marking its second consecutive victory. In second place, with a prize of €1,000, was Restaurante Juvia. Finally, the €500 prize, awarded to the winner of the raffle held among customers who voted, went to Omar Ferrer Roig.

In today’s blog post, I’ll be sharing a very personal description and recommendation of 190 Pasos and the people behind the project. For those who may not know, I grew up in my grandfather’s restaurant, and from 2000 until 2013, I was co-owner with my mother of Restaurante Bon Profit in Ibiza, so I know very well the effort it takes to launch and run a restaurant on a daily basis.

Borja Molins’ personal project in Formentera

Borja Molins, born in 1988 in Valencia, began his culinary training at IES Llopis Marí in Cullera, where he soon discovered his passion. At the age of 23, in 2011, he visited Formentera for the first time, joining the kitchen team at the iconic Can Dani restaurant, the only one on the island to have earned a Michelin star to date, thanks to renowned chef Rafa Soler.
Just a year later, Borja was promoted to head chef, a position he held until 2013.

After this stage, Borja decided to take a new turn in his career and moved to London, where he worked for a year and a half in the kitchens of the luxurious Hotel Sanctum, owned by some members of the legendary rock band Iron Maiden. This international experience gave him a more cosmopolitan culinary perspective.

In 2015, he returned to Spain to collaborate once again with Rafa Soler, this time at Audrey’s Restaurant  in Calpe (Alicante), which earned its first Michelin star in 2016. That same year, Borja returned to Formentera to lead the kitchen at Sol Post restaurant in Hotel Cala Saona, where he remained until 2021.

The birth of 190 Pasos

In 2021, together with his partner Maria Blasco, Borja decided to take the leap and open his own restaurant. After a long search, they found the perfect location: the former Carabela restaurant in the Ca Marí area, which was in need of new energy and whose owners were looking for tenants.

Thus, 190 Pasos was born, a name full of meaning, as it represents the exact distance, in steps, from the restaurant to the shoreline. It’s a nod to the proximity of Formentera’s natural beauty, which is also reflected in Borja’s culinary approach.
Borja defines his cuisine as “flavorful, nuanced, fun, and full of love.” This personal approach has been recognized in 2024 and 2025 with the Repsol Guide’s Recommended Restaurant distinction, and the restaurant has won first prize in the Formentera Gastronomic Weeks for two consecutive years—a particularly valuable honor as the winners are chosen by customer votes.

A menu with its own personality

The menu at 190 Pasos showcases dishes that reflect Borja Molins’ creativity and passion for quality ingredients. Options like prawn carpaccio, sea bass tiradito, or scallops with ajoblanco and grapes share the spotlight with dishes such as fried lamb fritter, braised cheek gyozas with truffled potato, or Iberian pork sandwich with 24-month Comté cheese.
Everything is designed to deliver a flavorful, fun, and carefully crafted dining experience.
The wine selection to accompany the evening is extensive and excellently curated, featuring wines from Spain’s finest appellations of origin.

My personal recommendation for 190 Pasos

I’ve been familiar with Borja’s cooking since his early days in Formentera when he first started at Can Dani. Later, I had the pleasure of enjoying many evenings of his talent during the years he led the kitchen at Sol Post.
Today, I am genuinely delighted to see how his personal project at 190 Pasos is receiving the recognition it deserves, both from those of us who live here year-round and from the many visitors who discover his cuisine each season, mainly through word of mouth.

Every dish reflects his journey, his passion for top-quality products, and that special touch that turns every dinner into a unique experience.
If you visit Formentera, I wholeheartedly recommend booking a table at 190 Pasos.

The restaurant is open for dinner only, from Monday to Saturday, between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM. It is closed on Sundays, allowing the team to rest and enjoy the beach as they deserve.

For reservations, you can call directly at +34 646 40 21 39
And here’s the Google Maps link to easily find the place… just click here!!
My best wishes for continued success to Borja, Maria, and the entire kitchen and dining team at Restaurant 190 Pasos.