From dawn till dusk: How Café Mambo prepares for the legendary Ibiza sunset

Having built up a reputation as The Place To Go on the White Isle since its opening 1994 for a pre-night out strawberry daiquiri as the sun goes down — Café Mambo now has an arm-long waiting list building well before its opening hours. The Legendary San Antonio bar and restaurant has embedded itself within Ibiza lore — having hosted the likes of Carl Cox, Swedish House Mafia and Patrick Topping for sundown sets.

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Café Mambo speaks to us about the preparation of an impeccable evening that captures stunning views, delicious cocktails and banging tunes.

"In the beginning, Café Mambo was just a dilapidated finca — at least until Javier Anadon spotted its potential and opened it as a brand new bar. Before long, it became the location of legendary sunset parties, attracting ravers and DJs from around the globe. With such illustrious white isle history, people from all over the world queue up to work here every summer. We choose the best of the best, making sure there’s a happy, clued-up team to welcome guests every morning from 10:AM."

"Every summer, thousands of people have their photo taken in front of our Mambo sign, the iconic Ibiza sunset going about its magic dazzlingly in the background. Craig here is in charge of all the decor at Mambo, which means his job is to change the banners every day to display which superstar DJ is on pre-party duty that night. This year FISHER, Claptone and The Martinez Brothers have all been regulars!"

"Our kitchen serves up fresh, tasty dishes every day until midnight (after which we serve a snack menu), which means mornings begin at 10AM for our inspiring and hardworking team of chefs! Some of our bestselling plates include our lamb pita bread and the dulce de leche volcano. Don’t leave Ibiza before you’ve tried them!"

"Anyone who’s ever witnessed a Mambo sunset knows that there’s something truly special about the experience: the colours, the music, the atmosphere — it all lingers in the memory long after the sun has dipped beneath the horizon. We’re proud to work with people who go above and beyond to make sure every evening at Mambo is memorable, delivering the best sunset experience anywhere on the island."

"Mother Nature doles out a dusky spectacle night after night after night in Ibiza — there’s a reason the sunsets here are the most famous on the planet! But you’ve not had the true Ibiza sunset experience till you’ve watched it from the Mambo terrace, where great tunes, cocktails and the buzz coming from your fellow ravers makes it a one-of-a-kind event not to be missed."

"The Mambo Brothers were born and bred in Ibiza, and they grew up at Café Mambo surrounded by some of the biggest stars in the dance music world, including Boy George, Sasha, Pete Tong and Judge Jules, who they now consider close friends. These days, they’re international touring DJs in their own right, playing on the biggest stages worldwide and flying the Mambo flag everywhere they go."

"Don’t be surprised to spot dance music royalty in all directions at Mambo; even when DJs aren’t playing they head here to catch sunset and sip on strawberry daiquiris, which inevitably leads to shots of the local liqueur, hierbas. Here are house music legends Todd Terry and Arman van Helden waiting for a feast to arrive."

"One more for the road! Our iconic strawberry daiquiris are basically like the magic of sunset captured in frozen slushy form. People stick around at Mambo long after dark to get their fix of the fruity stuff, powering up on energy and good vibes before hitting the super clubs."

"The mischievous grin of DJ Monki; Mambo regular, all round top talent, and solid sunset soundtracker."