Joan Yern
Some places in Formentera exist beyond the tourist season and are as much a part of the island’s landscape as the salt flats or the juniper trees, and Es Molí de Sal is one of them. This year, the restaurant celebrates its 45th anniversary, a number that says a lot about a project that Joan Yern—‘Jhonny’ for those who known him—has been patiently building and the conviction of someone who has never needed to take shortcuts. Over the course of four and a half decades, an old mill that once belonged to the former salt industry has become much more than just a restaurant; it’s a place where people come hoping to enjoy a good meal and leave having experienced something they never expected. With the views of Ses Illetes etched in their memory forever, they leave knowing that some places in the world don’t need to reinvent themselves because they are already exactly what they’re meant to be.
‘Jhonny’ Yern is the type of restaurant owner who cannot imagine himself apart from the place he has created. The type who is there at each service, not because he doesn’t trust his team, but because he genuinely enjoys what he has built and the people who pass through his doors. His philosophy is straightforward: make people happy. A motto that could sound simplistic but is actually something he lives by. The same spirit led him to become the self-proclaimed inventor of the fried lobster with eggs and potatoes—a dish not found in any haute cuisine cookbook, yet one that encapsulates ‘Jhonny’s’ approach to gastronomy: generous, straightforward, memorable and free from any artifice that might come between the diner and their food.
‘My philosophy is simple: make people happy. Everything else will fall into place’ - 'Jhonny' Yern
Es Molí de Sal’s setting is the kind that speaks for itself, but ‘Jhonny’ has always known that no matter how privileged the location, the food must come up to scratch. With the turquoise waters of Ses Illetes in the background and sunsets with Es Vedrà silhouetted against the horizon, and the chance to visit the restaurant’s own fish farm and select your own lobster, the experience combines the thrill of the surroundings with the pleasure of produce treated with the respect it deserves. The menu revolves around Mediterranean cuisine featuring fish, seafood and rice dishes, with local ingredients taking centre stage, and seasonality, rather than a marketing gimmick, being the only possible way to operate.
Behind the concept is Billy Baroja, Es Molí de Sal chef and one of the most renowned cooks on the island, whose career took him to some of the most demanding kitchens in Barcelona and Madrid before docking in Formentera and becoming the culinary heart and soul of the restaurant. In 2023, he was awarded the Best Chef prize by the Formentera Academy of Gastronomy, which speaks volumes about Baroja’s skill and the consistency of a project that has maintained its high standards for decades. In the dining room, Dachi Cortés is a manager who combines professionalism and warmth, making guests feel well cared for without ever reminding them that they are in an award-winning restaurant with a rich history.
Forty-five years after ‘Jhonny’ Yern decided to breathe new life into a former salt mill in front of the cleanest water in the Mediterranean, Es Molí de Sal remains what it always was: a place where the people of Formentera sit down at a table and where visitors from afar understand why the island has a certain charm unlike anywhere in the world. The farmed lobster, the rice dishes that brings back childhood memories, the sunset that seems to linger forever, and ‘Jhonny’ in the background make sure everyone leaves happy.
