2015
The house with the patio
We rented a 19th-century house on Calle Pintada for its inner courtyard. The kitchen came later: first came the lemon tree.
The house · since 2015
A house with a courtyard that became a kitchen.
Patio wasn't born a restaurant: it began as a 19th-century house with a lemon tree in the middle. This is the story of how the courtyard filled up with tables.
The story
Eight years, four decisions.
2017
The fish market, every morning
We stopped working with a distributor. Since then, we buy at the 6:00 AM auction — whatever the sea gives.
2020
The weekly menu
We threw out the laminated menu. Every Tuesday it's rewritten on the chalkboard according to the fish market and the garden. Nobody has missed it.
2023
Direct booking
We left the commission-charging booking platforms. You book your table with us directly, and the welcome drink is on the house.
Who cooks, who serves
Three people, one house.
Carmen Iborra
Kitchen · founder
She learned in her grandmother's kitchen in Frigiliana and in two starred restaurants she prefers not to name.
Mateo Ruiz
Dining room · founder
He knows which table each guest wants before they say so. He picks the wines from the Axarquía.
Andrés Vega
Garden
He isn't an employee: he's the Frigiliana farmer whose tomatoes decide whether there's a starter or not.
The pantry
What sets us apart fits in six suppliers.
There's no secret: there's produce. Every supplier has been with us for years and has a name on the menu.
Olive oil
Daimalos · Axarquía
Extra virgin Picual, first cold press
Fish
the fish market
Daily auction at six · local catch only
Vegetables
Andrés's garden · Frigiliana
Picked the day before, no industrial refrigeration
Bread
Panadería del Río
Sourdough, wood-fired oven, twice a day
Wine
Small wineries · local DO
28 labels by the glass or bottle
Coffee
Local roaster · Toma Café
Small-batch roast · ground to order
If the fish market didn't deliver, the dish doesn't go out. No theatrics.
The producer's name is on the menu. Always.
Lingering after the meal is never charged for or interrupted.
Small room: 34 seats. We're not going to grow.
“The lemon tree is still in the middle. The tables were set around it — never the other way around.”
Carmen Iborra · kitchen
The table by the lemon tree is waiting for you.
Direct booking, a welcome drink on the house and a kitchen that knows your name.