Restaurante Peperoncino – Son Servera

This Restaurant of the Week captures the essence of ‘la dolce vita’ here in Mallorca. Of the many Italian restaurants on the island, this is one of my favourites, nestled in the heart of a traditional town in the Llevant area of Mallorca, near the east coast.

Peperoncino is in the pedestrianized, old centre of Son Servera, near the church and only a few minutes’ walk from the Església Nova, the unfinished new church that’s worth seeing.

This Italian restaurant is in a former ‘mallorquin’ house, which gives character to the cosy, main dining room. Beyond this is an enclosed courtyard-style dining area, and stairs up to a summer roof terrace. During the warmer weather, there are also tables outside at the front of the building.

Peperoncino is open for lunch and dinner, and booking is essential, because this place is popular and up to a week’s notice may be needed in summer.

We went for an early dinner on a cold, wet Saturday evening and, despite the horrible weather, the restaurant was full by the time we left. Our table was in the pleasantly warm, enclosed courtyard.

Peperoncino is owned and run by the Italian chef Giuseppe Carbonaro and his family. Giuseppe looks more like a rock star than a chef – sporting a beard, baseball cap, tattooed forearms, and trendy heavy-framed glasses. But his culinary credentials are proof of his calling.

Although he’s Italian, he grew up in Germany, where his parents ran a restaurant. This sparked his love of food and cooking from an early age. Giuseppe’s recipes are a mix of traditional and his own creations, and he’s authored the German-language cookbook, ‘Tuttavia’.

Many of Peperoncino’s loyal customers are from German-speaking countries, which means you’ll have good-sized portions and the chance to eat lunch or dinner at an earlier hour than in most restaurants in Mallorca.

The menu is à la carte, with some additional chef’s suggestions. I’d describe it as a democratic menu because there’s something for most budgets. You could come for a glass of wine and to share a good pizza (12,50€-18€), or splash out on a Surf & Turf (46€) and a bottle of one of the fine wines Giuseppe offers.

For our latest visit, we shared one of the six varieties of focaccia, topped with pancetta, fresh mozzarella, and basil (15,00€).

Our excellent main-course dishes were oven-baked gilthead bream, served whole with moreish, home-made French fries (25€), and a perfectly cooked fillet of turbot with lemon sauce and venere (black) rice (28,50€).

Finally, we shared one of the seasonal desserts: a lush, palate-cleansing Sicilian lemon sorbet with berries and a dash of vodka (9,80€).

We stepped out into the cold, wet night with the warm feeling of having had another good eating-out experience at Son Servera’s Restaurante Peperoncino.

Gluten-free pasta and vegetarian choices are available at Peperoncino. See the menu and wine list on their website.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.