Restaurante Lago, Son Serra de Marina

Son Serra de Marina is renowned for its beautiful Alcúdia Bay views and virgin beach backed by extensive dunes. But this place would have looked very different today if the 1970 plans to develop the area near the dunes into a large holiday resort had come to fruition. Fortunately, the project didn’t happen, and Son Serra de Marina is still a place to escape the commercialism of so many of Mallorca’s beaches.

Expecting the local population to grow, in 1971, Joaquín Aguiló transformed his café in Son Serra de Marina into Restaurante Lago, which is still owned by the same family today, with Gustavo at the helm. On our latest visit, Gustavo’s wife, Rosana, and their son, Luis, were in charge.

Restaurante Lago is at the far end of Son Serra de Marina, facing the dunes. Terrace tables have good views of these across the road and of the Mediterranean. It’s a good place to watch the comings and goings of beach visitors, carrying what they need for their time on the sands (there are no sunbeds or beach umbrellas to rent here).

The kitchen at Restaurante Lago is open all day, making the place ideal for those who leave the beach late afternoon feeling hungry.

The menu is à la carte with daily specials. The starters include a few dishes in both tapa and full sizes; there are egg, Italian, paella and rice dishes, five meat dishes, and eight fish choices. The paella served at the next table looked good – one to try next time, perhaps.

For our latest visit (of many over the years), we chose two starters to share and a main dish each. This was a bit ambitious and left no room for dessert this time.

The specials included gratinated queen scallops (six for 16€), which we had as one of our starters, along with a portion of fried fish – a substantial mix of prawns, squid strips, cod, and anchovies, with Padrón peppers (17€).

Being by the sea, fish seemed the right choice for the main course. I had sea bass fillets cooked on the griddle (22€), and my companion chose a whole John Dory, fished from the Bay of Alcúdia (30€) and deboned at the table. A choice of four accompaniments is offered with the fish dishes. Both fish were cooked perfectly. I also enjoyed the grilled vegetables I chose to have with my fish.

Restaurante Lago offers four dishes for children (9€-10€), and a burger option for vegans.

My companion had a glass of Mallorcan rosé at 6,50€, and I drank sparkling water (4,50€ for 0.75l). Most of the wines are from Mallorca.

Restaurante Lago has a great location, a good choice of dishes, and the friendly service you expect in a family-owned-and-run restaurant.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.