Bar Rey Sancho, Palma

Only a short walk from Plaça d’Espanya, you’ll find Bar Rey Sancho, which, despite its name, is a restaurant – and a surprisingly good one that’s off the tourist-beaten track.

If you glance from Carrer del 31 Desembre along Carrer del Rei Sanç, you won’t spot any fancy signage suggesting the location of this restaurant, only the original frontage of what used to be a neighbourhood locals’ bar called … Bar Rey Sancho.

Closed since before the pandemic, the premises reopened at the end of last year under new ownership and with a new lease of life, becoming Argentinian chef Alexis Cataldi’s restaurant of the same name. The exterior appears unchanged, except for the menu now displayed in the window.

Things are a little different inside, with modern chairs and tables for 24 diners. But rather than bring in a designer to create a fancy, new interior, Alexis gave Bar Rey Sancho a makeover that has preserved its essence and some of its history. Expect the kind of cool, urban vibe found in cities like Berlin or Amsterdam. If you favour smart, contemporary restaurants created by professional interior designers, focus on the food, and you’ll have found the reason for this recommendation.

Chef Alexis offers an à la carte menu of starters, accompaniments, and mains, based on seasonal, local produce. Dishes change every three months, and extra off-menu dishes are usually available. Pickling, fermentation, and escabeches are key culinary features in Alexis’s Mediterranean cuisine, with influences from Morocco and Greece.

At lunchtime, as well as the à la carte menu, there’s the ‘plato del día’, including artisan bread, a drink, and a dessert or coffee for 16,50€.  

My friend and I ate lunch from the main menu, starting with a silky hummus made from white beans from Sa Pobla, served with pickled vegetables. The delicious dried-herb-topped loaf of warm bread was the perfect accompaniment (4,50€).

Spotting that we hadn’t ordered one of Bar Rey Sancho’s most popular starters, Alexis brought us a complimentary aubergine escabeche with pine nuts, which we shared (8,90€). It’s undoubtedly one of the stars of the menu.

Our main plates were Greek beef kebabs served with a pumpkin tzatziki (19,20€), and I  had confit free-range chicken with broken olives and lemon (18,50€). I’d order this tasty dish again.

Portions are generous, and I was the only one who had dessert – just for the photo, you understand. Our friendly server explained the choices, which included a flan that’s been recommended. I’m not a fan of flan, so chose the meringue-based dessert with cream and poached nectarine – very naughty and worth every calorie (7,20€).

Vegans and vegetarians also have appealing options in Bar Rey Sancho, and it was a vegan who suggested I should try this place.

You’ll find a carefully curated selection of natural wines, mostly from Catalonia and Mallorca. We enjoyed the organic and vegan white ‘garnacha’, L’Abrunet from Celler Frisach in Tarragona, by the glass (5,50€).

For a restaurant with soul and tasty, fresh food that’s tucked away from Palma’s more crowded areas, head for Bar Rey Sancho. Be sure to book ahead because word is spreading and the place is small.

Photos: JAN EDWARDS

Prices correct at time of writing.