Café Rialto – Palma

Hunger can strike at any time when shopping or sightseeing in Palma, so it’s good to know a stylish place where you can eat in a relaxing ambience in the heart of the city. Café Rialto fits that bill and is in the appealing setting of the renowned Swedish-owned lifestyle store, Rialto Living.

Café Rialto feels like a refuge from the city’s bustle. Natural light from the glass atrium bathes this space. The décor reflects the distinctive style of the store, with large potted plants and blue accents giving Mediterranean flair to the Scandi-chic eatery. Framed paintings on the walls are for sale (and check out the store’s art gallery for more before you leave). There’s a variety of seating, including a cosy corner area. If you’re eating or drinking alone, there are magazines and newspapers to read.

We went to Café Rialto for a casual lunch after a morning of shopping, but you can come here for just a drink and maybe a snack, such as a Swedish cinnamon bun or one of the alluring cakes on display. In addition to focaccia sandwiches and salads, there are crowd-pleasing hot dishes, including a vegetarian one. A soup and a goat’s cheese salad were the extra dishes available that day.

The menu isn’t large but has something to tempt most tastes and levels of hunger.

We ordered a glass each of the Mallorcan wine, Coa Negra Rosat (7,50€ a glass), from a short list of wines from the Peninsula, Mallorca, and Provence (a rosé, of course). Our drinks arrived with a bowl of juicy olives.

My partner opted for and enjoyed a hot dish: free-range chicken tikka masala – a bit spicy – with chutney and basmati rice (21€). I chose one of the three salads on offer: a generous bowl of minced chicken with mango, mixed leaves, red onion, avocado, and a liberal sprinkling of pomegranate seeds – dressed with a well-balanced honey and mustard vinaigrette (marked as a gluten-free dish) (21€)

Desserts are home-made cakes or an individual tub of local Fet a Sóller ice cream. My partner had chocolate ice cream (4,50€), and, because I can never have too much exotic fruit, I was unable to resist the mango cheesecake I’d spotted in the display case (7,50€) – a creamy treat that satisfied my occasional craving for something naughty.

Drinks at Café Rialto include coffees, hot chocolate, teas and infusions, soft drinks, beer, a choice of smoothies (7,50€ each), wines by the glass or bottle (including their own organic Coa Negra Rosat), and cocktails.

Café Rialto is one of my favourite places in the main shopping area of Palma for a drink or a casual lunch. Try it, and it may become one of yours too. 

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.