Did you know that the small mountain village of Estellencs holds an annual autumn gastronomic fair? It happened at the weekend, but if you missed it, Restaurant Montimar is another reason for foodies to visit this achingly picturesque part of Mallorca.
Port de Pollença has no shortage of contemporary restaurants, but a little way along the seafront from the heart of the resort is an eatery with more history, a good reputation, and the cellar-restaurant vibes that many visitors – and islanders – appreciate. Josep and his restaurant co-founder Lucía opened Ca’n Josep as their restaurant in 2009, although the premises date back to 1961.
Photo: Restaurante Golf Alcanada
You don’t have to be a golfer to appreciate why lunching at a golf course restaurant can be a good idea. The food portions are generous to satisfy hungry golfers after they’ve come off the course, and the surroundings are restful, lush with well-maintained greens, and have lovely views.
It’s useful to know about a restaurant in Mallorca that’s by the sea, open 365 days a year, and offers Mediterranean-Asian cuisine. Negre in Port d’Alcúdia is such a place. It’s also open all day, which means that cooked breakfast cravings can also be satisfied there, thanks to the separate all-morning breakfast menu.
This week, I’m recommending a taste of ‘la dolce vita’ at the Italian restaurant Osteria El Patio in Alcúdia Old Town. I first wrote about this eatery in 2017, when it had been open for two years. As well as the delicious food and friendly staff, I loved the large rear patio which, in the height of summer, felt like a haven from the holidaymakers who swarm through the streets of this medieval walled town.
I’ve long been a fan of chef Javier Hoebeeck, who leads the culinary team at Fusion19 – the one-Michelin-starred restaurant in the popular resort of Playa de Muro.
If proximity to the sea is as essential to you for dining out as olive oil is to bread, this Restaurant of the Week should appeal. Es Vivers in Colònia de Sant Pere is known for its well-made Italian cuisine but also its superb location on the seafront in this attractive village not far from Artà on the Bay of Alcúdia in northeast Mallorca.
Chefs in Mallorca may have a wealth of hi-tech kitchen equipment available to them but the oldest way of cooking – over a wood fire – is hard to beat for enhancing the flavour of food. Singular, a restaurant in the countryside near Sa Pobla has made ‘cocina del fuego’ its speciality.
The sign on the wall reads Can Kiwi Coffee & Juice Bar but there’s much more than hot and cold drinks to this great find in beautiful Colònia de Sant Pere.
It’s almost impossible to get a short-notice table at Ses Coves in Campanet in the holiday season but I made my winter, weekday lunch booking only one day ahead. This rural restaurant is renowned for both its food grilled over embers and the high quality and provenance of its meat and fish. No wonder some of Mallorca’s top chefs eat here on a day off.
A stalwart of popular Port de Pollença, Stay Restaurant is open all day, every day of the year. With its waterfront location and gorgeous views, it attracts locals and visitors alike. Stay first opened in 1972 but has been in its current guise since 2006. Contemporary in style, the restaurant has extensive decked terracing on two sides, and a smart dining room that’s filled with natural light.
Most beach eateries in Mallorca have closed their doors after a busy season, but for those days when the sun shines from a bright blue sky and invites you to the coast, it’s good to know somewhere you can still eat out by the sea during the day.
Despite all the sophisticated kitchen equipment and technology now available to chefs, cooking over a wood fire – a process dating back hundreds of thousands of years – is a growing trend in today’s international restaurant industry. One restaurant in Mallorca – named Singular – has made ‘cocina del fuego’ its speciality.
I make no apology for choosing a ‘chiringuito’ as my Restaurant of the Week. Hey, it’s the height of summer, and where do we want to eat lunch out in the heat of a Mallorcan August? Maybe within mere steps of the Caribbean-like turquoise sea at Platja de Muro? Ponderosa Beach ticks the boxes for location, delicious food and drinks, friendly service, and holiday vibes.
Can you imagine a Hollywood movie star topping up his tan on the beach in Magaluf? Well, in the mid-1950s, holidaying ‘High Noon’ star Gary Cooper and a female companion asked a taxi driver to take them to Mallorca’s most tranquil beach. Hard to believe it was Magaluf.
La Braseria may not have the allure of a seafront eatery in Port de Pollença or a restaurant in the narrow streets of the charming Pollença town, but it does have a Josper charcoal oven. And if you enjoy the flavour of food cooked over fire, La Braseria is worth a visit for young Bolivian chef Ruben Uzquiano’s expert cooking.
Ponderosa Beach is not a typical ‘chiringuito’, although you’ll find it on the long sandy Playa de Muro. This family-run beach eatery – which has its roots back in 1967 – offers an unexpected level of gastronomy for a place where there’s sand beneath your table.