Osteria El Patio, Alcúdia

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.

This winter, Osteria El Patio’s charming owner, Roberto Balzano, has kept the restaurant open – a bonus for those of us exploring this honeypot location during the quieter months. The patio, of course, is closed for now but the interior is also attractive.

Although I hadn’t visited Osteria El Patio for a very long time, Roberto remembered me when we went for lunch. Chef Luigi Inserra – who was there eight years ago – now runs the kitchen at the sister restaurant Osteria La Veranda in Portals Nous but is working alongside chef Donato Porzio in Alcúdia until La Veranda reopens for the season.

The interior has ceiling beams, a tiled floor, and handsome stone arches that are typical ‘mallorquín’ architectural features. Since my last visit, Roberto has added an impressive Italian pizza oven and the menu (which you can find on Osteria El Patio’s website) offers ten pizzas (priced from 9€ to 18€) as well as pasta, fish, and meat dishes.

We began by sharing a focaccia with extra virgin olive oil and oregano (6€), and beef carpaccio with balsamic vinegar, rocket, Grana cheese, and extra virgin olive oil (12€).

Having eaten pasta often lately, we opted for fish main-course dishes – of which there were two. I like that the menu isn’t too long.

I chose a beautifully cooked piece of hake in the lightest saffron tempura with yogurt sauce – containing tiny pieces of cucumber – sautéed vegetables and potato millefeuille (24€). The slight sharpness of the yogurt sauce was the perfect foil for the tempura.

Across the table, my companion enjoyed his fillet of sea bass (25€).

Typical Italian desserts on the menu include tiramisu, panna cotta, and the hot-espresso-and ice-cream favourite, ‘affogato al caffè’. We opted for the ‘sfera ai frutti di bosco’, a semifreddo of forest fruits (6€). I’d have it again but all to myself next time.

Coffee is the Italian brand, Lavazza, and mine was good. My companion couldn’t resist the Irish coffee on a cold day (8€).

There’s a good choice of Italian wines – including some that connoisseurs will appreciate – and wines from Mallorca (many of them organic) and the Peninsula. Fourteen wines from Italy, Mallorca, or Spain are offered by the glass (priced from 4,50€ to 7,50€).

Osteria El Patio celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Which sounds like the perfect reason to visit Alcúdia Old Town.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.