Where to eat in Palma de Mallorca, and what to order
Palma eats on a Spanish clock with a Mallorcan menu: ensaïmada and hot chocolate for breakfast, pa amb oli and tapas at the bar, rice and fish for a long lunch. The old town has the cafés and the older rooms, La Llotja and Santa Catalina the newer ones, and the old port and Portixol the fish. Check closing days first, because many good places shut on Sunday, Monday or both.
The short answer
- Best area to eat
- The old town for cafés, tapas and the older rooms; La Llotja and Santa Catalina for newer restaurants; the old port and Portixol for fish.
- Order this
- An ensaïmada with hot chocolate, sobrassada, tumbet and a rice dish at lunch, with a glass of Mallorcan wine.
- When to eat
- Lunch from about 13:00 to 15:30. Dinner from 18:00 or 19:00 at some places and 20:00 at others; several kitchens close in between.
- Book or walk in
- Walk in at the cafés, Bar Bosch and the markets. Book El Camino, Bondo Cocina, Vandal and DINS Santi Taura, and rice lunches at the weekend.
- Closed days
- Many places shut on Sunday, Monday or both: El Camino and DINS Santi Taura are closed on both days, Bondo Cocina from Sunday to Tuesday, and Ca n'Eduardo on Monday.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Service is included in the price; round up, or leave a few euros for good service.
What to eat in Palma de Mallorca
- EnsaïmadaA coiled, soft pastry made with pork lard and dusted with icing sugar, eaten at breakfast or with hot chocolate. Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo, in business since 1700, serves it with hot chocolate or almond ice cream.
- SobrassadaA soft cured pork sausage colored with red pepper, spread on bread, often with honey, or cooked as a tapa. The Olivar market's charcuterie stalls sell it, and Bondo Cocina puts it on the menu.
- Pa amb oliCountry bread dressed with olive oil and tomato, topped with ham, cheese or sobrassada. It is the island's simplest lunch and a standard order at a bar.
- TumbetLayers of fried potato, aubergine and red pepper under a garlic and tomato sauce, a bit like a pie without a crust. Order it as a side to fish or meat, or on its own as a vegetarian main.
- Sopes mallorquinesThin slices of dry brown bread in a vegetable broth, a thick, bread-based soup. It is a traditional dish, so ask for it at a restaurant that serves Mallorcan home cooking.
- Frit mallorquíA fry-up of pork, offal, liver and cooked blood, usually with potatoes. It is hearty and for people who like offal; look for it at traditional restaurants.
- Rice dishes and fideuàMallorca's rice is cooked wet. Aròs brut is a soupy rice with mushrooms, snails, pork, rabbit and poultry. For rice by the sea, Ca n'Eduardo on the old port cooks paellas and fideuà for two or more.
- Coca de trempóA flat, savory pastry baked with vegetables, sold by the slice at bakeries. A good snack between meals.
- Gató d'ametllaAn almond sponge cake, often served with almond ice cream. Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo is known for its almond ice cream.
Where to eat in Palma de Mallorca, by neighborhood
Old town and the Born
Cafés, tapas bars and the older rooms. Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo, Bar Bosch, La Bodeguilla and El Camino are all in the old town, and DINS Santi Taura is in a hotel beside the cathedral. It is the easiest area for lunch.
La Llotja and Santa Catalina
West of the cathedral along the sea. La Llotja has small restaurants such as Bondo Cocina, and Santa Catalina has a dense run of newer places, including Vandal, that fill up in the evening. The Santa Catalina market is known for its fish, thanks to the nearby Llotja.
Around the Olivar market
Go in the morning, when the stalls are open from 07:00 to 15:00. La Malvasia has a tapas room on Plaça de l'Olivar, beside the market, and a second on Plaça del Mercat, four minutes' walk away.
The old port and Portixol
For fish and rice, with a view. Ca n'Eduardo is on the old port with the cathedral across the water, and Periplo Portixol is in the old Es Molinar fishing district east of the center. Both are open on Sundays.
Places worth a booking or a queue
-
Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo
€Café and pastry shop · Old town and the Born
OrderA warm ensaïmada with hot chocolate, or the almond ice cream
A Palma family business that has made ensaïmadas, hot chocolate and almond ice cream since 1700. The shop on Carrer de Can Sanç keeps details of the original room.
- Book
- Walk in. The Can Sanç shop is open every day from 08:00 to 21:00.
Confirmed open: canjoandesaigo.com
-
Bar Bosch
€Café bar · Old town and the Born
OrderBreakfast, a house pastry or a few tapas
A café on Plaça del Rei Joan Carles I since 1936, where writers, artists and politicians have met for generations. It serves breakfasts, sandwiches, tapas and pastries made in house.
- Book
- Walk in. It is open from 09:00 to midnight.
Confirmed open: barbosch.com
-
La Bodeguilla
€€€Wine shop and tavern · Old town and the Born
OrderIbérico ham and oysters with a glass from the wine list
The Michelin Guide lists it for the wine shop and the two-story dining room where barrels serve as tables. The wine list runs to more than 300 bottles.
- Book
- Book on its website, by phone or by email. It is open every day from 13:00 to 23:00.
Confirmed open: la-bodeguilla.com
-
El Camino
€€Tapas bar · Old town and the Born
OrderWhatever the seasonal menu has, eaten at the marble bar
Tapas and small mains at a marble bar facing an open kitchen, with menus that change through the year to follow the season.
- Book
- Book online through the link on its site. It is open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch from 13:00 and dinner from 18:00.
- Closed
- Sunday and Monday
Confirmed open: elcaminopalma.es
-
La Malvasia
€€Tapas restaurant · Around the Olivar market
OrderSeasonal tapas with a glass of its own Malvasia white wine
Two tapas rooms four minutes' walk apart, one on Plaça de l'Olivar beside the market and one on Plaça del Mercat, pouring a Malvasia wine from Ca'n Pico in Banyalbufar.
- Book
- Book through the TheFork box on its site, or walk in. It is open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 to 22:00.
- Closed
- Sunday
Confirmed open: lamalvasiamallorca.com
-
Ca n'Eduardo
€€€Rice and seafood restaurant · The old port and Portixol
OrderA paella or fideuà for two, or grilled lobster
On the waterfront of the old port with views of the cathedral and the bay, cooking rice dishes and fish bought through the local fish market. Its own site claims 80 years of tradition.
- Book
- Book online or by phone. Rice dishes are cooked for two or more.
- Closed
- Monday
Confirmed open: caneduardo.com
-
DINS Santi Taura
€€€€Tasting-menu restaurant · Old town and the Born
OrderThe Origens tasting menu, the only menu
One Michelin star since 2020 for a single tasting menu of Mallorcan recipes and ingredients, eaten at a table or at the chef's counter in a hotel beside the cathedral. Under-16s are not admitted.
- Book
- Book ahead. A card guarantee holds the table, and late cancellation is charged. Dinner is Tuesday to Saturday, with a lunch on Saturday.
- Closed
- Sunday and Monday
Confirmed open: grupsantitaura.com
-
Bondo Cocina
€€Argentine and Mallorcan restaurant · La Llotja and Santa Catalina
OrderSobrassada, shrimp croquettes and garlic prawns
A small family-run room in La Llotja that mixes Argentine cooking with Mallorcan ingredients and market produce. It serves dinner only, and children under 10 are not admitted.
- Book
- Book online or by WhatsApp through its site. It is open Wednesday to Saturday from 18:30 to 22:30.
- Closed
- Sunday to Tuesday
Confirmed open: bondococina.com
-
Vandal
€€€Modern restaurant · La Llotja and Santa Catalina
OrderBlack hake with almond purée, and a cocktail
Opened in 2017 in Santa Catalina and describing itself as fine dining with attitude: local Mallorcan produce cooked with international technique, with cocktails and wine pairings to match.
- Book
- Book on its website; it recommends booking ahead. It is open every evening from 19:00 to 23:00.
Confirmed open: vandalpalma.com
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Periplo Portixol
€€€Seafood and grill restaurant · The old port and Portixol
OrderFish and seafood from the embers, to share
Seafood and grilled dishes on the waterfront of the old Molinar fishing district, with a view across the bay and plates designed for sharing. The Michelin Guide lists it.
- Book
- Book by phone, by email or through the form on its site. It is open every day from 13:00 to 23:00.
Confirmed open: periploportixol.com
Food markets in Palma de Mallorca
- Mercat de l'OlivarThe main covered market in the center, with fish and seafood, meat and charcuterie including sobrassada and cured hams, local cheeses, produce, flowers and spices, plus tapas counters and stands selling oysters with cava. Go before noon for the full choice.Monday to Saturday, 07:00 to 15:00, with a few stalls open again from 15:00 to 20:00. Closed on Sunday, and on Mondays some fish stalls stay shut.Source: mercatolivar.com
- Mercat de Santa CatalinaA market known for its fish, thanks to the nearby Llotja, and for its premium butchers. On Saturdays people gather at its counters and bars for wine and cheese.Monday to Saturday, 07:00 to 17:00. Closed on Sunday.Source: visitpalma.com
How Palma eats
- Meal timesLunch is the main meal, from about 13:00 to 15:30. Many kitchens close between lunch and dinner. Dinner starts at 18:00 at El Camino, 19:00 at Vandal and 20:00 at DINS Santi Taura.
- Closed daysSunday and Monday are when most good places close. La Bodeguilla and Periplo Portixol open seven days a week, Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo opens every day, and Ca n'Eduardo closes only on Monday. Check before you set out.
- ReservationsBook the restaurants that take bookings, most of them online or by phone, and book DINS Santi Taura well ahead. You can walk in at cafés, bakeries and the markets.
- TippingTipping is not expected, because service is included in the price. Round up the bill, or leave a few euros, if the service was good.
- Menu of the dayOn weekdays many restaurants offer a fixed-price lunch, the menú del día, usually written on a board by the door. It is often the cheapest way to have a full meal.
Signs of a place to walk past
A menu with photos of every dish, in five languages, on a stand outside the door.
A host on the pavement calling people in, especially on Plaça Major and the streets by the cathedral.
A paella or a jug of sangria at a fixed price on a chalkboard, offered at any hour.
Ensaïmadas sold only in sealed boxes in a souvenir shop, rather than from a bakery counter with an oven behind it.
Eating in Palma de Mallorca: questions people ask
What food is Palma de Mallorca known for?
Ensaïmada, the coiled pastry made with pork lard, and sobrassada, a soft cured sausage colored with red pepper. Savory dishes include tumbet, sopes mallorquines, frit mallorquí and wet rice dishes such as aròs brut, with almond cake and almond ice cream for dessert.
What is an ensaïmada, and where can you buy a good one?
It is a coiled, soft pastry made with pork lard and dusted with icing sugar, eaten at breakfast or with hot chocolate. Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo has made them in Palma since 1700 and has three shops, and any good bakery sells them fresh in the morning.
What is the best area to eat in Palma de Mallorca?
The old town is the easiest for cafés, tapas and lunch. La Llotja and Santa Catalina have the newer restaurants, and the old port and Portixol are best for fish and rice. Santa Catalina also has a covered market.
Do you need to book restaurants in Palma de Mallorca?
Yes for the places with a following: El Camino, Bondo Cocina, Vandal and DINS Santi Taura, and any rice lunch at the weekend. You can walk in at cafés such as Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo and Bar Bosch, and at the markets.
What time do restaurants open for dinner in Palma de Mallorca?
It varies. El Camino opens for dinner at 18:00, Bondo Cocina at 18:30 and Vandal at 19:00, and DINS Santi Taura seats at 20:00 and 21:00. Kitchens at many places close between lunch and dinner.
What is the best food market in Palma de Mallorca?
The Mercat de l'Olivar is the main covered market in the center and is open Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 15:00. The Mercat de Santa Catalina is known for its fish and is open Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 17:00. Both are closed on Sundays.
What should you drink in Palma de Mallorca?
Mallorcan wines have two protected origins, Binissalem and Pla i Llevant, and La Malvasia pours a Malvasia white from Banyalbufar. Herbes de Mallorca and palo are the local liqueurs.
Is tipping expected in Palma de Mallorca?
No. Service is included in the price, so a tip is a thank-you, not an obligation. Rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is plenty.