Ca'n Joan de S'Aigo

A rich taste of old Mallorca

Food

Service

Atmosphere

This 300-year -old mixture of Central European cafe and typical Spanish tavern offers  a wonderful combination of cosy traditional atmosphere and a short but delicious array of all-Mallorcan (not Belgian, as the LP starngely indicates) sweet and saltt delicacies.
Mid-morning and noon are the best times to enjoy the quiet of the place, either in the dozen-or-so marble slate tables inside or in the tiny but comfy rear patio. During lunchtime locals stop for a quick coca  These are  traditional mini-pizzas made of either sorrell or trampo, a mixture of local varieties of mild onions and peppers.
Rush hour, however, is in the afternoon, when families from all over the city flock to enjoy a steamy cup of chocolate as well as some of the in-house sweets: quarts, cocas de patata, or the jewel of the crown, the ensaimada. This spiral-bound sweet is Mallorca´s most known asset, with the permission of local hero/world tennis champion Rafa Nadal, of course! The traditional ensaimadas were originally plain, consisting just of pork fat, flour, water and sugar. Nowadays they can be found filled with cream, chocolate, apricot jam or, for the adventurous ones, sobrasada, a local mild-hot paste made out of pork meat and spices which blends surprisingly well with the sweetness of the dough.
In short, the unique atmosphere and tasty delicacies  make up for the sometimes slow and occasionallly grumpy service and put this traditional eatery in Palma´s must-see list. Specially for the ones looking for a place to relax and rest their feet in the mid of a  sightseeing/shopping expedition.