What to eat and drink in Palma de Mallorca

Over the past 20 years, Palma has become a love affair on the plate. And eating in this Spanish city is incredibly chill. You don’t have to book months in advance to score top tables, times are relaxed (Mallorcans typically dine late) and you’re often welcome to just show up. Part of the beauty of Palma is wandering through its honey-stone streets, starting the day with coffee and pastries on a sunlit plaça, easing gently into a starlit evening with tapas and vermouth in a backstreet vermutería or kicking back with an aperitivo in an inner courtyard bar. No hassle. No rush. No pretense.

Positioned by the sea, Mallorca’s capital has always looked out across the water to the world beyond. And the world now comes to Palma’s kitchens. Astoundingly fresh sushi, ceviche with pisco sours, Brazilian barbecue, classic French – you’ll find the lot alongside Michelin-starred restaurants where chefs like Marc Fosh and Adrián Quetglas pride themselves on simplicity in dishes that highlight Balearic flavors as clean and bright as the light that beats down on these streets.

1. Start your day with breakfast ensaïmadas in Palma's old-school bakeries

Most Palma locals save their appetite for lunch and I’ll often take their lead, just grabbing a coffee and pastry. But my, my, what pastries! The Mallorcans excel on this front, and pinning down the city’s best ensaïmada (a feather-light, beautifully flaky, snail-shaped pastry lightly dusted with icing sugar) can turn into a quest. I suggest keeping it traditional and heading to the likes of family-run, old-school Ca'n Joan de S'Aigo, which has been baking since 1700. Or visit the Forn del Santo Cristo, where sublime ensaïmades come with silky fillings from marzipan to honey, white chocolate and dulce de leche.

2. Granola bowls with seasonal fruit at Mama Carmen's

For something more substantial, nose around the produce-laden stalls at the Mercat de Santa Catalina before going to Mama Carmen’s for brunch. A bubble of artsy, back-in-time warmth, this cafe does smoothies; specialty coffees (try the pumpkin-spiced latte); granola bowls sprinkled with seasonal fruits, cacao nibs and edible flowers; impressive vegan eggs; and artisan-baked bread with toppings like avocado, rocket and feta –all served with love on pretty vintage crockery.

3. Freshly roasted coffee at La Molienda

Palma’s coffee scene has exploded in recent years. Gone are the days when the only options were café con leche (coffee with milk) and cortado (espresso with a splash of milk). Now you can’t move for chat of third-waves and single-origin beans. In an untouristy part of town, La Molienda is one of my go-tos for a freshly roasted cup. With an eye on the ethical, sustainable sourcing of beans, this is hands-down some of Palma’s best coffee. When the sun’s out, this corner café’s terrace hums with locals sipping artistically presented cappuccinos and citrusy cold brews.

Similar vibes:  Wander along tree-lined boulevard Passeig des Born, take a left down a quiet street, and you’ll come to Nanø Coffee Lab. This urban-cool, metro-tiled spot takes its beans seriously. I love the happy hiss of the La Marzocco espresso machine, the cute window seat (space for two max) and what they rightly call ‘damn good coffee.

4. Shrimp with garlic aioli at La Bodeguilla

Palma’s summery heat and sociable nature mean that I’m often more in the mood to tapear (eat tapas) when the sun plops into the Mediterranean rather than go for a blowout dinner. There are some incredible options for doing just that, with top billing going to La Bodeguilla, run by two food-loving brothers. It’s a grown-up, monochrome space, with giant hunks of jamón serrano dangling from the ceiling and wine-barrel tables referencing the phenomenal wine list that canters boldly around Spain. The produce-led menu pops with island flavors from meltingly tender suckling pig to scarlet shrimp slick with garlicky aioli.

5. The five-course lunch at Adrián Quetglas

I love Adrián Quetglas for a special lunch and for dinner too; it's unmissable. Vertical gardens and fern prints bring a natural touch to this Michelin-starred restaurant. Originally from Buenos Aires, Adrián returned to his Mallorcan family as a passionate traveler, talented chef and advocate for "democratizing haute cuisine." This is reflected in ingeniously simple dishes like turbot with peas, Tramuntana lemon and lemon verbena, and gazpacho with prawn carpaccio, pickled watermelon and basil-almond ice cream. The five-course lunch is  €55.

6. Sky-high aperitivos at Sky Bar

As the sun sinks and sky pinkens, I love a sky-high aperitivo. There’s a growing crop of rooftop bars in Palma, but few can rival the Sky Bar at Hotel Hostal Cuba for dress-circle views of the Bay of Palma and the cathedral, which glows gold in the moody blues of dusk. They do great cocktails, including a cava-spritzed Bellini and Balearic signatures like Maó Mule (Xoriguer gin with ginger beer, passion fruit and orange bitters).

Similar vibes: For holiday flavor and a dash of class, the poolside Singular Rooftop Terrace is also good. Slightly more affordable and less posh is the eighth-floor Hotel Almudaina Sky Bar, where the city spreads out at your feet.

7. Romantic cocktails and small plates at La Vermuteria

But for romance, La Vermutería wins. Located in the palm-speckled inner courtyard of Can Cera, this 17th-century palau (mansion) is now a boutique bolthole in the heart of Palma’s old town. It’s an enchanting backdrop for zingy cocktails and island wines matched with exquisite island tapas, from Mallorcan cheeses to black pork sobrasada and smoked sea bass.

8. Ceviche cones and coconut foam at Vandal

If you’re up for more of a party atmosphere, swing over to dark, sexy Vandal. (Look out for the graffiti at the entrance.) It’s full of retro sparkle and Mallorcans sipping signature cocktails like Sóller Tonic (gin, rosemary and clementine marmalade). Argentine-Italian chef Bernabé Caravotta delivers playful, palate-awakening sharing plates like ceviche cones with coconut foam, pisco Bloody Mary oysters and slow-cooked lamb with labneh and Moroccan spices. All utterly delicious.

9. Sundowners at Anima Beach

If it has been a hot one and I want to dip my toes in the water and peer out across the Med with a sundowner as DJs spin clubby Ibiza tunes, I head to Anima Beach, which is but a stylish flip-flop from the center.

10. House cocktails at Abaco 

For time travel, I adore Abaco. Push open the heavy wooden door of this opulent 17th-century palau, and you’ll find yourself in a fairy-tale courtyard brimming with fruit, flowers and classical music. Here you can nurse a house cocktail (rum, whisky, Grand Marnier and fruit juice) and feel like a film set extra as candlelight flickers.

11. Late-night cocktails at Door 13

Craving one last, late-night cocktail? Check out Door 13, hidden in a warren of stone-walled lanes near the old capuchin convent. Find the secret code or ring the bell to be admitted to this speakeasy cave with Great Gatsby-esque décor and bohemian vibes. It’s a smashing spot for inventive cocktails like Miró (gin, dry vermouth, jalapeños and burnt rosemary) as live bands play everything from flamenco to swing.