I have a confession to make: Spanish food never excited me as much as other kitchens from around the world. Thai or Mexican would make my mouth water at the thought in seconds, but Spanish? It just passed me by… until I went out to eat in Mallorca.
It was in Mallorca that I discovered the real magic of tapas and Spanish seafood. I savoured flavours I’d never tried before, and ingredients I didn’t get to enjoy often, so Mallorca was a real eye-opener.
Of course, the eight restaurants that transformed my taste when it comes to Spanish food must be pretty good, right? Absolutely, so add these eight restaurants to your Mallorca bucket list right now – your stomach will thank you for it! These views are entirely my own and none of these meals were sponsored or free.
1. Boat House on the marina of Palma de Mallorca
The first place I chose to eat was a boathouse near my hotel. As the name suggests, this restaurant is located by the marina and many glorious boats, so the views are as good as the food. At first I was a little disappointed by the limited selection on the menu, but the food and service were great. We recommend trying the tapas. Made up of mini hamburgers, mussels and a club sandwich, it’s a filling lunch that could work for dinner, too.
2. Gaudeix in the city centre of Palma de Mallorca
This is the venue to choose if you want a perfect tapas dinner in Palma. As with all excellent places to eat in Mallorca, this restaurant gets busy in peak season, so make a reservation if you can, especially if you’re in a bigger group. We were welcomed by very friendly server, who explained that the menu is written on the wall! The choice was very satisfactory and the food faultless. We ordered bread, tomato salad, Mallorcan cheese and prawns in garlic sauce, all of which we loved!
3. La Molienda in Santa Catalina, Palma de Mallorca
Finding a good breakfast spot poses a challenge here. We were in luck the day we decided give La Molienda a try! A hipster style cafe, the menu is entirely in Spanish, so go armed with a phrasebook or Google Translate. We used the latter to order our breakfast of peanut butter and jelly for my husband and an avocado and egg roll for me.
4. Restaurante Bar Andaluz in El Arenal
I found this tapas restaurant just 10 minutes from the beach. Often, restaurants right on the seafront can be overly touristy and charge a premium for their location, so we were happy to head a little further out. Again, we were in luck, because every table other than ours was already reserved. Let the waiters give you recommendations – we did, and tucked into little meatballs, mussels, Spanish omelette, Spanish miniature sausages and prawns. Delicious!
5. Ca’n Pelut  in the marina, Mallorca
This Italian restaurant was conveniently located close to our hotel. We chose it at random one night and it turned out to be a good decision – we returned there two more times for delicious cheese pizza! Sometimes it can be nice to change things up with non-local food. We also tried their Spanish ham served with melon, which was a surprisingly good combination.
6. The 50’s Dinner at the marina, Palma de Mallorca
This was another restaurant located near to our hotel. We only ended up here because my American husband got tired of eating Spanish food every day, haha! Here, you’ll find typical American options to eat in Mallorca. Think eggs for breakfast, burgers, hot dogs and salads for lunch or dinner, not forgetting the milkshakes. We ordered a French omelette and Nutella pancakes for breakfast.
7. Ses Oliveres in Port de Soller
After exploring the wonderful Port de Soller, I decided this would be the perfect place to try an authentic Spanish meal – paella! A dish made from rice served with meat, seafood or vegetables, this dish is iconic of Spanish cuisine. We chose the meat and seafood paella with a shrimp appetiser for our meal. It was definitely an excellent choice. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned, plus the restaurant had very lovely decor. This place definitely needs to be on your list of places to eat in Mallorca.
8. Restaurant Miramar in Port de Alcudia
We ate here for our final dinner in Mallorca, so we wanted to go somewhere romantic and atmospheric. Port de Alcudia was a beautiful place, so I knew we’d find a restaurant to suit. The restaurant we chose was located near the water, so as well as great food you also get spectacular views. Eat here and you’ll enjoy paella, fish or seafood, with just a small selection of meat available. We both ordered salmon in white wine sauce with mussels and garlic bread. Needless to say, it was one of the best places to eat in Mallorca. We loved it!
Are you planning a trip to Mallorca? Find out where to stay and how to get around with this Mallorca handbook.
Ugh!! I wish I saw this before I went to Mallorca. The food I had there way okay (I LOVE Spanish food but I didn’t find such great restaurants). I’ll have to go back!!
*Gasp!* Spanish food was one of my first loves! Luckily for me, one of the best restaurants in my suburban hometown (outside Chicago) was a Spanish place that I MUST visit whenever I go back home. I do get your love for Mexican and Thai food, too though. They’re both so unique and delicious so there’s no surprise there!
About your list though: myyyy looord. Seafood, seafood, seafood. Man, I miss it. In Munich, good seafood, even from the supermarket, is pretty expensive. I usually have to buy frozen, and even then it’s relatively more expensive. I must say they all look fantastic, but #2 Gaudeix in the city centre of Palma de Mallorca and #7 Ses Oliveres in Port de Soller really stood out to me from the pictures. I guess I like shrimp 🙂
Good to see a classic ’50s style diner on your list too – sometimes bacon, eggs, and some sort of carb are UNBEATABLE when it comes to getting rid of hangovers… :/ thanks for sharing them all though!
Anything Spanish is a good choice!
Thanks for the idea for a romantic dinner spot. That was something we failed to do when we were in Mallorca for the last time! We kept on eating street food and picnics!
Spain has some amazing seafood and your paella photo made me hungry (time for breakfast here in San Francisco). Loved reading this post and your culinary journey in Mallorca.
My oh my oh my!! I’m so hungry now! Looks absolutely delicious. Will bookmark!!
your photos are soooo gorgeous! You made all the dishes look so beautiful. I’m jealous of your skill.
That all looks so good! You’re right, I don’t usually think of Spanish food as a craving (mexican….yum!) but I do love tapas and seafood.
Spanish food is great but you must try Portuguese. Visit Porto and try one of best gastronomical destination in Europe.
To be honest, I’m not a seafood fan. BUT looking at these pictures and reading the descriptions, I might just dip my toe back in and give it a taste. Plus, it looks like there are some amazing other options should that not work out. My heart goes directly to the Italian place, and I’m thoroughly amused by the 50s diner option, but a romantic dinner at Restaurant Miramar in Port de Alcudia sounds like a must. Thanks for sharing!
This post literally made me hungry ? Reminds me of those yummy days when I used to eat seafood yum!
My favorite kind of post, a country I want to visit, and super-yummy content! These dishes look really delicious.
Spanish food is one that always excited me 🙂
Wow! My mouth is watering! I am like you…waiting to understand what all the hype is about regarding Spanish tapas and seafood, but after seeing your photos I see that there’s some wonderful and fresh food there. I can’t wait to try it!
All this food looks really delicious! Spain is such a great destination for fresh seafood and funky desserts! Thank you for sharing!
Oh wow! All of these places look absolutely amazing! I would love to give some of these restaurants a try some day!
Pinned this because i cant wait to visit Mallorca! Plus I love Spanish food so this is the perfect guide!!
I agree with Tom – I’ve always loved Spanish food. Every picture you took looks delicious 🙂 I travel to Mallorca from time to time and saved your post for my next trip. Thanks for sharing these recommendations!
Love this post! I’ve always wanted to try authentic paella. I remember having to make it once for Spanish class in high school (and I ultimately failed). But ever since then, I’ve always wanted to try the real-deal. Ses Oliveres in Port de Soller sounds and looks absolutely perfect.
I love Spanish food. But all of these foods do look mouth watering.
Mexican food is one of my favourite foods!! The vibrant colours and the spices truly depicts their culture. My mouth is literally watering as I read through your post.
Lovely! I love Spain and Spanish food. I hope I can make it back some day so I can visit Mallorca!
I definitely took note of some of these spots as I’m moving to Mallorca in two weeks. Really, if you are open to the joys of cuisines from all cultures and regions, you will find those rare plates or restaurants that will blow you away! YUM!!
*Excuse me as I wipe the drool off of my face* Your photos are all so delectable! I love, love, looooove spanish food and the tomato salad from Gaudeix has me legit starving right now LOL. I also am dreaaaaming of “gambas al aljilo” (shrimp in garlic) now because of your photos! I can almost smell them LOL. Pinning this for my next trip back to Spain! Thanks for the great tips!!
I am totally with you on being more excited for Mexican food than Spanish, but these dishes all look fabulous so now I really don’t know why I haven’t been interested in Spanish food! I need to investigate more cuisine and plan a visit as I haven’t been to Spain in so many years!
I’ve never been to Mallorca. But after seeing all of this amazing food, I think I’d visit just for that. Haha! I hope to one day be able to travel more than I do now, and can’t wait to try new and exciting things, especially foods.
Oh my goodness! This all looks so amazing. I would gain 100lbs!
Great photos! This article made me hungry 🙂
There’s so much amazing food in Mallorca. We tried to eat where the locals ate. The traditional food was the best.
Oh, If and when I visit here again I shall take note of these eateries. The tomatoes and prawns at Gaudeix look amazing.
Wow, all of these dishes and produce look divine! I would definitely enjoy eating my way through Mallorca thanks to these recommendations!
Ou! Yum! Love the photos, they’re making me hungry. I would love to check out these restaurants someday. Maybe one day soon. 😉 Seriously, I’m very hungry now. Ha!