Some of the more popular places in town are difficult to visit on the weekend without reservations, so Leandra booked us both lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday ahead of our trip.
El Camino for lunch – we sat at a long counter that spans the depth of the restaurant. This restaurant was already busy at 2:45pm and filled up quickly as we came in for our reservation. I started with a Lyna verdejo 2022 – quite light, less acidity than expected, and switched to a Mallorcan Blanc (15 mil gotes blanc) – also light but with more mineral and white peach. We ordered the Padron peppers, chorizo tortilla, patatas fritas and jamon croquettes, then ended with the cocoa almonds. Altogether very filling, we definitely didn’t need the 3-4 dishes per person that they recommended. The servers and manager were nice and it was fun to watch chefs cook in front of us – better than TV!
Gordon’s Bar for drinks – arrived to a super crowded patio and a packed bar area so we decided to pass, but as we walked down the neighboring alley we noticed a small backroom with an empty table. Leandra pounced and grabbed the table! She got the Manhattan (with soda water?) and I got the whisky sour which had a lot of foam. Drinks were reasonably priced but just okay. Wouldn’t return.
La Botana for dinner – service was a bit muddled but overall fine, food was mixed. We ordered bacon wrapped dates (tapas, so two sticks with three each, and very good), albondigas (terrible, chewy and coarse texture, plus lacking flavor), sobrasada with goat cheese, date and honey (very good), and Leandra got an anchovy on pan de tomate (tasty). We paired all that with a bottle of Masia Salat cava (OK, could’ve use more acidity). La Botana was about half full when we arrived at 9pm but two massive groups got seated next to us at 9:15 so there was more noise at the evening wore on.
Forn de la Gloria S.L. for morning pastries – we ordered plain and custard-filled ensaimadas and took them to the S’Hort del Rei park to eat them. Both were disappointing, rather greasy, which seemed like too much lard? Our least favorite pastries of the month by far.
Can de Paris for a snack – stopped in to rest our feet with an almond pan de chocolate (we only ate half, heavier than expected and very good) and a pistachio macaron. Leandra surprised me with a glass of cava as well!
tiny utensils at Can de Paris
Bar de España for lunch – well reviewed and popular, but 2pm seemed late for lunch on a Saturday. For example, there were no pintxos in the bar case and we ordered a tortilla from the menu but they had run out. We ended up with patatas bravas topped with sobrassada, and pan de cristal con tomato. Leandra also got a smoked mackerel toast. Everything we had was delicious but the vibe was off.
Fornet de la Soca for a snack – after some deliberation, we grabbed a coconut & chocolate pastry which was amazingly good! Like an enormous cone shaped macaroon, we ate pieces of this for three days.
13% Vinos Tapas Bistro for dinner – a small restaurant off the main drag with very friendly service. I started off with a Mallorcan rosado and Leandra got a Mallorcan red. The waitress described the main grape variety, the local monta negro grape, which neither of us had ever heard of before. We both liked our wines and made a note to seek out this grape, light and fruity with some tart cherry notes. For food we each got a toast tapa and a main: Asturian toast and Illes salad for me and Mallorcan toast and octopus for Leandra. Everything was very tasty, and this was probably our favorite dining experience in Mallorca.
Solo | Santa Catalina for brunch – I went classic with scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes. Their bread was very hearty and the OJ was fresh. Leandra got the jamon, tomato and cheese toast. We were seated inside at an awkward table to start but when a shady table opened up outside, the waitress gave it to us.
