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TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK The resorts and large town centres found in the Balearic Islands offer a good selection of restaurants, able to satisfy even the most demanding of palates. While the resorts do, of course, cater to visitors who have come for the beaches
rather than the food, good-quality local cuisine is always available. Restaurants serving local specialities can be easily spotted (not having an “international” or photo menu is a good rule of thumb) and many are open all year.
Stay (see p159) restaurant in Port de Pollença, Mallorca
Local Cuisine A number of the Balearic dishes are Catalan in origin. Ensaimadas, delicious spiral pastries that are dusted with icing sugar, are commonplace. So, too, are the spicy pork pâtés (sobrasadas). Rustic “one-pot” dishes and soups are also popular. The best known of these is caldereta de llagosta (see 105). With the exception of cheaper varieties such as sardines, the price paid for local fish and seafood is the same as elsewhere in Spain, though you’ll always find a cheaper daily special.
Dinner on the islands usually starts after 8pm, when the temperature drops. This is when the restaurants, cafés, gardens and bars fill up. For Spaniards this is a time to meet with friends. Restaurants also tend to fill up for Sunday lunch and booking is recommended at this time.
Places to Eat There is a boundless choice of places to eat in the Balearic Islands. This is especially true during the high season, when many restaurants that are
When to Eat As with the rest of Spain, lunchtime in the Balearic Islands is usually between 1:30pm and 3pm. It may be that restaurants are full and you may have to wait a long time to be served. Outside traditional mealtimes, the menu selection can be limited. Some restaurant kitchens may be closed after 3pm. As an alternative, bars can provide a good variety of food and snacks while beachside restaurants are good for snacks at any time of the day.
closed during the other months of the year open. In the cheaper bars it is worth trying tapas or raciónes (small plates), as these are most likely to be freshly prepared (a ración is often enough for two). When venturing into a bar that is popular with the locals, you should try the set price menú del día (menu of the day). This is a full three-course meal, accompanied by a drink. Often these menus are very good value and may cost as little as €10. Many visitors prefer to use their hotel’s restaurant for breakfast and dinner, and take their lunch in bars and restaurants close to the beach. Some hotels have wonderful restaurants; others are merely adequate. One point in hotel restaurants’ favour is that they can offer a wide selection of food, low prices, fast service and a friendly atmosphere. Most of them serve a safe, international cuisine and you are likely to see paella, pizza, fish and chips, roast chicken and curry all on the same menu. These restaurants successfully compete with the popular fastfood chains. Restaurants that are near or on less crowded beaches tend to offer much better food, but the choice may be limited.
Vegetarians
A modest restaurant in Estellencs
The food of these islands tends to be on the heavy side and is based mainly on pork and fish, but it also has a lot to offer vegetarians. It is easy to make a meal of tapas
