Mallorcan food to try in Palma's old town, and when to eat it

Guests ask me where to eat more than anything else. I mark my own places on the map I give you on your first evening. This page covers the rest: the hours, the dishes and how I choose a table.

When to eat

Restaurants in Spain usually serve lunch between 13:00 and 16:00 and dinner between 20:00 and 23:30. Around noon, people meet for a drink and a few tapas before lunch.

Lunch at the market

Mercat de l'Olivar is 14 minutes from our door. Downstairs, the tapas counters serve food to eat there or to take away. Upstairs, some restaurants will cook the fish you've just bought at the stalls. The food counters serve until 16:00, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays the market is closed.

Mallorcan dishes to order

Start with pa amb oli. It's round country bread with tomato, olive oil and salt.

Frit mallorquí is a fry of lamb or pork with potatoes, peppers and fennel. At Aljub we make it with lamb.

Tumbet layers seasonal vegetables, a little like ratatouille.

Arròs brut is a spicy rice cooked with game.

If you can't choose, order a variat. It's one plate of many small tapas. Mallorcans have eaten it with their aperitif for almost a century.

Sobrassada is our soft pork sausage, made with paprika and black pepper. Spread it on bread, with a little honey if you like.

The bakeries

The ensaïmada is the island's classic pastry. It's a spiral of dough made with lard, which the Mallorcans call saïm. The plain one and the one filled with angel hair jam are the traditional kinds. For something savoury, try a coca with trempó. That's onion, green pepper and tomato on a thin dough. Many bakeries in Palma have a few tables, so you can eat breakfast there.

Around La Llotja

The streets around La Llotja, 18 minutes from us, have plenty of places to eat close together. It's a good area for a long dinner after a walk by the water.

How I choose a table

These are my own rules, and they rarely let me down. The menu is short, and it changes with the season. At the next table, someone is speaking Mallorcan. The bread arrives before you ask for it. If two of the three are true, sit down.

And at home

Aljub, our restaurant, serves dinner around the old cistern of the house, and in the courtyard May to October. Hotel guests and members can book 60 days ahead. We also keep two tables each evening for hotel guests who decide on the day. You can see the full menu, the prices and the 14 allergens before you book.

If you'd like to cook Mallorcan food yourself, join our chef's cooking class, which starts at the market.