Who doesn’t love food? Our passion for food started at an early age and has never left us. One thing we love when we travel is discovering the local cuisine, from tiny street cafes to enchanting restaurants. This summer we went on a cheeky girls trip to Palma de Mallorca, and ate and drank our way round. Palma is what we called the ‘Shoreditch of Spain’, due to its super funky up and coming feel, with so many cool places to eat and drink. This article will share our insider tips and favourite places we went; helping you to avoid common tourist traps and get the most out of what Palma has to offer.
Nola
Carrer de Sant Magí, 13, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
We stumbled upon this gem one evening on our adventures in Palma, we heard the waiter at our bar talking about this placed called 'Nola' which was his favourite place in Palma. Knowing us, we HAD to find this place – and safe to say it did not disappoint. This place is super vibey, with fantastic soul music and funky decor. We sat outside amongst greenery with fairy lights all around us, creating this earthly magical feel. They also do cocktails so would be a cool setting even to just go for a drink. Nola does Tapas with a twist – incorporating Cajun and Creole flavours and foods. We went down the sharing route, giving us the maximum value for money. Highly recommend what we had – the ultimate sweet potato fries, summer prawn rolls, grilled artichokes, and the ‘lollipop’ squid.
Spot
Plaça de la Verge del Miracle, 3, 07013
This restaurant is a must! The food was expectational, with quick service and great staff. This place is a little more on the swanky side with a great ambience and sophisticated décor. The menu is jam packed with delicious dishes, from Wood Oven Pizzas to Miso Salmon to Tuna sashimi tacos.
This place is a little more expensive – a main course ranging from €14-23, while sharing platters are between €8-15. With this is mind we recommend sharing, as not only does it enable you try more dishes, but it makes it better value for money. For genuinely great food it cost us around €15 a head!
Santina
Carrer d'Anníbal, 19, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
This bright bustling café is a stimulation for one’s eyes and stomach. The food is so fresh and clean with such generous portion sizes. They have all the health you could wish for, from smoothie bowls to avocado and feta on toast. Being serious coffee lovers, Santina must be up there with having some of the best! We recommend going on the weekend, as they have a great market on the side street just off from Santina, full of clothing galore. Anybody’s idea of heaven!
La Molienda
Carrer del Bisbe Campins, 11, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
La Molienda is a small, charming café, with great ambiance. It cannot be denied we are both suckers for great coffee and this place did the job. The sign on the door even says that they serve “the best coffee in Palma” and we were not let down! This was just a pop in but a great place for your 11 o’clock coffee and a snack (even though the breakfast did look delicious).
This place is always buzzing and there is always a little bit of a queue. No.1 tip if you go - you must let them know when you have joined the queue, otherwise you won’t be in line for a table.
Caoba Cocktail Bar
Carrer de Sant Magí, 61, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Hands down our FAVOURITE cocktails in Palma! It would be lying if we didn’t say we went their pretty much every evening, we were OBSESSED. Not only were the cocktails out of this world but the staff always went that extra mile, making you feel so welcome. At some points, they would even sit with us, giving us recommendations and helping to improve our Spanish… Free salt and pepper popcorn and water is something you won’t get anywhere else (you normally have to buy bottled water). The vibe is super fun, you are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the main foodie street, and you always seem to end up making friends. An absolute must try is the Pineapple margarita – considering we went back numerous times; I think you can trust our word on this one! Cocktails are €10 roughly – we usually went for one before dinner (however, if you get to know the waiters well enough you can always seem to blag a free shot!)
Buscando el Norte
Carrer de Sant Miquel, 77, 07002 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
We went here on our first night. Feeling pretty exhausted after a day of travelling, this place really lightened up our mood.
We asked the waiter at the bar for places that do good, classic, authentic tapas and he pointed us here (just across the street from Caoba). High quality tapas full of flavour.
Again, we went down the sharing route to get the best value for money. It had a rustic, authentic feel, and a great atmosphere. We didn’t book so sat inside, but would recommend sitting outside on the street for a buzzier atmosphere. The hustle and bustle of the city makes it a great place for a delicious glass of wine and tapas with your friends.
Simple Smart Food Bar
Carrer de Sant Magí, 77, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
The GOAT of lunch and coffee places. It gave us Joe and the Juice vibes but better! We fell in love with the Tuna Salad (photos do not do it justice) We arrived at the airport 6 hours early just so we could have it again! They do wraps, sandwiches, salad bowls, Poke bowls, Buddha bowls, juices, smoothies – you name it. They even do a deal for a juice, soup and wrap for €14. They also had our absolute favourite iced coffees in Palma, and we would go back just the banana bread alone. They do takeaway salad boxes, so great if you’re on the move or don’t have a lot of time.
La Rosa Chica
Carrer de Monsenyor Palmer, 5, 07014 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
Very sweet spot on the corner, great for watching the world go by. We had nice drinks and nibbles; they don’t do any cocktails but did a good Aperol spritz. We went quite early in the evening so wasn’t busy, but it was always buzzing when we walked past later on – we were also recommended to go there for dinner, seems to be a hotspot of the town!
Chapeau 1987
Passeig de Mallorca, 24, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
If you want to go somewhere a bit different for a drink, then this place is for you. They do super innovative cocktails which all tell a story and are served in creative and beautiful ways for only €10. Look up their Instagram @chapeau1987, or to see their menu look up @lacartadechapeau. The interior is very suave, kind of giving me prohibition vibes – was just what we needed after an afternoon of shopping.
We hope you love these places just as much as we did!
Honor and Helly X
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