Balearic cuisine, traditional dishes, and the best restaurants in the city
Palma de Mallorca's food scene is one of the Mediterranean's most underrated. It draws from the island's agricultural wealth — almonds, olives, citrus, and wild herbs — and its long history as a trading crossroads between Catalan, Moorish, and Italian culinary traditions. The result is a cuisine that is simultaneously rustic and refined, where a simple plate of bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil can be as memorable as a meticulously plated seafood dish.
This guide covers the essential Balearic dishes you need to try, the best restaurants and markets in Palma, and how to eat well on any budget while keeping your travel sustainable through IMPT's carbon-removing booking platform.
The most iconic Mallorcan food. Sobrasada is a cured, spreadable sausage made from ground pork, paprika, and salt. It is traditionally eaten raw, spread on bread or toast, and often paired with honey or figs. The paprika gives it a distinctive deep red colour and a rich, smoky flavour. Look for the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label to ensure authenticity. Try it at any tapas bar in La Lonja.
Mallorca's answer to ratatouille, though the flavours are distinctly island-born. Sliced aubergine, potato, red pepper, and courgette are fried separately, then layered and baked with a rich tomato sauce. It is served as a main course, often topped with a fried egg, or as a side dish alongside meat or fish. The key is the quality of the olive oil — Mallorcan olive oil is some of the best in Spain.
A hearty, soupy rice dish that translates literally to "dirty rice" because of the colour imparted by its spiced broth. Made with short-grain rice cooked in a stock of pork, chicken, rabbit, or vegetables, and seasoned with saffron, paprika, and local wild herbs like fennel and rosemary. It is closer to a risotto than a paella, and every family has their own recipe.
The simplest and most essential Mallorcan snack. Rustic bread is rubbed with a halved tomato, drizzled with extraordinary local olive oil, and sprinkled with salt. Variations add sobrasada, local cheese (Mahon or fluriat), cured ham, or anchovies. It is the foundation of Mallorcan informal eating and is served everywhere from markets to Michelin-starred restaurants.
Lobster stew from the nearby port of Alcúdia, but served in Palma's finest seafood restaurants. The lobster is slowly cooked in a broth of tomatoes, onions, garlic, brandy, and herbs, then served with rice or bread to soak up the deeply flavoured sauce. A special-occasion dish, but utterly worth the price.
Mallorca's famous sweet pastry. A spiral-shaped yeast bun dusted with icing sugar, made with lard, flour, sugar, and eggs. The traditional version is plain, but modern variations include fillings of pumpkin jam, custard, or chocolate. The best ensaimadas come from artisan bakeries in Palma's Old Town. Pair one with a strong café con leche for the perfect Mallorcan breakfast.
Palma's oldest food market has undergone a stunning revival. Housed in a modernist building from the 1920s, the market is packed with stalls selling fresh produce, seafood, cheese, and cured meats. The surrounding streets in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood are lined with some of the city's best casual restaurants, many of which source directly from the market. Go on a Saturday morning when the atmosphere peaks. The bar Mercat 1930 inside the market serves excellent vermouth and tapas.
Larger and more traditionally focused than Santa Catalina, the Mercat de l'Olivar is where locals shop for the week's groceries. The seafood section is spectacular — rows of glistening Mediterranean fish and shellfish — and the meat counters offer cuts of Mallorcan pork and lamb. The upstairs market hall has a handful of simple restaurants serving fresh seafood lunches at reasonable prices.
The sandstone streets of La Lonja are packed with tapas bars, restaurants, and terraces. This is the most atmospheric area for evening dining, with candlelit tables spilling onto cobbled squares. Must-try spots include Bar España for classic tapas, La Bodeguilla for Mallorcan wines and cured meats, and El Camino for innovative sharing plates with a modern twist. Reservations are essential in peak season.
Palma's most exciting dining neighbourhood. The area around the market has attracted a wave of young chefs cooking creative, locally sourced cuisine. Marc Fosh, a Michelin-starred restaurant led by a British chef who has made Mallorca his home, sits at the high end. For something more relaxed, try La Rosa for Italian-influenced Mediterranean plates or Conesa for grilled meats and local wines.
The waterfront promenade is lined with restaurants specialising in fresh seafood. The quality varies, but a few standouts include Casa Julio for traditional paella and grilled fish, and Can Carlos for a more refined experience. Arrive early for a table facing the bay, especially at sunset when La Seu Cathedral is lit in golden light across the water.
The area around Plaça Major and Passeig del Born offers the widest range of options, from fast and casual to high-end. For an affordable lunch, head to the arcades of Plaça Major where sandwich bars serve enormous bocadillos. For a special dinner, book at Adrián Quetglas, a Michelin-starred restaurant where the Argentine-Spanish chef interprets Balearic ingredients with global techniques.
No food guide is complete without the drinks. Pomada is the island's signature cocktail — gin (preferably Xoriguer, distilled in Mahón, Menorca) mixed with lemonade or lemon soda. It is refreshing, dangerously easy to drink, and perfect with tapas on a warm evening. Local Mallorcan wines are gaining international recognition, particularly from the Binissalem and Pla i Llevant DO regions. Try the Prensal Blanc white or a Manto Negro red. For a digestive, sip a glass of hierbas, Mallorca's herb-infused liqueur.
One of the simplest ways to eat sustainably in Palma is to follow the Mediterranean diet — heavy on vegetables, legumes, fish, and olive oil, light on red meat and industrially processed food. Mallorca's agricultural heritage means locally produced ingredients are abundant. Choose restaurants that list their suppliers, shop at the municipal markets for picnic supplies rather than supermarkets, and avoid imported produce. Every time you book an eco-friendly hotel through IMPT, the platform removes 1 tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere, offsetting the food miles of your entire trip.
Must-try dishes include sobrasada (cured pork spread), tumbet (fried vegetable casserole), arroz brut (spiced rice with meat and vegetables), pa amb oli (bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil), caldereta de langosta (lobster stew), and ensaimada (spiral pastry dusted with icing sugar). Most are available in tapas bars and traditional restaurants across the city.
The Mercat de Santa Catalina is Palma's oldest and most atmospheric food market, recently revitalised with excellent produce stalls and surrounding restaurants. The Mercat de l'Olivar is larger and more traditionally focused on fresh fish and meat. Both are within 10-15 minutes walk from the Old Town.
Palma offers food for every budget. A full meal at a mid-range restaurant costs around EUR25-40 per person including wine. Market lunches and tapas bar hopping in Santa Catalina or La Lonja are more affordable at EUR12-20. Fine dining and seafood restaurants on the Paseo Marítimo are pricier, at EUR50-80 per person.
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