It’s a very classy place and La Terrassa dining is right at the water’s edge.
It is. We had a night there a few years back, as we’d arrived the day before we could check-in for the villa we’d rented
My BiL tells us that, currently, the Soller area is extremely busy with tourists. To the extent that the road tunnel under the mountain is being closed to non-locals cars. This was also done last summer but Pedro says it’s not happened before so early in the season. And parking in the area, for non-residents, is also being restricted in both Soller and the Port by a considerable number of parking bays being designated “residents only”.
My guess is there’ll be a return of the “anti tourist” demonstrations of last summer. Whilst most of the protests in Spain were more focussed on the cost/availability of housing, those in Soller had a significant focus on the impact of tourist numbers on the general community.
I wish I could remember the name of the hotel we stayed in Puerto de Soller back in '84. It was already a tourist destination (heavy on the German contingent, natch).
It was on a hill atop the town, and instead of hitting the beach we inevitably opted for a treacherous rock to dive into the ocean from, reachable only by a long descent down the cliff, but closer to the hotel than the main beach strip.
To get out of the water, one had to use the waves to be smashed up on the rock again. Our teenage hip bones didn’t mind, I guess
I’m not surprised that Sóller would have been extremely busy during Holy Week and beyond.
The only available parking we found, thanks to our hosts, was the free lot next to the cemetery. It didn’t designate that it was for residents only then, but that may have changed! There just wasn’t any street parking available in town at all.
Our first visit was about 1980. We stayed at the Mar Bel hotel which was on the steep road leading up to the lighthouse. Quite a number of other guests were German.
This was a pretty fugly, big hotel. I remember a ginormous paella being prepared poolside, and the Eurovision #1, a German tune, playing nonstop
And the horde of cats who’d linger near the driveway, waiting for us to share cream cheese, cream & butter with them
Not the Mar Bel then - small and no pool
Thank you for the info I will take a look. We will be there I may so hopefully it’s not too busy but I can’t complain too much as I am contributing to the busy-ness lol.
Will def bookmark the dining recs and report back.
No, I bet you it was part of a chain. My paternal fam wasn’t known to seek out boutique hotels or fancy stuff off the beaten path.
But I was too young to care, and now I am too old to remember.
“Those were the days, my friend”
The BiL tells me that demonstrations over the tourist numbers in the Soller area are definitely being planned.
We came to Mallorca for a wedding that was a couple days long. This was the first meal post wedding
Mason ca en pedro. In a small town called Genova about 10 min drive outside of Palma.
It seems like a popular local spot and im not sure if I picked this restauant off HO or if I read about it somewhere else. Solid local fare they seem to be half Asador and half mallorquin/spanish tapas restaurant. They’re so popular they have their own gated parking lot and do not close between lunch and dinner.
We had a very early diner at around 530. Highlights were the frito mallorquin, arroz brut and their special beef cut. Would have loved to come when they are more busy but it was a very solid local spot.
El camino - Palma
In the old town tourist quarter. Shoutout to @damiano for the recommendation. This place is packed with more tourists than locals it seems but that shouldn’t be a deterrent as it was one of the best meals we’ve had on the trip and the owner is the founder of barrafina which appears to be of some acclaim. Camino seems to a stylized and idealized version of a high end tapas bar reminiscent of castelados or monteria in Madrid.
They serve the standard tapas fare with proteins and seafood along with some daily seasonal specials. Nothing too fancy or new age just fresh ingredients and simple but refined techniques
Reservations are highly recommended as they appear to be booked out for lunch and dinner for the entire week. We got lucky to get in by being the first ppl in line and waited on standby when a party no showed for their 6pm reservation. The host/manager was highly gracious and accommodating.
There’s a few tables in the back but the hallmark of the restauant is their long rectangular bar area where you can observe the chefs and servers moving and cooking, so fun to see them call out orders and cook ala minute. Wonderful entertainment while you wait. The energy of the kitchen cannot be overstated being seated at most of the bar you have live views of everyone’s cook station watching how they compose each dish brought the dinner to another level. They do have a 1:45 limit on seatings so those used to 3 hr dinners might feel a little rushed but the food comes out quick! They offer a bunch of fun cocktails and wines but unfortunately we did not partake.
The menu
Food
The whole meal was excellent but the best of the best were the squash blossom, carbineros, tortilla, Dover sole, cod, lemon crème brûlée, and strawberries. Tortilla was as good as the ones at La Juana loca or casa dani in Madrid. If I had a slight nit the fennel salad did not pop and could have used more citrus to provide sweetness and acidity, we got it solely to balance the meal a little bit and for the fiber lol. Also the sole could have been deboned a little better but that is truly nit picking. Service was very professional and friendly even though it was so fast paced. So glad I was able to have some live fresh carbineros I still dream about the ones I had at catapa. The tomalley was so heavenly and the juices ran all over the plate. I’m not sure what pricing on Dover sole is in Europe but I’ve paid over 100 dollars for a Dover sole in the US before so this seemed like a steal.
This is a must visit for me if I ever return to Palma.
Excellent report!
@Maribel thank you for the recommendation of lluna 36 in soller. The meal rivaled our best meals in Milan. It was outstanding. I was somewhat skeptical of a touristy Italian restaurant in small tourist Spanish island town but I was totally mistaken and should’ve just wholeheartedly trusted your recommendation from the beginning as you’ve never steered me wrong! Phenomenal flavors, simple ingredients cooked with expertise. The waiter was Italian and we ordered based on his recommendations which were perfect. My wife said this was the best tiramisu she’s ever eaten and I can’t disagree. The truffle focaccia with sardines and the jamon butter pasta were my favorites.
Thanks so much for the report and photos! So glad you enjoyed it!
I was a bit skeptical but it was fabulous. Was a bit sad they couldn’t seat us in the courtyard but it was a last minute basically walk up reservation. We had spent the day at the port of soller beach with friends and were looking for a place to have a last minute dinner.