10 Best Restaurants in Mallorca, Ibiza and the Balearic Islands

Adrián Quetglas, an Argentinian-born chef of Mallorcan descent, cooked in some of the finest kitchens in London, Paris, and Moscow before he returned to Mallorca in 2015 to launch this solo venture. Despite having been awarded a Michelin star, Quetglas remains committed to the democratization of fine dining and to delivering the pleasure of high-end gastronomy to a wider audience. His five-course lunchtime tasting menu is a steal at €55, while seven courses in the evening will set you back €85.

Local culinary wunderkind Santi Taura is using his eponymous restaurant in the El Llorenç Parc de la Mar hotel to explore historical recipes of the island, served in an ultrachic, contemporary setting. Some of the most emblematic dishes include panada de peix de roca—a "Mallorcan dim sum" of rock fish pie, believed to be one of the oldest recipes on the island—and a dish of rabbit with lobster, which combines the sea and the mountains. Try to get a seat at the counter, where the charismatic chef presents his creations in three different languages.

While Palma suffers no dearth of rough-and-ready eateries, Marc Fosh has little or no competition in the fine-dining category. The renowned chef Marc Fosh offers several tasting menus, which are executed superbly, with the best local seasonal produce transformed into remarkable dishes with surprising twists. The restaurant occupies the glorious medieval former refectory of the Mission of San Vicente de Paul, with high vaulted ceilings, a 210-foot gallery with stone arches, and an interior courtyard. White walls display contemporary art, and the smaller dining room has palm trees growing through the ceiling. The lunchtime menu, priced from €29.50, is a steal.

In the leafy garden of the Can Bordoy boutique hotel, Botànic is a plant-forward restaurant that also features locally sourced meat and fish. The menu is inspired by the cuisines of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Mexico, but firmly rooted in Mediterranean flavors.

This café, on a side street behind the church of Sant Francesc, is one of Palma's venerable institutions, in business since 1700. Drop in for coffee or hot chocolate with an ensaimada crema—a spiral-shape Mallorcan pastry with a rich cream-cheese filling. With its green-glass chandeliers, cane-back chairs, and marble tabletops, the setting is a treat in itself.

A great spot for coffee or a G&T, this is a classic establishment in the old fishermen's neighborhood. Both the sunny terrace in front and the bar inside are excellent places for drinks and sandwiches.

This former bakery turned restaurant (forn means "bakery" or "oven" in Mallorquin) dates back to the 19th century and features exposed brick walls, patterned floor tiles, modern art, and picture-perfect Mediterranean tapas. There’s a cocktail bar on the ground floor that overlooks the street, and one of the three distinct dining areas is the area where bread dough was once prepared. There’s a good-value three-course lunchtime fixed-price menu.

This popular restaurant serves huge, tasty portions of tapas and inexpensive platters such as chicken or ham croquetas, grilled cod, garlic shrimp, and revueltos de ajos con morcilla (scrambled eggs with garlic and black sausage). Within hailing distance of the Llotja, the tables in the back are always at a premium (they're cooler on summer days), but there's additional seating at the counter or on stools around upended wine barrels. The traditional tapas are nothing fancy but they are very good. A sister restaurant, La Taberna de la Bóveda (Paseo Sagrera 3), has a terrace with views of the marina.

This Israeli restaurant specializes in healthy bites like hummus and falafel, along with more elaborate dishes like the excellent grilled local butterflied fish. It's all served on a breezy patio inside the Bikini Island & Mountain Hotel, overlooking the bay of Sóller.

On Sóller's busy central square, this friendly and informal restaurant specializes in traditional local cooking, with a nod to touristic expectations. Skip the inevitable paella, and opt instead for the sopas mallorquines, thick vegetable soups served over thin slices of bread, or the Mallorcan pork loin, stuffed with nuts and raisins. Sa Cova has great people-watching: the tram to Port de Sóller passes right in front of its outside tables. In the summer high season, service can be spotty.