The places in Palma the guidebooks miss.
The places in Palma the guidebooks miss. locals-only counters, after-hours rooms and the spots tourists walk past.
Can Trispol builds llonguets, the split Mallorcan roll, in a back street of Sa Gerreria in Palma, with seven or eight fillings and island wine by the glass.
Order: A llonguet with sobrassada, the most Mallorcan of the seven or eight fillings.
Why locals love it: Buried on a Sa Gerreria side street with a handful of tables, and it opens on a short, shifting weekly schedule.
Tip: The room is tiny and the schedule moves with the season. Call ahead rather than turning up on spec.
Mouna cooks vegetarian and vegan plates from organic Mallorcan produce inside an old mansion off Plaça Drassanes in Palma's La Lonja quarter.
Order: The seasonal vegetable plates, built from organic island produce.
Why locals love it: Set inside a stately Mallorcan mansion off Plaça Drassanes, with no street frontage to give it away.
Tip: Service runs straight through from 13:00 to 23:00, so it also works for a mid-afternoon plate.
Fornet de la Soca occupies the old Forn des Teatre on Plaça de Weyler in Palma, where Tomeu Arbona rebuilds Mallorcan recipes from convent archives.
Order: Coca with peppers, cut by the slice at the counter.
Why locals love it: Tomeu Arbona bakes from recovered convent and household recipes, so the counter changes with what he has rebuilt that month.
Tip: Stock is baked in small runs and sells out. Go in the morning if you want the coques.
Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo Sindicat is the Carrer del Sindicat branch of a Palma pastry house trading since the 1700s, serving almond ice cream and quarto.
Order: Almond ice cream with a quarto sponge on the side.
Why locals love it: Visitors queue at the Can Sanç original while the Carrer del Sindicat branch, the same recipes and the same counter, keeps tables free most afternoons.
Tip: Quieter than the Can Sanç original and easier to get a table at on a Sunday afternoon.
Casa Maruka has cooked market-led Mallorcan food in Palma since 2007, run by María José Calabria and Alberto Serrano and carrying a Repsol Sol.
Order: The suckling pig, or the oxtail stew if the kitchen is running it that day.
Why locals love it: It sits north of the old town on Reina Maria Cristina, a street most visitors never walk down.
Tip: Monday is lunch only. Tuesday to Saturday the kitchen also runs an evening service from 20:00 to 23:30.
Arume Sushi Bar has worked Carrer de Sant Miquel in Palma for years, with chef Tomeu Martí cutting Japanese plates against Mediterranean produce.
Order: The sushi selection, cut against Mediterranean fish rather than imported stock.
Why locals love it: A Mallorcan chef cutting Japanese fish on a busy shopping street, with no signage that suggests what is inside.
Tip: The kitchen shuts for the whole of August. Check before planning a late-summer dinner.
Bacan is a family-run specialty counter on Carrer del Baró de Santa Maria del Sepulcre in Palma, pouring single-origin filter in an air-conditioned room.
Order: A single-origin pour-over with whatever toast the counter is running.
Why locals love it: A family-run counter on a quiet street with a hidden courtyard behind it, and no terrace on the main drag.
Tip: There is a courtyard behind the room that most first-timers miss. Ask when you order.