Cafe€€casco-antiguoDaily 08:30-14:30
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.
Sandwich€€sa-gerreria
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.
Vegetarian€€€la-lonjaDaily 13:00-23:00, kitchen closes 22:00
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.
Bakery€€casco-antiguo
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.
Bakery€sa-gerreriaDaily 08:00-21:00
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.
Spanish€€€casco-antiguoMon 13:00-16:00; Tue-Sat 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:30; closed Sun
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.