Restaurant hotspots in north Mallorca: an insider’s guide

When the ‘the worst man in the world’, Richard Roper, invites undercover spy Jonathan Pine to a drink on the terrace of his palatial lair in last year’s hit BBC One adaption of The Night Manager, which starred Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, viewers were diverted momentarily from the drama by the idyllic backdrop of one of Mallorca’s most iconic privately-owned properties in the Port of Pollensa.

Seasoned Property Writer and long time visitor to Mallorca, Arabella Youens, writes on the exciting choice of restaurants and gastronomy available in the north of the island ahead of this year's local winefestival.

The setting of La Fortaleza, with the sparkling Bay of Pollensa behind, is said to have led to a surge in travel bookings from tourists following the show’s broad cast to the north of the island. Set in 232 acres of manicured gardens, the house was sourced by location managers through a local firm, Palma Productions, who were asked to find the largest and best house on the island available for filming. The £20m production showed off the northern coast of Mallorca at its most glamorous and while billionaire arms dealers (thankfully) are a thing of fiction, the ever-expanding growth of fine dining options–including Michelin-starred restaurants–is really drawing attention to top-quality restaurants in the area.

Argos, which opened in 2015, is located at La Goleta, a high-end boutique hotel in Puerto Pollensa whose modern interiors and no-children stance is designed to attract young professionals for weekend breaks. The chef, Alvaro Salazar, 31, is the youngest on the island to have received a Michelin star. He joins Alcúdia’s own one-star establishment, Restaurante El Jardin, where Chef Macarena de Castro has further stand-out value for being the only female chef in Mallorca to have her work recognised by the prominent guide.

But the story doesn’t end there as the north of Mallorca has an ever-growing excellent restaurants including Casa Gallega in Puerto Alcudia, which is great for tapas, Clivia in Pollensa for its largely fish-based menu, Restaurant 3/65 in the country-house hotel Son Brull, for a chic, semi-formal option, S’Arc and Satyricon in Alcudia old town and, finally, Cal Patro in Cala San Vicente–a must for fish lovers.

If you happen to be visiting the north of the island in May, don’t forget the annual Pollensa Wine Fair which takes place in the Convento de Santo Domingo on the weekend of May 6 and 7. It handpicks wines from the island and is a great way of exploring the region’s different grapes. The entrance ticket includes tastings of all the wines on display—book now.