There are lists for all tastes, also in the world of gastronomy: best restaurants, best dishes, best chefs? And even, as the popular American magazine Eater has been doing for years, a ranking of the best gastronomic destinations, ideal for those who cannot conceive of a trip without first thinking about what they are going to eat.
This year the list is strongly conditioned by the pandemic, but according to its editors, it is precisely covid-19 that has made it possible to strengthen some places that until now, they claim, were too crowded with tourists.
This is the case of the largest of the Balearic Islands, which is one of the 13 destinations chosen by the magazine, the only one in Spain and only one of two in Europe, together with Nantes (France).
Why Mallorca?
"For years, chefs have been looking for sustainable approaches to food and tourism, moving away from the island's reputation for bargain beach holidays," explains Isabelle Kliger at Eater. "But it has been covid-19 that has cemented Mallorca's credentials as a local food destination. The pandemic has reduced the influx of foreign visitors and ingredients, and residents have filled restaurants, challenging chefs to cater to local tastes with local ingredients. Rather than diminishing the restaurant scene, isolation has strengthened it, with many old tourist traps replaced by modern establishments that put seasonal produce front and centre."
Kliger singles out the ensaimada as the island's star snack and selects 17 restaurants, many curiously from foreign chefs and with food that is difficult to describe as "local": Terrae, by Caribbean chef David Ricas; Patiki Beach, by British chef Grace Berrow; Nama, by half-German, half-Sri Lankan chef Namali Scheleberger; or Es Taller Valldemossa, by Argentinean Nico Gago.
Among the selected restaurants with truly Mallorcan food, a minority, we find Ca na Toneta, Es Rebost or Ca n'Ignasi.
Our Michelin stars
The Michelin Guide brings the island's total to 11 stars.
The new star has been awarded to the young Palma chef Javier Hoebeeck for Fusion 19.
In Palma we will find four of the award-winning restaurants. Chef Fernando P. Arellano's Zaranda is located in the Hotel Es Príncep and offers various menus. In Ciutat we can also find Dins by the well-known Mallorcan chef Santi Taura, located in the hotel El Llorenç Parc de la Mar, in Palma. His proposal is a gastronomic journey through the history, customs, origins, recipes and Mallorcan products with a modern and avant-garde touch.
The Argentinian chef Adrián Quetglas, who lives in Mallorca and runs the restaurant that bears his own name, offers a modern menu with Mediterranean touches and influences, as well as the British chef Marc Fosh, another of the city's award-winning restaurants.
Andreu Genestra with his restaurant at the Hotel Predi Son Jaumell in Capdepera presents a fusion of Mediterranean and sophisticated techniques. Es Fum at the St Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort, in Costa d'en Blanes, has had a Michelin star since November 2011 and is run by chef Miguel Navarro.
The restaurant Béns d'Avall, located between the towns of Sóller and Deià, its cuisine is a journey between tradition and the avant-garde, with an unbeatable location.
VORO, Álvaro Salazar's restaurant at the Cap Vermell Gran Hotel, the only one on the island with the double distinction, defines its cuisine as "free and unbound", very committed to its environment and roots. Macarena de Castro maintains the star and stands out for offering a cuisine with a strong Mallorcan character.
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