More about Pollensa old town - Food and Wine
Pollensa old town - The accidental foodie's paradise
And how to get to know a place through its gastronomy
Pollensa old town is one of those rare places where you feel on holiday and at home at the same time. I am not sure what it is about the town that makes it feel charmed and welcoming, so much so that townhouses and villas in the area are being lapped up and converted into second homes at an alarming rate. People visit and invariably want to stay. This makes it a wonderful spot for a boutique holiday however. Specially if you stay in town.
First we looked at what to see in Pollensa; the sights and view points like the Calvary Steps and the best local walks, namely the Puig de Maria mountain just outside town. We also talked about the nearest beaches in Port Pollensa, Cala san Vicente and Mal Pas, Bonaire and S'Illot, on the other side of the Bay of Pollensa... We told you about the fiestas, the summer and winter events, the local patron saint festivities and the classical music festival.
If you missed that one, here it is: All about Pollensa - What to see & do in town
Now let's look at its gastronomy...
Food & Wine in Pollensa old town
The best way to get to know a place and its people is undoutedly through their food. Their gastronomy. It is the most accessible part of a culture, the first point of contact. After all, you won't be learning to speak Mallorquin - the local Catalan dialect - on a short stint in town, and you are unlikely to participate in the traditional festivities, though you certainly may bear witness to one or two. But trying a few Mallorcan dishes, or even simply patronising restaurants and cafes in the area, will give you a sense of the place.
And you will get to experience and enjoy some of the best cuisine in the Mediterranean in the bargain.
As an added bonus to the foodie visitor is the Pollensa market, a lively affair which takes place every week on Sunday mornings on the main square, just outside our hotel. If you can rise early, when the stall holders are just setting up, its a wonderful spectacle to behold. Especially here at the foot of the plaza, where the flower sellers are.
Eating out in Pollensa
I should start by saying that there are many places to eat in town. Far more than you would expect. And they come in all guises, shapes and sizes; cafes, tapas bars, icecream parlours, pizza takeaways, the set menu eateries and the tourist traps, high end and traditional, Chinese, Italian, French and local. We have selected the most select, our favourites, the very best places to eat in Pollensa:
On the square, infront of the main church, and run by Italians, this is an extraordinarily good restaurant with a top wine list and fabulous deserts. There is a large upstairs dining room and tables on the pavement. Open most of the year.
Small and friendly Italian restaurant with an open kitchen and delicious pasta dishes. Open all year and lovely out of season when it is too cold to sit outside.
Owned by a German rockstar and run by Italian couiple Marco and Giusy, La Trencadora never fails. Wood oven pizzas and great pasta dishes. Enchanting garden and a large upstairs dining room, perfect for special ocasions.
Run by Uruguayan chef Santi, La Font del Gall takes its name from the small square with the cockerel where it is located, and has a friendly indoor dining room and outdoor tables. They serve the best Mussels in Pollensa.
Can Mir
New in town, Can Mir is the brainchild of former Clivia owner Luis, and offers a relaxed local atmosphere and great tapas. The foie gras is extraordinary and the chipirones are cooked to perfection.
Wine & Wineries in Pollensa
There are 2 main wine regions on the island; Pla i Llevant and Binnissalem, both with D.O. denominations and located in the fertile foothills of the two island mountain ranges, the Serra de Llevant and the Serra de Tramuntana. Pollensa old town is at the edge of the Tramuntana but further north and had two small and highly regarded winneries operating in the area.
Vinyes Mortitx is localy run and situated on the road from Pollensa to the Lluc Monnastery in a stunning spot overlooking high peaks, 390 metres above sea level in the municipality of Escorca. The vineyards produce 100,000 bottles of white, rosé, red and also sweet wine per year on 16 hectares of land.
C,an Vidalet is a popular local winnery started by a German entrepreneur nestled into the hillside off the old Pollensa to Alcudia road. They produces a fine selection of brews, with one overwhelming star; the Blanc de Negre, a white wine produced from red grapes. The wineries total production of around 45,000 bottles is over half Blanc de Negre. Wine tours and tasting are offered on the premises accompanied by bread and wine.
The Pollensa Wine Fair
The Pollensa Wine Fair in spring along with the summer Music Festival are Pollensa's most international and high brow events. Not that the traditional festivities are anything to frown upon, but these two are something else, drawing royalty and often, in the case of the Classical Music festival, a line up that makes you question just where you are exactly.
In the case of the wine fair, Balearic Island wineries, mostly from Mallorca, are showcased and their top enologists available to ease you into a tasting extravaganza. You can wander and taste, you can shop, and you can schmooze with the wine experts, or you can simply pop in, try a few new wines and go on to lunch on the square, or down one of the back streets.
The fair dates vary from year to year, usually a weekend in April or May, and run all day Saturday from 10 am to 8.30 pm and until 2 pm on Sunday. This year's wine fair will be on the 25th and 26th of April.
