Ca’n March is without doubt Manacor’s best-known restaurant – but you’re unlikely to stroll past it by chance while wandering around town. Ca’n March is located in a side street a little way from the town centre itself. The surrounding area may not have tourist appeal, but this popular restaurant is worth the detour from Manacor’s main shopping area. And, if you arrive by train, it’s within easy walking distance of the station.
Ca’n March first opened as the family-run Fonda Ca’n March in 1925 and is still in the same family. Brothers Miquel Gelabert (a different Miquel Gelabert from the one of wine-making acclaim) and Tolo Gelabert relaunched Ca’n March as a new project in the year 2000.
Chef Miquel and his brigade create New Mallorcan cuisine (modern interpretations of traditional recipes, with international culinary touches), using prime-quality local ingredients. Tolo oversees front of house with a warm welcome for all arrivals.
Having eaten here a few times, I can confidently recommend Ca’n March, which also offers a good-value lunchtime menu – or menú del día. This three-course lunch is offered Tuesday to Friday for just 13,50€ (including IVA, the Spanish VAT).
The interior
Ca’n March has an attractive interior, with modern wooden floors, white wooden furniture, white table linen, and a few interesting decorative touches (including an interesting display of framed old photographs and a handsome antique longcase clock). The glasses and cutlery gleam on the tables and, despite its size, the room feels welcoming and homely.
In the centre of the restaurant you’ll find a display of local gastronomic products (including some of Ca’n March’s own) and handicrafts for sale. It’s a good place to find an authentic Mallorcan foodie gift or souvenir to take home.
We arrived early for lunch by Spanish standards – having made a spur-of-the-moment decision to eat out on our way home from an appointment. Tables filled quite rapidly with locals and I’d recommend making a table reservation if you want to come for lunch.
On the menu
The Ca’n March menu card includes à la carte dishes and other set-menu options, but it’s quite easy to miss the fact that there’s a menú del día offered, so do ask. Our server explained what was on the day’s lunch menu, reading from her notebook, as this menu doesn’t come in written-down form.
We both chose the chicken salad starter – a generous portion, which included dried apricots, pieces of chicken, walnuts, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and more. For our main course we had gallineta – a red-skinned fish that I didn’t know – served in a spinach sauce with potato. The piece of white fish was perfectly cooked and the whole dish was tasty and satisfying.
For dessert I had a light cake-like coca made with cottage cheese, with yogurt and baked-apple purée, whilst The Boss had the classic crema catalana.
And more…
In addition to the menú del día and à la carte dishes, Ca’n March offers some special menus:
- CM menu – available Friday night to Sunday lunchtime – for 24€;
- Gourmet set menu – 4 courses for 24€; 7 courses for 35€;
- One Thursday each month from October to June, they offer a gourmet dinner with wine pairings. We attended one last year and thoroughly enjoyed the evening, where diners shared one long table and enjoyed wines from the bodega Can Axartell in Pollença.
I really enjoy Miquel Gelabert’s cuisine, which is a modern and healthy taste of Mallorca.
Prices correct at time of writing.
©Jan Edwards 2018
Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca 