“Well I think that we are gradually getting closer to San Sebastián.” This was Andrés Benítez’s response when asked how he would rate Palma de Mallorca as a gastronomic destination, in comparison with the famous foodie city. Chef Andrés Benítez is at the helm of the restaurant Botànic at the 5-star Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden in Palma de Mallorca, which opened at the end of 2018.
His comment is just one of the many insights into Balearic chefs, featured in the second annual edition of the magazine Chefs(in) – published in March. It’s a treasure trove of information gleaned as a result of the close relationship between some of the Balearics’ best chefs and the organisation Chefs(in), which promotes Balearic gastronomy.
We were lucky enough to be invited to the launch event for the second edition of Chefs(in) magazine, which took place in the Teatre Municipal Mar i Terra in Palma’s Santa Catalina district.
A reference for Balearic gastronomy
I still have the first (2018) edition of Chefs(in) magazine. It’s more of a reference work to keep, than a magazine to be read and later discarded and I’m delighted now to have the second edition too. In my humble opinion, it’s essential reading for any foodie visiting (or living in) Mallorca or its sister islands Menorca and Ibiza. And the good news is that it is published in both Spanish and English.
Here are some of the highlights of the 2019 edition:
- Interviews with chefs Ariadna Salvador, Iñigo Rodriguez, David Moreno, Cati Pieras, Joan Canals, Miquel Calent, Andrés Benítez, Marga Coll, David de Coca, Miquel Gelabert, Victor García, and well-known charcutier Xesc Reina.
- A feature about 12 of the 65 businesses in Palma officially designated as emblematic by Palma City Council.
- A guide to 43 of the best restaurants in Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza. In addition to the individual pages for each restaurant, there’s a quick-to-view guide to more than 30 different aspects about each one – including number of covers, frequency of menu changes, number of languages spoken, WiFi access, whether there’s a terrace, and average prices.
Once again, most of the photography in the second edition of Chefs(in) is by the multi-award-winning Mallorcan photographer Nando Esteva.
Chefs(in) is available in kiosks and newsagents across the islands and through the website http://www.chefsins.com at 10€ per copy.
Jan Edwards©2019
Eat Drink Sleep Mallorca 
Hello Jan! Love your blog
You’ve been there for 15 years, right? Do you think now it’s a good time to buy a bar or a restaurant there? I’ve heard that right now with the uncertainty of Brexit and the massive amount of properties for sale that it is a good time to buy. My husband is looking for restaurants for sale in Majorca there , I find them a bit overpriced
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Hello Ann! Firstly, thanks for your kind comment about my blog. Yes, 15 years last week. We have seen so many changes since we moved here – the majority of them positive.
It’s interesting that your husband is looking for restaurants for sale in Majorca. I suspect the prices will be quite high as there’s a demand for commercial property. I know of several places in Palma that have given up their business when the landlord has raised the rent by an excessive amount. The multinationals are hungry for a presence here and come with big bucks, unfortunately.
I’m not sure that now is a good time to buy a restaurant or bar, but a lot would depend on the type of place, location, and the nationality of customers you’d want. I have a friend with a small gift shop in Portals Nous who reports that business has dropped in what’s known as ‘the village’ quite a bit since the Brexit debacle began. It’s an area popular among Brits. We drove through Portals Nous on Monday (its the other end of the island from us but we’d been down to Specsavers) and noticed a few empty premises. One of them was the restaurant Sumaq – an offshoot of the successful Sumaq in Palma’s Santa Catalina district.
I think my advice would be proceed with caution – and certainly come and check out the scene here and talk to some restaurants and bars before committing yourself.
It’s also expected that Majorca will have fewer visitors this year, because of Brexit and competition from cheaper destinations. I imagine you already read the Majorca Daily Bulletin online. If not, it’s free and worth looking at to get a feel for what’s happening.
I hope all that has been helpful and didn’t seem too negative!
Best wishes,Jan
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