Basic Bar Restaurante in Palma is a hidden gem in Mallorca’s capital. You’re not likely to stumble across the place on a sightseeing wander because it’s in a side street off the busy Carrer Aragó. This isn’t an area usually frequented by visitors to the city, although the large El Corté Inglés department store is only a few minutes’ walk away.

We’ve eaten many times at Basic since it opened in 2009, because the food is good and the value for money is even better. The owner/chef is Gerhard Berktold, who was previously head chef at the 5-star St Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort and is hands-on at his Palma restaurant.

Here’s the reason why you need to book to have lunch at Basic: you can enjoy three courses, basket of bread, water and a caña (glass of draught beer) for 18,50€ (2025 price). A small supplement applies if you want olives and aioli.

The Place

On entering Basic Bar Restaurante, there’s a seating area to have drinks, then you pass the bar/counter with its view into the open kitchen, where Gerhard plies his craft.

The restaurant décor is contemporary but simple, with red-painted walls, polished wooden floors and simple table settings. Modern art hangs on the walls. Natural light fills the main area of the restaurant, thanks to a huge window with a view of a tiny enclosed courtyard.

The Food

Gerhard posts details of the set lunch menu each day on his website. There’s a choice of two starters, three main dishes (usually a meat, a fish, and a vegetarian) and a choice of home-made desserts. See TODAY ‘s menu here.

As well as the set lunch, the à la carte offers tapas and some suggested dishes.

For our last visit, we opted for prawn and vegetable tempura (6,50€), which was described as a tapa but was generous in size and shareable. The tempura was light and there was a variety of vegetables as well as three prawns. I’d have it again. We also tried a couple of the suggested main-course dishes: a generous plate of beef carpaccio with dried tomato and rocket pesto (12€) and a bowl of salmon ceviche with avocado and coriander (12€). Both were excellent. 

As I was driving, I drank alcohol-free beer, at 2,90€ a bottle.

Good to Know

Basic is open for lunch from Monday to Saturday and for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings only, when Gerhard offers a choice of tasting menus.

Because of the good value here, Basic Bar Restaurante is very popular with locals – and business people, in particular, who come from the many nearby offices for lunch. So, I recommend that you book a table if you want to eat lunch at this hidden gem in Palma.

Jan Edwards ©2024 Menu price updated April 2025