Quina Creu, Palma
Quina Creu is a fun place to go for dinner with a great menu and decent wine list, but they also do a particularly mouth-watering selection of pintxos. Sit at the bar and enjoy them with a couple drinks, or take a table in the restaurant and order a full meal’s worth of the tasty bites. Lighting is low and moody and the decor is an eclectic mix of vintage and industrial, with beautiful floor tiles, old movie posters and piles of books everywhere. The mini fillet steak and the cod with quince gratin are particularly good. It’s very popular so make sure you book ahead if you want to sit in the dining section.
Carrer de la Corderia, 24, 07001 Palma +34 971 71 17 72
Bar España, Palma
A bit of an institution in Palma, a trip to Bar España should definitely be part of your stay. Tucked down a side street off Plaza Mayor, it is generally heaving and is a fantastic place to people watch and soak up the atmosphere of this lively and traditional bar. Sit on the high stools, enjoy a cold beer or a glass of red wine and tuck into the plates of pintxos piled high on the bar in front of you. They disappear fast and are frequently replenished, with freshly-made tortilla, mini-bocadillos, mackerel pate and tasty little sausages being regular favourites.
Carrer de Can Escursac, 12, 07001 Palma +34 971 72 42 34
Ca’n Pintxo, Soller
C’an Pintxo opened in 2011 by a group of local amateur cooks passionate about making creative food using locally-sourced produce. With an excellent selection of Mallorcan wines, tables outside for sunny days and a fireplace for cosy winter nights, this restaurant is a fine addition to Soller. Their hot and cold pintxos are beautifully presented along the bar, where you help yourself and pay according to the amount and colour of cocktail sticks left on your plate. A particular favourite is the Rockefeller – pork tenderloin with goats cheese, caramelized onion and pistachio, or the king prawn with wasabi foam and kaffir lime oil. Mouthwatering to say the least!
© Ca’n Pintxo
Carrer de la Rectoria, 1, 07100 Sóller +34 971 63 16 43
Tast Avenidas, Palma
Whilst not particularly enticing from the outside and part of a small chain, Tast Avenidas boasts a super-central location and is popular with locals and tourists alike. Most importantly, however, it serves some excellent pintxos and tapas. The various mini sirloin steaks are outstanding and the octopus on toast with Iberican ham is a must-try.
Avenida del Comte de Sallent, 13, 07003 Palma +34 971 10 15 40
Norai Pintxos and Wine Bar, Puerto Pollensa
This fun and lively bar is open from 9am until the early hours, so you can go for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or stay all day and graze well into the night). Popular with residents as well as tourists, they often have live music in the evenings and there’s a pleasant courtyard out back. The expertly-presented array of pintxos is particularly tantalising, with everything from grilled octopus skewers to mini burgers.
Passeig Saralegui, 6, 07470 Puerto Pollensa +34 971 53 69 47
The Lemon Tree
This place is not generally a pintxos bar, but on a Tuesday and Wednesday evening, the Lemon Tree is part of La Ruta Martiana (basically a bar crawl with pintxos) and has a truly fantastic line up on the bar. Modern and minimal, seating is limited (you need to get there early to get a table) and there can be quite a wait at the bar, but there are excellent deals to be had for drinks and pintxos combos. There’s a fine selection to choose from, with plenty of vegetarian options and even a rather tasty mini vegan burger.
Calle Pes de la Farina, 10, 07001 Palma +34 674 54 95 82
Me Gusta – Pintxo House, Alcudia
A friendly and vibrant bar with live music and DJs in the evenings, plus an interesting and varied selection of pintxos alongside a full menu (particularly good for vegans and vegetarians). Popular with locals and tourists alike, this bar is a great find if you’re in the Alcudia area.
Plaça Carles V, 4, 07400 Alcúdia +34 971 07 38 02
Ca La Seu, Palma
This bar spent its first 500 years of life as a basket shop (yes, five centuries!) owned by the same family for all that time, and was thought to be the oldest shop in Europe. Though no longer a basketry, the name hasn’t changed, the bar is decorated with many of the original baskets and tools, and the walls are adorned with photos documenting the shop’s history. With numerous marble topped tables and a long bar laden with pintxos, Ca La Seu is a very relaxed and friendly place to hang out. Plus it’s a particularly good place to go if you fancy some craft beers with your pintxos.
Carrer de la Corderia, 17, 07002 Palma +34 871 57 21 57
QuitaPenas, Valldemossa
Quitapenas is a tiny hidden gem, tucked away in the beautiful cobbled streets of Valldemossa away from most other cafes and restaurants. Technically not a pintxos bar but definitely worth including as it serves delicious bitesize portions of local delicacies – cheese, tomatoes, sobrassada (a type of traditional Mallorcan sausage) on small slices of Mallorcan bread. Enjoy a platter of mixed delicacies, washed down with some fantastic local wines in a beautifully rustic setting.
Molta Barra, Palma
A large, fun and boisterous bar, Molta Barra is usually packed full of young locals enjoying a night out – and even a spot of dancing. The bar is pretty much always busy, with friendly bar staff and an excellent selection of beers and wines. The pintxos are not particularly experimental, but they are plentiful and filling, with classics like morcilla (blood sausage), albondigas (meatballs), and tortilla (Spanish omelette).
Carrer del Pes de la Farina, 12, 07001 +34 971 07 67 67