As much as I love fine dining and trying out fancy new places on the island, there is also something very satisfying in finding decent food at bargain prices. This week I did not have to go far for that. A 10-minute walk from my apartment two connected restaurants offer reasonably good food at normal prices. One of them - Pablo’s Family’ - is my favourite place for English breakfast and a bit of banter with charismatic Spanish, Polish, and Chinese staff. Meanwhile, Pablo’s and neighbouring Florida offer menu del dia for just 13.50 euros.
The other day I went to Florida and I was pleasantly surprised with the choice of about eight regular options for each course plus a daily or a weekly special. Menu del dia is typically served from 12 noon to 4pm. The regular options include starters like a lasagna, spaghetti bolognese calamares a la romana, various salads and soups, croquetas, chicken wings, etc., while the mains include chicken curry, pork, prawns, steaks, chicken breast, etc.
Soup of the day.
I opted for a special menu and started with a very interesting soup of the day that I had not tried for all my years in Mallorca. It consisted of a chicken broth with torn pieces of chicken breast meat, slightly overcooked rice, chickpeas, and sliced carrots. I smiled at a curious addition of half of a hard-boiled egg. This soup looked a bit unusual but tasted absolutely delicious and I would happily have it again, especially on one of the cold winter days ahead of us.
For the mains, I opted for tender pork medallions in a thick mushroom sauce with the addition of French fries. The meat was very very good and I enjoyed this plate very much. My only regret was that I did not order a side of green or mixed salad, because it would have gone well with this plate and it would have not broken the budget.
There were several dessert options including ice cream and home-made cakes, but I decided to try something I had not tried before, a hazelnut flan, topped with fresh forest fruit. This was excellent and it would have not been out of place in any higher-end restaurant around. The flan was served in a ceramic cup and topped with a blueberry, a raspberry, and a blackberry. It had a nice grainy texture and a rich taste, which went well with tart fruit.
Hazelnut flan.
Both Florida and Pablo’s Family have a typical Mallorcan cafeteria style set up, where the focus is not on the interior but on good food reasonably priced. The service is smiley and friendly, but efficient. I pass by this place and it is always quite if not completely full / this time of the year with locals, workers, and even police officers, and in the summer, obviously, more with tourists. Both places are open all year round except for a few weeks in the winter when each of them is closed for staff holidays. At the time of writing this column, Pablo’s family is closed while Florida remains open.
The verdict
While eating out in Mallorca is becoming increasingly expensive, it feels good to find places like this, where you can still have a decent midday meal for less than 15 euros. The food in Florida is good and the service is very friendly, especially if you are a regular guest.
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