“I’m made to feel I’m doing Mallorca a favour”
After many years of coming to Mallorca, one visitor feels that he has become a burden on the island during the summer.
The cost of living spike has altered many peoples’ lifestyles because wages, for example, have failed to keep pace | Photo: Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter
Palma04/07/2025 11:13
One avid fan of Mallorca and the Bulletin contacted me this week to express his surprise at not only how much prices in bars and restaurants have risen compared to last summer, but also at the poor quality of service. He and his family, who come various times throughout the year, have been quite shocked over the past few weeks.
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17 comments
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Lets not beat around the bush. Mallorcan food is generally terrible (certainly compared to the mainland). I often travel through Zaragoza, Pamplona and lots of other places heading to Mallorca from Santander. The food there destroys anything in Mallorca. I often travel back to the UK via France after getting the Ferry to Toulon. Once again the food in France is cheaper and significantly better. I have a son working at a 2 star in London and regularly frequent top restaurants. Believe me, Mallorca is a food desert. If you disagree you know nothing about food, enjoy your tumbet, rank tapas and dreadful croquettas, squid and Paella. Phillistines.
sibementoI don't know where you're eating but it certainly isn't where the majority of the residents of Palma eat out.
You can't blame increased overheads for poor quality, low grade food with bad service from under paid staff, at ridiculous prices. If you're dining somewhere marketed to be exclusive then you're paying for the exclusivity and the marketing. Examples of meals paid for this year: Two starters, two mains, four soft drinks: 80€ = the food and service was average Two mains, side to share, two soft drinks: 50€ = the food and service was awful Two starters, two mains, two soft drinks, carafe of wine: 120€ = food, service and ambience were great You get what you pay for. Everything else = Mercadona ✅
James van BregtGood idea !. I’ll suggest that to the manager of my local BK when I pop in tonight for a snack.
Seems your reader has it back to front. He says, “What used to cost around 50 euros per head....is now 70 and the staff make me feel as though I’m doing them a huge favour...”. He means the restaurant in question makes him feel it is doing *him* a huge favour, of course. The observation that the cost of drinking and dining has increased significantly isn't wrong, but so have overheads and the cost of raw materials, and not just in Spain/Mallorca. Can't blame business owners for making hay while the sun shines, though the canny ones would do well to reward locals and regulars with (say, 20%) discounts, to keep them coming back all year round.
Zoltan TeglasUnfortunately, there isn’t a Burger King in Palma Nova, only a MacDonalds. There are though two in Magaluf. Yum Yum !
Morgan WilliamsI can't say that I've ever eaten out in Sa Pobla. And I'm amazed that Dick has, as it's full of foreigners. I thought burger king in Palma Nova was as adventurous as he got!
Richard PearsonI don’t think Morgan would want you to bring down the tone of the neighbourhood. I wholly concur with him.
Zoltan TeglasThe writer is no doubt referring to Mare Nostrum, a highly rated and certainly the highest priced restaurant in Sa Pobla, if not the entire north of the island. And yes, the service is excellent. And open even when Magaluf is all boarded up. But Dick obviously wouldn't know that. It's in the uncharted wasteland wayyy beyond the safety of the resort. But still, if you snarl at the price of champagne, then perhaps you might consider prosecco?
Richard PearsonSa Pobla.