Spain is the country with the most bar’s per person than any other in Europe! There are almost 6 bars per every thousand people, that’s a lot of bars! It’s 3 times more than we have in the UK! The bar culture here is different to some other country’s, maybe because the warm weather makes sitting on a terrace with a cold drink almost impossible to avoid. If you go to a bar it’s not necessarily to drink alcohol, it could be for a coffee, pastry, breakfast or a meal. Palma, like the rest of the Spanish cities, is scattered with many lovely bars which make it difficult to choose where to go. After living here for 1 year I have decided on my top 10 bars in the old town of Palma de Majorca (in no particular order).
1. Cover Vermuteria & Cocteleria
This bar has a nice terrace on the main street of La Rambla, close to Plaza Mayor. They have a range of tasty local vermut (a drink which has taken off and is not all in trend in Palma).
2. Bar Flexas
Located in Sindicato, Bar Flexas may be fairly small, but they have the a delicious menu of tapas! Perfect if you don’t want anything too fancy but you like good quality food in a comfortable place. Try their llonguets (typical Mallorquin food) they’re famous!
3. Quina Creu
Quina Creu is a little bit more fancy, a restaurant full of yummy tapas and typical, delicious Spanish food! Go there for dinner with your loved ones or friends. Try the Bacalao (cod fish) or if you’re more of a meaty person, the Solomillo (Sirloin Steak). They also have a variety of tapas dishes and pinxos to try if you want a bit of everything!
4. Atlantico
If you’re into rock or indie music, this is the place for you! I love the playlist in Atlantico and I look forward to listening to their music. You’ll find writing all over the walls and old souvenirs on the ceilings. The bar has a large variety of good cocktails at a fair price and serve amazing nachos! If you want to learn about how to make cocktails, they also offer a course every Tuesday evening from 7pm.
5. La Botana
If you want low prices, typical Spanish food and to be right in the centre then try La Botana. There are now actually 2 in Palma, but both in the centre and within 10 mins of one another.
6. Bar España
I would say this is the most typical Spanish bar I’ve come across, not necessarily Mallorquín but Spanish in general. You can try food from all over Spain and there’s always a good atmosphere in Bar España. You might have to wait a little bit for a table on a busy Saturday night but it’s worth it. I love their Jamón and queso (Spanish ham and cheese) platers.
7. L’Antiquari
This is such a sweet little bar with a beautiful terrace and 2 floors. The bar is located just behind Las Ramblas which is one of the main streets in Palma. L’Antiquari also hosts language classes (5 €) from 19:00 every Wednesday and afterwards from 20:30, a language exchange which is free.
8. Brick Hotel Bar and Roof terrace
Brick Hotel bar is located in the old town of Palma. It’s one of the main hostels in Palma and therefore has a mixture of people drinking there, travellers and locals. Despite being a hostel the place is still very Mallorquín and serves the typical Spanish food you’d also find in similar bars around the city. Friendly bar staff and events on the roof terrace in summer!
9. Saratoga Jazz Bar
Saratoga is actually a hotel, with a very cool bar and rooftop terrace! – Difficult to find in Palma. The place has live Jazz music during the evenings from Thursday to Saturday and is much smarter than most of the ones in my list. Of course, because of this it’s also a little more pricey, but it’s worth the treat if you get to go onto the terrace during the night and see the lights over the port.
10. Moltabarra
Go to Molta Barra on a Tuesday evening and it will be absolutely ram packed with students and young people there for ‘La Ruta‘ which is a weekly bar crawl always ending here. It’s a quirky little place with crazy things all over the walls and a good atmosphere. They serve some great tapas dishes or Pinxos and on a Saturday you can often find some swing dancers!
Which are your favourite bars in old town Palma? Do you agree with my top 10? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Fall for Spain 
that good article. I liked very much your comments and how you express it. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for your kind words 🙂
LikeLike
Would have been useful to include addresses. I live and work in PALMA and don’t know half of the places you mention
LikeLike
Hi Simon, all contain a link to Facebook/websites which have the address on them. But you’re right its a good idea to add it! I personally use Google maps, to find bars and places I’m not sure about, they can all be found on there 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, please…! What a post…!
Reading it, you can realize that it’s writted by a “guiri” (that can’t no appreciate anything else beyond “flamenco and sangria” cliché).
Locals will never go to any of this bars (but Trispol, Can Vinagre or se te va la tapa), they are only for (rich) tourists.
Overmore, with wrong names noone will find it! (Gerreria -not Gerria-, Sindicat, La Rambla -we only have one-, Plaça Quadrado…)
Keep on trying! There’s a real Palma too! (and not a showcase one)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Luís,
Thanks for your feedback.
You’re right! I am indeed what some of you could call a ‘guiri’ but you should know after 1 year of living here, I’ve tried the ‘guiri’ places as well as the typical Majorquin ones. From that experience, I chose the top 10 that (As I wrote in the post) only reflect my point of view.
I have never seen flamenco here so tell me where I can see it, I LOVE to discover new things:)
Thanks for pointing out the spellings but I have written them in Spanish rather than Mallorquín. As I speak in Spanish and unfortunately not yet Mallorquín, this is how I write them.
I appreciate you being honest with me. I hope you will still take the time to read more articles and maybe we’ll agree on something next time 🙂
LikeLike
You can go to see Flamenco in Teatre Sans. But please, take in mind that for us, it’s as traditional as the Belly Dance (that, by the way, you also can enjoy in some Carrer Blanquerna bars).
It was not a language pointing, if you try to enter gerria or las ramblas in the googlemaps… nothing will appear. It’s not about catalan/spanish question. It’s about writing nwe yokr, news yorks or new york.
Anyway, I’m happy to see that my favourite bar has not appeared yet.
I have nothing against people, of course, but (unlike what has been written down here below) there are some of us that have no special pride for being a tourist monoculture and would like to experience other things, win our bread from other sources. And if it employs a lot of people less … noting will happen.
So we have anything against the people, and I don’t want to make you feel guilty, but the negative effects of tourism are devastating. Unacceptable prices, lost of local culture, conflict of interests, deculturalize, loss of public space…
So, actually, for me it’s a good thing to consider it a not real top ten but a “Guiri top ten”. I’m not a local with a feeling of inferiority: I’ve travelled all over the world, and I like to find different things in each country. No the same “international”/ deculturalized people group’s bars.
I won’t say any good bar for the tourist colony. Have a good time here!
LikeLike
I guess we will have to agree to disagree lluís, I visit these places mostly with my boyfriend (Malloquín) and our friends (Mallorquín) so I guess it’s a factor of opinion rather than nationality 🙂
LikeLike
Betadéu, quin comentari…
Jo vaig cada setmana a qualquns d’aquests bars, per favor, me podries dir a on podria anar com local?
Fall For Spain, this is the typical Majorca character you’ll find around here, only knows to bitch around but doesn’t suggest anything , you shouldn’t take it too serious!!
Maybe, I miss Sa Jugueteria or Ambigú which i also like
https://www.facebook.com/SaJugueteria
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187463-d4472176-Reviews-L_ambigu-Palma_de_Mallorca_Majorca_Balearic_Islands.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Rafa,
Thanks for the other 2 suggestions! I’ve also been there but you know, I tried to narrow to only 10 😀
LikeLike
Shame on you, LLuis!
LikeLike
I am also a ‘guiri’ who happens to live in Plaça Quadrado. The square has two name plaques, one that says Plaça and the other, Plaza so you’ve got that point wrong for a start.
Your English spelling and grammar is far from perfect to be honest. If you’re going to bitch about someone’s spelling errors when they’re writing in their second language maybe you should make sure that you don’t mess up. Which you did.
Although I may not agree with some of Alice’s choices, these are her personal preferences. If in your opinion she got it so wrong then why not tell us all where we should be going Mr bar fascist?
I really love Flexas, doesn’t necessarily mean I’m gay. I like Sa Jugueteria, doesn’t mean I like to play with dolls. La Tortilleria is great, doesn’t mean I have to eat one every time I go there. Should I not go to one of my favourite bars because the guys who own it are Sikh and I’m not? Shall I go on? Stop putting ridiculous labels on people and places!
Also, I know plenty of local people who enjoy these bars. You’re talking rubbish and sound like a sad, bitter bigot. Grow up!
One world, one love.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lluis,
I too am a ‘guiri’ who also happens to live in Plaça Quadrado. There are two name plaques in the square. One is spelled Plaça, the other, Plaza so you’ve got that point wrong for a start.
If you’re going to bitch about someone’s spelling mistakes when they are writing in a second language maybe you should make sure you yourself can do so perfectly. Unfortunately Lluis, you didn’t. Your spelling and grammar had far more errors than Alice’s did.
Although I don’t agree with all of Alice’s choices, as she has said, it’s her opinion and I enjoyed reading it. If you disagree so vehemently then why not take the time to tell us all where we should be going? Also, I know a lot of local people who go to these bars regularly.
Your attitude comes across as bitter and bigoted to be frank. Furthermore, I don’t think your patronising, whiny comments added anything positive to this discussion.
I hope that if, in the future, you ever choose to make your home in a different country to your own, you will be welcomed and accepted with open arms.
Regards, A guiri
P.S. One World, One Love
LikeLike
2 really important places missing here: La Vermutería and S’Ambigú. Without them, Palma is not Palma.
LikeLike
Thanks! Yes it’s true those are important. It was hard to chose my fav 10 🙂
LikeLike
Bar Flexas mantiene su encanta , su buena comida y su buen Trato, sin que se les suba la fama…. El bar España era de mis favorites, .. Familiar, con buena comida y con buenos menús, ESO hace años cuando de trams de la barra estaba su dueño y no tenies que esperar tanto para un sitio….. Aun así me gusta, solo que ya no lo visito tanto, HAT no se si sigue abierto, la bodega de Bellver, ambigú, y pots supuesto el museu de la jugueta
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hola Maria, si estoy de acuerdo, me entanta esos tb!
LikeLike
Son justo los que yo visito habitualmente, sobre todo, porque vivo en el centro de Palma, pero empieza a ser un coñazo que estén plagados de guiris o de los que han venido para tener su experiencia mallorquina… espero que no fastidien los pocos que quedan a los que todavía no van en forma de plaga… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yo tb vivo en el centro así que voy mucho a esos :-).
Es verdad que hay muchos extranjeros viviendo y trabajando por el centro, pero creo que sin ellos, no habría tantos bares. Mis compañeros de piso me dicen que antes este barrio daba miedo y no podías pasar, que ahora tener bares y terrazas es genial!!.
Pero te entiendo que para los mallorquines tiene que ser irritante ver tanto turista, hay que buscar un balance.
LikeLike
Tienes toda la razón. Sin los turistas cómo podríamos vivir todos en esta isla??? Cómo tendríamos trabajo?? Gracias por el post. Gracias por tu post! Gracias.
LikeLike
Si os gusta el tapeo bueno y a buen precio os recomiemdo que no dejeis de pasar por “La cuadra del maño”, simple, casero y familiar. No tan turistico como decian aqui arriba…Que por otra parte no tiene nada de malo, ya que al fin y al cabo es lo que hace que se mueva la economia de la zona, bajo mi punto de vista.
Un saludo!
LikeLike
Hola! Nunca he ido ahí pero sueña bien! Voy a probarlo, gracias!
LikeLike
Hello
Fantastic blog
Good luck
Thank you
**&((*
LikeLike
I’m guessing you’ve never tried Agua Bar on a Sunday night. They offer Palma’s longest running Open Mic Jam Session. It’s awesome.
LikeLike
Hi Lee, nope I haven’t but I love live music, will definitely try it next! thanks for the recommendation 🙂
LikeLike
Tucked away in the Balearic jewel’s lush interior are a host of beautiful places to stay, eat and drink in – and don’t miss the stunning capital or beaches either
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hat Bar. Old Town (next to Etxart & Panno). Open late. Sometimes empty. Sometimes packed. Very weird place, crappy furniture, etc.
LikeLike
I’ve seen this bar but never been! Will have to give it a try 🙂 Thnks for the advice
LikeLike