Es Guix

Two kilometres from the Lluc sanctuary, near the petrol station, a stone stairway leads down into the woods and there's Es Guix: a restaurant tucked into the woods, with a natural freshwater pool in front of the tables and Tramuntana rock all around. The project began in 1970 and today it bears the signature of Josep A. Bernat Garau, born in this northern corner of the island. The cooking is Mallorcan, from the oven and the clay pot, made with local produce they name with pride: Es Trenc salt, DO Mallorca oil, IGP almonds and olives. What people drive up for is lechona, Mallorcan suckling pig; slow-cooked kid, as ribs or roasted; shoulder of milk-fed lamb; frit mallorquí; and arroz brut, the inland rice broth with meat and mushrooms, which goes down especially well after all those bends. To start, the croquettes are close to compulsory (chicken and ham, octopus), and for dessert, almond gató with ice cream. The wine list is long, with plenty of Mallorcan producers. It isn't cheap and portions are restaurant-sized rather than home-cooking-sized, but what you're mostly paying for is the setting: it's one of the island's most beautiful dining rooms, and it opens all year, at lunchtime only.

Reviewed in November 2026