S'Alhambra

A few streets from the marina and Alcúdia beach, on Avinguda de la Platja, S'Alhambra is where people who work in the area eat and where Mallorcan families go on Sundays. It has no views and no airs; what it has is a formula that's ever harder to find on the coast. In the morning, the Mallorcan mid-morning merienda: variats, frit and huge pepito sandwiches with coffee. At lunchtime, a home-style menú del día of three starters and three mains, with dessert, bread, aioli, olives and a drink, changing daily and sometimes featuring a well-loved arròs brut. On Sundays and holidays, a special menu with calamari and frit to share and a paella made to order for each table, which is why it takes a while. What works here is the classic stuff, made with skill and in quantity. It's big, with an inner courtyard, and when it's full it's noisy and there are waits between courses: for eating well and cheaply, not for a quiet, lingering lunch.

Reviewed in November 2026