Once the city’s abattoir, awarded an architectural prize in 1906, the S’Escorxador cultural centre had various reincarnations before its central building opened in June last year as the Mercado Gastronómico San Juan, Palma’s first gourmet food market. The £2m renovation of the 110-year-old dusky-pink building is stunning, from the high, beamed ceilings to the patterned tiles on the floors. But the real attraction is not the interior design, of course; it’s the food.
Open 365 days a year, the market claims to serve 260 dishes and 361 wines through its 20 different vendors. It’s an assault course of temptations. When I visited, stallholders on one side were whipping up fideuá, a variation on paella made with noodles, and on the other there was a ready-made banquet of Basque-style pintxos.
Some of the stalls were good without being fancy, such as the fresh fish counter by the entrance, where we pointed to our preferred creature in the chiller, then said whether we wanted it fried or grilled. But others served dishes worthy of high-end restaurants. The tasting platter (€5 for four) from the croqueta stall was my undisputed highlight. Crisp on the outside, smooth as fondant inside, they oozed molten cheese, creamy cod, or puréed spinach with pine nuts.
“You might want dessert,” said my lcoal friend – who lives close by and knows the market’s secret corners – as we finished the last of the calamares and padrón peppers. No matter how full they are, no one with a sweet tooth could resist the adjoining patisserie. Styled like a separate tea room, it had glass cabinets packed with bite-size meringues, macaroons, fruit tarts and multicoloured eclairs.
Be warned: if you or someone you travel with has a habit of posting pictures of food porn on social media, you could be here some time. San Juan is an Instagrammer’s orgy.
• 6 Calle Emperatriz Eugenia
