Casa Manolo, Ses Salines

It’s always tempting to try new eateries in Mallorca, but I also love the stories behind family-run restaurants with a history. There are always good reasons such places have survived the economic ups and downs and the challenges of finding and keeping staff.

This week’s featured restaurant began life as a business selling wines and spirits. Juan Barahona and his wife Apolonia opened Bodega Barahona in 1945. In the ‘70s, they passed the business to their son Manolo and he and his wife began serving tapas as well as selling drinks.

Fast forward to 1990, when Manolo and his family created the restaurant Casa Manolo, specialising in fish, shellfish, and tapas. It’s a very popular place to eat and the day we had lunch there, every table soon filled with a mix of local people and tourists.

Although there are terrace tables for al fresco eating, I highly recommend a table inside the restaurant for the ambience and décor. Photos and press cuttings galore decorate the walls in the oldest and most atmospheric part of the restaurant, where hams hang from the wooden ceiling beams.

The menu focuses mainly on fresh seafood: fish from nearby Colònia de Sant Jordi and shellfish from Galicia. The menu includes some special creations by Manolo and his wife Margarita, including the new-for-2024 fideua with red shrimp, notary rice, and Cabrera rice, in which velvet crab is substituted for lobster. If you’re not a seafood fan, a few premium meat dishes are on the menu.

Tapas and starters come in half and full portions. We began by sharing half portions of Padrón peppers (6,90€) and good squid rings in batter (9€). From the fresh fish choices, we both had expertly cooked sea bass served with roast new potatoes and sautéed vegetables (29,90€).

From the home-made desserts, we chose tiramisu (6€) and a very silky, vanilla ice cream (5€).

Our drinks – my alcohol-free beer (2,90€) and a glass of Mallorcan rosado (5€) – were reasonably priced.

Casa Manolo was well-staffed, and service was efficient and friendly. When I asked whether Manolo was still involved in the business, our server told me where to find him – seated and smiling, ready to carve ham to order in the oldest part of the restaurant. We chatted briefly to him on the way out and he pointed out a photo of his father, who started this restaurant’s history, among the gallery of pictures on the wall.

Casa Manolo has been impressing culinary experts for years, holding a Repsol Guide ‘Sol’ every year since 2013. Famous diners at Casa Manolo in Ses Salines have included members of the Spanish royal family and tennis supremo, Rafa Nadal, and actor Michael J Fox.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.