Gigi’s Piccolo Restaurante, Palma

I must have passed Gigi’s Piccolo Ristorante in Palma many times, walking between El Corté Inglés and the Mercat de l’Olivar, without realising what I was missing. When a friend suggested the place for lunch together, I discovered it was home to the authentic Italian cuisine of chef Gigi and the warm hospitality of his wife, Jackie. This is where you’ll find slow food, cooked with love to order, and served with what the Spanish call ‘don de gente’ – people skills.

I’ve since been back with other friends, cementing my view that this is an unmissable place if you like cosy restaurants serving delicious Italian food at sensible prices.

Chef Gigi was born in Rome. Jackie is half-Spanish, half-English, and lived in Menorca from the age of fourteen. The couple lived and worked on that island before opening this Palma restaurant, where they’ve found a loyal following.

Gigi’s Piccolo Ristorante lives up to its name – ‘piccolo’ being the Italian word for small. Despite its size, it serves around a hundred covers a day, proof of its popularity. The dining room is simply decorated with a few black-and-white photos on the wall and some plants. If you like to eat outdoors, a couple of tables are available at the front of the restaurant, but I’d recommend the ambience indoors.

The menu is à la carte, with one or two additional suggestions of the day. A complimentary plate of grissini and mortadella arrives to nibble while you decide what to eat. All the classics of the Italian culinary canon are here in the ‘antipasti’, which range in price from 8€ to 13,50€. Portions are generous and shareable. For my last visit, three of us started lunch by sharing ‘tartare di avocado’ (12€) – served on a bed of salad leaves, tomatoes, and edible flowers. A good plateful!

Twenty pasta dishes are offered and include home-made tagliatelle and pappardelle. Prices range from 10,50€ to 15,50€. We tried the day’s special of tagliatelle with clams and crab sauce. Very tasty.

There are four meat dishes (13€-23,50€) and three fish dishes (13€-19€). One of us chose the hand-cut tartare of red tuna – again a generous dish.

If you can save space for a dessert, all six are home-made and include three without gluten. I’ve so far failed to squeeze in a pud here, but next time…

A thoughtful touch in the ladies’ bathroom – probably the men’s too, although I obviously didn’t have a peep – was a bottle of stain remover. Because even the most practised spaghetti twirler can suffer a drop or two of tomato sauce on their clothes!

Gigi’s Piccolo Ristorante will be closed from December-February for a winter break.

Photos: Jan Edwards

Prices correct at time of writing.