Must-Visit Restaurants in Deià

Impressive collection of restaurants that embrace local produce

You’d be hard pressed to find any other small village on the island with so many top quality restaurants as there are in Deià – even including one with a Michelin star. You’ll find little in the way of experimental and avant-garde gastronomy, with most restaurants focusing on Mediterranean-Mallorcan cooking and celebrating the island through locally sourced and locally grown ingredients.

Cuisine styles range from the sophisticated to the heartily rustic, though some more recent additions add some Asian flavour to the dining scene. Cosy interiors often recall the building’s previous use – such as a stable or olive press – while outside terraces take full advantages of the villages gloriously scenic surrounds.

9. Restaurant Miró

Named after the great Spanish artist Joan Miró, this the second dining option at the Belmond La Residencia hotel offers a particularly scenic spot for afternoon tea, lunch or dinner. The menu covers a good choice of shareable plates as well as more hearty options such as paella and pasta. Inside you can browse over 300 original Miró artworks, or just kick back and enjoy the mountain views from the terrace.

8. Xellini

Set in a 130-year-old building, the surrounding of this quaint restaurant are as traditional and authentic as the food they serve. The menu has a focus on Spanish tapas – offering an impressive choice of more than 60 – combined with plenty of Mallorcan-inspired touches. This family-run restaurant also has a lovely spacious garden in which to dine, plus regular live music in the evenings.

7. Trattoria Italiana

The only restaurant in the village dedicated to Italian cooking, this traditional trattoria serves up everything you would expect from handmade pasta to creamy risotto. Service is friendly with a pleasantly laid-back vibe, plus there’s a lovely al fresco terrace with beautiful views – perfect for a relaxed lunch or dinner over the warmer months.

6. Ca’s Patro March

One of the best-known restaurants in the area – it’s the waterside setting overlooking Cala Deià that really makes this place extra special. A charming rustic-fishing vibe prevails, and freshly-caught grilled seafood can be enjoyed under dappled sunlight and views out to sea. Prices are on the high side, but that doesn’t stop it being super busy over the summer, so it is best to try to book ahead. Read more

5. Nama

Specialising in modern pan-Asian cooking, this restaurant also focuses on fresh local and organic ingredients sourced from the island. You’ll find a colourful selection of mouth-watering dishes from the likes of their signature pad thai to spicy Sri Lankan curry, as well as an excellent sushi bar. For a romantic meal, the adults-only Namakase upstairs terrace offers blissful views over the village and beyond. Read more

4. El Olivo

The fine-dining restaurant at the landmark Belmond La Residencia hotel, El Olivio offers an aptly five-star menu that draws heavily from classic Mediterranean cooking. It is situated in a 16th-century olive press that opens to terraces with breath-taking views over Deià. Much of the ingredients are grown either on the hotel grounds or in the village, while the wine list has received international awards. Read more

3. Tramuntana Grill

Surrounded by unparalleled views over the Deià rooftops and backdropped by the high mountains and magnific sea views, Tramuntana Grill offers a true Mediterranean rooftop experience at the heart of the La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel in Deià. Overseen by Executive Chef Guillermo Méndez, it offers refined dishes elaborated with local and sustainable ingredients based on a KM0 concept. My favorites: grilled watermelon salad and charcoal-cooked market crayfish.

2. Restaurante Sebastiàn

The German-Irish husband and wife team have been running this wonderful restaurant since 1994 in Deià, and it is still going strong. It is housed in an 18th-century former-stable, which retains plenty of its rustic charm and fabulous views over the surrounding mountains. A seasonally-changing menu features mostly Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, with Asian twists adding a touch of the exotic.

1. Bens D’Avall

Opened in 1971, this long-established family-run restaurant is considered by many as one of Mallorca’s finest. It is located outside of the village, on a cliff-top overlooking the west coastline, making for some of the most stunning sea views – and sunsets – from its roomy terrace. Chef Jaume Vicens is following in his family’s footsteps, creatively combining traditional Balearic flavours with innovative gastronomy and seasonal produce, with particularly delicious results.

Be it Tramuntana lamb or Sóller prawns, you’ll almost always find local produce on the menu at Deià restaurants. The cuisine often channels the chef’s passion for Mallorca, its cooking, produce and flavours, and often with a sophisticated flourish that reflects the tastes of the village’s well-heeled residents. Snug stone buildings provide romantic winter charm, while the rest of the year, diners take to the terraces to accompany meals with swoon-worthy views.