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Es Faro Restaurant Review, Port de Soller

A table with an outstanding view

featured in Restaurant reviews Author James Fisher, Mallorca Video Reporter Updated

Port de Soller is one of the most popular holiday destinations here in Mallorca. The seaside promenade and little tram are tourist favourites and the Fet a Soller ice cream is the best we've found on the island.

The views in Port de Soller are stunning as the Tramuntana mountains come straight down into the bay which is now home to a sandy beach. There are so many reasons to visit Port de Soller and I have recently added lunch at Es Faro Restaurant to my list.

We visited the restaurant on a whim. I had taken the Canadian with me to check our Port de Soller webcam. This proved to be a successful move. Although girls are not generally impressed with webcams or how they work, they do like pretty harbour towns and lunch out. It was with this thought in mind that, having given the webcam a clean, we headed to the lighthouse at the top of the hill above the bay and found Es Faro.

Es Faro Restaurant is on the southern side of the bay high up on the cliffs looking down over the harbour and the mountains above Port de Soller, and it's this view that is the real selling point of the restaurant. It is stunning, and sitting in the shaded restaurant terrace or the bar area you will be treated to one of the best views of Port de Soller, the mountains and the sea. It's a truly beautiful vista and really quite romantic day or night.

We were greeted by a very friendly Maitre d' who offered us a seat in either the shade or the bright September sun. We opted for the shade, took our seats and were offered menus in a number of languages. We opted for English.

The menu has a good mixture of dishes with plenty of fresh fish and seafood on offer. As we perused the dishes, a waiter came to the table to tell us about the 'catch of the day'. The monkfish, prawns and and calamari all looked great, especially the prawns which were huge, but the Canadian wasn't in the mood for fish and all of the day's catches have to be shared. Luckily our maitre d' was very accommodating and offered me "llampuga" instead. This is Golden Mackerel and it's available in Balearic waters for just a few months of the year. From the middle of August until the end of October, fishermen are allowed to catch the llampuga and after that the fish migrate and are no longer available in the waters around Mallorca. Not wanting to miss out I opted for this while the Canadian decided on a rocket salad with goats cheese and a glass of the house white.

Before our food arrived we were brought fresh bread and a tuna mousse aperitif. The tuna was delicious and the bread rolls were fresh. Still not completely comfortable with Mediterranean practices, the Canadian asked for butter.

"Ah! No! We don't have" came the reply. "This is the best butter." said our Maitre d' offering a bottle of olive oil with a smile. Slightly disgruntled, the Canadian accepted the oil. Whether it was local or not I never found out but it was rather delicious. As was our food.

My fish arrived in a light batter with a tomato sauce and roasted vegetables. The llampuga was light, white and boneless but with a stronger, smokier taste than cod or hake. The Canadian's salad was simple but refreshing, fresh and tasty with a light fruit dressing and walnuts. The house white was (and this is a direct quote): "Yummy, a perfect, easy drinking wine. Perfect for lunch and very refreshing." As I was driving and my trans-Atlantic companion was enjoying it so much, I never found out how perfect, yummy or refreshing it was.

The food was very good although it was a little pricey - fish, salad, water and a glass of wine came to €45. The service was equally good. Our waiter/maitre d' was friendly, funny and accommodating and the food came quickly. The selling point about Es Faro is the view and really that is what makes this restaurant stand out and it's why it's a little pricier than other restaurants with a similar menu. It's worth paying that bit extra though. Mood lighting, modern art and funky table-ware are all well and good but with a view like the one at Es Faro you don't even need walls.

Location

Map of the surrounding area