Restaurante Xoriguer has been our favourite Palma Restaurant for the past 6 years, and I make no apology for admitting this from the outset.

Although Xoriguer is owned and run by a local Mallorquin, Guillermo Miro Mestre,( who is also the charming maître d), and his business partner, Hernan Campos, the Chef, from Argentina, this is a Basque restaurant, through and through.

Basically the main dishes are either beef (six types) or fish. Hake, which is line caught from the north of Spain, and Cod, delivered daily fresh from Iceland. No lamb, no pork, no chicken, nada !

Whilst many restaurants try to be all things to all men, Xoriguer sticks to what they know best, by only using the very best ingredients and cooking them beautifully. The restaurant has been here for well over 40 years, testament to its quality, Guillermo having run it for the past 12 years.

Situated at the non-fashionable end of Calle Fabrica, on the edge of Santa Catalina where you would least expect to find a top notch restaurant, its location is not ideal for picking up passing trade. Therefore when you see the place busy at both lunchtimes and evenings you know it is something special. It is largely frequented by Spanish/ Mallorquin clients, many being very regular visitors. Although we now see an increasing number of discerning foreign clients, mainly Scandinavian and British.

The starter dishes are a mix of top quality Iberico Ham, Pulpo Gallega (Octopus), Blue Fin Tuna Tartare, and my favourite Txangurro, which is a blend of spider crab with leeks, carrots and wine. I have yet to hear of anyone who doesn’t rave about this dish. There are several other dishes, all very tasty.

The beefs on offer are from around the world, including Hereford from the USA, Kobe from Japan, Fleckvich Simmental from Switzerland, a veal from Salamanca called “ Ternera de la Valmuza”. and the Chuleton de Buey ( T Bone) from the North of Spain. All are cooked on an open fire and are quite simply the best beefs I have ever eaten. Cooked to your individual taste, they are simply divine.

The fish too are wonderful and are super fresh. The Hake fillets, from the Cantabrian Sea are sublime, and the Icelandic Cod is superb and full of flavour. There are options of having sauces with the fish or just take them plain with a bit of oil and garlic.

Deserts are all homemade, including Chocolate Fondant, Toffee Crepe, Cheesecake and many others including the best Idiazabal Cheese with quince.

The wine list is just about the best and most reasonably priced I have seen anywhere in Palma at a restaurant of this standing. Good Rioja’s start from 16 euros and there is a huge choice of over 100 different wines, mostly Spanish and Mallorcan.

As you can probably tell, we love this restaurant and its staff very much and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Give it a try, you will not be disappointed, I promise you !