The waterfront is the obvious place to eat, and most visitors end up there. The choice runs from casual cafés serving pa amb oli — thick bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil, Mallorca's answer to fast food — to proper restaurants where the day's catch is listed on a chalkboard and the kitchen doesn't rush. Look for bullit de peix, the local fish stew, and for Mallorcan red prawns (gambas rojas de Mallorca) when they appear on menus: they are worth every euro. The esplanade along Passeig Moll concentrates most of the harbour-view tables, and competition between restaurants keeps standards honest.
Away from the water, the streets climbing the hillside hold a few more local options that see fewer tourists. Prices tend to be a little lower and the menus a little more adventurous. If you're self-catering or want to take something to the beach, the small market and bakeries in the centre do a good trade in ensaimadas — the spiral pastry dusted in icing sugar that Mallorcans eat at every hour of the day — and the local shops stock Mallorcan wines and the island's aromatic herb liqueur, hierbas, which is the correct way to end a long lunch.