Café Macondo

Zero-kilometer and 10 out of 10 dishes

We felt at home in Café Macondo, which has an urban garden from which they extract a good part of their ingredients.

Author: Joan Ramis Boscana

S'Escorxador is one of those spaces in Palma that has had several lives. This huge modernist-style complex today houses different businesses that are torn between commerce and leisure, between the private and the public. We have a soft spot for the citizen platform that a few years ago came to save the Renoir Cinemas, which is none other than Cine Ciutat. Next to a kiosk where they sell tickets, we stop to look at the billboard and decide on a European film that is projected at five o'clock in the afternoon. We don't want to eat at home. We think of a place in the area and remember Café Macondo, which we have heard so much about because of its conscious and healthy cuisine. It is only a five-minute walk away, a short distance that we celebrate. 

Nestled under some arcades on the road to Valldemossa, Café Macondo attracts attention precisely because of its discretion. Some people eat their food at tables located on the terrace, above which hangs a white sign with a yellow butterfly surrounded by a ring of flowers. The name and logo of the establishment are a foretaste of its philosophy: nature and magical realism. These two concepts are more than enough to access a place with a noble and honest personality. The furniture is already a declaration of intentions, made by reusing  materials. In a corner of the place there is a space for relaxation: books, a small sofa and a lush vertical garden. There are no pretensions here; what we find is life. 

We sit at our table. We direct our gaze to a colorful ceiling that makes a good match with the cushions of some of the chairs, printed with a rainbow. Café Macondo is decorated with ethnic objects that impregnate the place with exotic touches. It is Luisa who serves us a Rosa Blanca (a local beer) and tells us what the complete menu consists of. Things could not start better because the first course is a cream, and we have been told that these are a real delight for the senses. The second consists, as they call it, of a "no chicken" Basque style that leaves us very intrigued, so we order it. Luisa leaves for the kitchen. The sip of the Rosa Blanca reminds us of where we are: in the bowels of a Mallorca where the echoes of Latin American music can be heard. This is Café Macondo. 

The cream is not long in coming. Luisa places it on our table. Its color is orange because its ingredients are carrot and pumpkin, well spiced. The thickness of this first dish is crowned by two slices of bread. One spoonful is enough to confirm what we had been warned about: indeed, this is a delicious, smooth puree, with a fruit and vegetable flavor accentuated by the spices floating in the bowl to counteract the sweetness of the pumpkin. When we learn that the first course is always a cream, we are not surprised. We linger as long as we can while we savor it. 

The second course appears on our table to solve the mystery from before. It is a stew composed of white rice, garlic, onion and red and green bell pepper. A conglomerate of food seasoned in tomato sauce and a heura (a vegan protein) that replaces chicken. We can't ask for more from this vegetarian version of a dish rooted in Basque culture. A recipe that is served hot for this autumn that is already getting warmer, and that tastes homemade thanks to a heura that is not afraid to carry the weight of the dish. We felt at home at Café Macondo, which has an urban vegetable garden from which a good part of its ingredients are extracted. Desserts come in the form of natural yogurt with cereals and fruit pieces that we mix in a coconut dish. 

Before leaving, we congratulate the people who run this place: Luisa and Luna. Two conscientious people who give workshops for women in vulnerable situations in their place. Congratulations to Café Macondo. 

The second course appears on our table to solve the mystery from before. It is a stew composed of white rice, garlic, onion and red and green bell pepper. A conglomerate of food seasoned in tomato sauce and a heura (a vegan protein) that replaces chicken. We can't ask for more from this vegetarian version of a dish rooted in Basque culture. A recipe that is served hot for this autumn that is already getting warmer, and that tastes homemade thanks to a heura that is not afraid to carry the weight of the dish. We felt at home at Café Macondo, which has an urban vegetable garden from which a good part of its ingredients are extracted. Desserts come in the form of natural yogurt with cereals and fruit pieces that we mix in a coconut dish. 

Before leaving, we congratulate the people who run this place: Luisa and Luna. Two conscientious people who give workshops for women in vulnerable situations in their place. Congratulations to Café Macondo.