Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated November 4, 2013.

This is the last one of my articles about restaurants & (vegan) food shopping on the island of Menorca, Spain. I hesitated for a long time before I decided to publish this one last review. We didn’t spend much time in Ferreries, the fifth-largest town on the island, and our dining experience was quite disappointing. I keep thinking there must be better restaurant choices for vegans, and don’t want to portray the town unfairly. However, vegans really don’t seem to have many options in Ferreries; best to make plans to eat elsewhere.

Ferreries is located at the centre of the island, and it has the distinction of being the highest town on the island above sea level (142 metres). The only tourist attractions in town are the Museo de la Natura, and the church of Sant Bartomeu (located on Plaça de L’Eglésia), neither of which we visited.

We strolled through Plaça Espanya, which is basically the town centre, and while there were a couple of bars and cafes, the only restaurant in the vicinity was Restaurante Cala Galdana inside the Hotel Loar Ferreries.

The hotel is located at the corner of Carrer Reverend Pare Huguet & Avinguda Verge del Toro, at one of the corners of Plaça Espanya. Unfortunately, the restaurant’s menu – displayed outside – did not list a single vegan dish. Instead, we ended up at the hotel’s bar & cafeteria, where I was able to order the usual fare: a mixed salad and pa amb tomàquet, a version of pa amb oli (with crushed tomatoes).

The salad and toasted garlic & tomato bread were no better or worse than the many other salads and pa amb olis (or pa amb tomàquets) I had eaten before at various Menorcan restaurants. But I found it quite depressing that the only dining option available to a vegan tourist in Ferreries during the off-season at mid-day was a hotel cafeteria.

However, there was truly no other option. We walked around the town centre for about half an hour, and the bar & cafeteria at Hotel Loar Ferreries is where we finally ended up.

The hotel has a website with several photos, click on the “bar” tab, so you’ll know what to expect.

Address: Verge del Toro Avenue, 2, 07750 Ferreries, Menorca

Opening hours: “daily from the peak of dawn right through to the evening“ – that’s from their website

Phone: +34 – 971 – 37 30 30 (for the bar & restaurant)

Website: https://loarferreries.com/en/

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated November 4, 2013.

Wow, I didn’t expect that – The Cobblers Restaurant has closed.

I just recently had lunch there – a bare six months ago, on April 28, 2013 – and as I am sitting down to write the review, I’m shocked to learn that The Cobblers Restaurant closed down for business at the end of September.

That’ll teach me to put off writing reviews for too long..

Luckily, the owners are opening a new restaurant at a different address in Alaior, The Brasserie & Bar Dos Pablos. They’re set to open in March 2014 (according to a cached Google page), but on their new Website they’re already providing information about a Christmas Day (2013) Luncheon, so check their Facebook site for updates.

This is the link to their new venture’s Facebook page.

Even though The Cobblers restaurant has now closed, I still want to tell you about my visit there, as you can expect similar hospitality from the owners at their new restaurant.

We vacationed on Menorca during the off-season in late April 2013, and stopped by for a “Sunday roast.” For Sunday lunch, they offered a three-course set meal (some options) for 21.95 Euros, but you couldn’t order a la carte during Sunday lunch. Not ideal for a vegan. Nevertheless, we decided to stay for lunch.

I was lucky, as one of the starters was vegan, a delicious tomato soup with basil. There weren’t any vegan entrée options on the “Sunday roast” menu, but one of the owners – whose name I don’t recall – who waited personally on all his guests, was happy to accommodate my vegan needs. The chef made me a pasta dish with broccoli, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and corn. There’s nothing special about a pasta dish, of course, but what was special was the owner’s willingness to go out of his way to accommodate a vegan: “If we have it in the kitchen, you can have it.”

And that’s why I recommend that you visit their new restaurant, even though I haven’t been there myself. Call ahead, if you can, let them know that you are a vegan, and I’m sure they’ll accommodate your dining needs. If you’ve read any of my other restaurant reviews of Menorca, you’ll know that this is special indeed. The owners are British, so there’s no language barrier, and they actually know what the word “vegan” means.

None of the desserts were vegan, but instead of opting for an off-the-menu fruit salad, we asked to take-away one of the non-vegan desserts, so my omnivore dining companion could enjoy it later. I was quite full after the soup & pasta dish, and simply couldn’t eat any dessert.

We had a great time at The Cobblers Restaurant, and I am sorry that it has now closed, but I wish the owners well with their new venture. I’m sure it’ll be a success.

Contact information for their new restaurant, The Brasserie & Bar Dos Pablos:

Address: Calan Porter, 07730 Alaior, Menorca

Opening hours: ??

Phone: +34 – 636 – 96 18 91

Website: https://www.facebook.com/brasseriebardospablos

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated October 27, 2013. I deleted inactive links on 28 November 2021. I could not verify that the restaurant is still in business.

My spring vacation on the island of Menorca, Spain, is but a distant memory. Nevertheless, I still have three more articles about Menorca that I want to post on this website. Somehow I never quite got around to writing them, but today’s finally the day. Sunday, October 27, 2013, 4:00 AM.

First, I’d like to tell you about my visit to Restaurante Molí d’es Racó in es Mercadal. The town of es Mercadal is situated at the centre of the island, along the main road (Me 1), and you can’t miss the restaurant. It’s located inside an old windmill, which towers over the town. This family restaurant is huge – three dining rooms seat 200 people – and I would imagine that quite a few tourist buses stop by during the high season. But don’t let that deter you. We had a late lunch/early dinner there at 3:45 PM on a Saturday afternoon during the off-season (April 27, 2013), and the restaurant was packed with Menorcans. We were lucky to get a table, and I didn’t notice any other (non-Spanish speaking) tourists at the restaurant during our visit. It’s clearly very popular with the locals, too.

Our friendly waiter spoke a little German and I was able to explain to him what “vegan “meant. He assured me that one of the island’s specialties – oli i aigua (tomato soup with figs) was 100% vegan. I wasn’t – and still am – not sure about the broth. It’s difficult to explain to a non-vegan that even vegetable broths aren’t necessarily vegan, so I usually never order soups at restaurants. But there weren’t many vegan choices at Restaurante Molí d’es Racó, and as oli i aigua is one of the very few Menorcan dishes that are (supposedly) vegan (the other being pa amb oil and variations thereof), we went ahead and ordered it. It was delicious.

My second choice – oven-baked aubergines stuffed with breadcrumbs – didn’t impress me. Again, the waiter assured me that this dish was vegan, but I couldn’t help wondering about the breadcrumbs. What can I say, the devil’s in the details – not all kinds of bread are vegan. Aside from that, I didn’t much care for this dish anyway. I’m not much for soggy breadcrumbs, vegan or not. I wouldn’t order it again.

I ordered fried potatoes as a side dish, and this was a big mistake. I love potatoes, but these were fried in the same oil as all the other dishes – the restaurant specializes in meat and fish – and the potatoes had a fishy flavour to them. Don’t order them; in fact, don’t order anything fried.

Unfortunately, this leaves you with very few choices at Restaurante Molí d’es Racó. In addition to what I ordered, there was also a mixed salad on offer, but that was about it in terms of vegan choices. The restaurant did serve a small bowl of olives as a free appetizer (very good, I ate them all), and we also ordered some bread, so there was plenty of food to eat – we didn’t leave hungry. Have a salad, order the soup, and enjoy the atmosphere of this unique Menorcan restaurant.

Prices are moderate at Restaurante Molí d’es Racó. The soup was 6.50 Euros per person, the stuffed aubergines with the fried potatoes cost 6.95 Euros, and an order of bread per person was 65 cents. Mineral water (1 litre) was 2.65 Euros.

Address: c/Major 53 , es Mercadal, Menorca

Opening hours: daily 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM, and 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM

Phone: +34 – 971 – 375 392

Website: inactive. This restaurant may no longer be in business.

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated October 29, 2013.

Alaior is the third-largest town on the island of Menorca, after Maó and Ciutadella. My various guidebooks list the town’s population somewhere between 6.400 and 9.400 people, and I have trouble believing either number. Alaior is quite small, and half a day will give you plenty of time to explore the town centre.

Alaior is famous for two things: cheese-making and the production of abarcas, flat leather sandals – neither of which is of any interest to vegan tourists. But the town is lovely and we took the self-guided tour suggested in Robert Zsolnay’s (German-language) guide book Menorca.

There’s a small herbolario (herbalist’s store) right in the town centre, which also sells organic and vegan food. You can buy tofu, Seitan, soy and rice milk, vegan spreads, and cosmetics (e.g. Weleda) at Hort de Temps.

I bought a jar of shitake pate there. They sell organic bread. No fruit or veggies, but right across the street is a greengrocer’s.

We also shopped at Hiper Centro, a supermarket in Coll del Palmer, across the street from Capella de Gràcia, which today houses the tourism office. Coll del Palmer leads towards Plaça de la Constitució.

We only bought some water and potato crisps at Hiper Centro, but they also sell fruit and vegetables, soy milk, an assortment of nuts and dried fruit, and pre-cooked beans in jars; but no soy yoghurt, hummus, tofu, or other staples of a vegan diet. It’s a medium-sized supermarket, despite the “Hiper” in its name.

I popped into another supermarket to check it out, when we passed it on our stroll through the town centre. It’s called Supermercats San Crispin, located at Carrer des Ramal 39, vis a vis from the Plaça des Ramal. Supermercats San Crispin is a food co-operative, they aim to sell (many) fairly produced and local products. They have four stores on Menorca, as far as I could understand, as their website is only published in Spanish.

This store is smaller than the Hiper Centro store, and I noticed that all the soy milk on offer at this particular store had added Vitamin D. I usually avoid products with added vitamin D, as this often means Vitamin D3, which is derived from animals. They did sell rice milk, assorted nuts, dried fruit, and pre-cooked beans in jars; but no vegan yoghurts, hummus, tofu, Seitan, etc.

Hort de Temps
Address: c/es carreró 11, Alaior 07730, Menorca
Opening hours: Monday – Friday  10:00 AM to 1:30 PM, and 17:00 PM to 20:00 PM, Saturdays 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Phone: +34 – 971 – 378 886
Website: http://hortdestemps.blogspot.co.at/

Hiper Centro
Address: Coll del Palmer, across the street from Capella de Gràcia, 07730 Alaior, Menorca
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM, and 5:00 PM – ?? (sorry, I can’t read my notes). Closed on Sundays and Holidays
Phone: ??
Website: I couldn’t find one

Supermercats San Crispin
Address: Carrer des Ramal 39, Alaior 07730, Menorca
Opening hours: Mondays – Saturday  8:30 AM to 2:30 PM; afternoons: ???;  closed on Sundays
Phone: +34 – 971 – ??
Website: http://www.sancrispin.net/

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated August 12, 2013. (I could not verify that this restaurant is still in business on 28 November 2021).

Restaurante Las Vegas is located at Carrer Nou, 3, down the street from Dietètica Margarita (at no. 29) in es Mercadal. From the outside, this restaurant doesn’t look very appealing. It’s a bar & restaurant, and the bar at the front of the restaurant looks just like that: a (rather darkly lit) bar. Not very inviting, if you are looking for a place to eat. But don’t let yourself be deterred, and walk past the bar towards the back of the restaurant. The dining room opens onto a small patio (still closed in April), and huge glass windows let in a lot of light.

Restaurante Las Vegas offers a set menu for lunch, unsuitable for vegans, and vegans will end up with the usual: toasted bread and a salad.

They do have a selection of pizze on the menu (posted outside the restaurant), but you cannot order them without cheese. Strange, I know. I wrote about this before in an earlier article – the only explanation I can come up with is that the pizze are prepared in advance, frozen, and then re-heated when ordered. Who knows what they do, but pizza wasn’t an option at Restaurante Las Vegas, and that’s a shame, because it was the reason we chose to eat there in the first place.

My only choices were toasted bread a la “escalivada” – smoky grilled vegetables, with aubergines, tomatoes, and onions – and a “mixed salad.” I spoke at length with the waiter, to make sure that the “escalivada” toast was really vegan, and was assured that it was (true). Then I was served my mixed salad with an egg on top.

In my first blog entry about Menorca – Vegan Survival Tips for Menorca, Spain – I advise you to be very specific when you order your food. This is one of the reasons why I want you to be cautious (the other was my experience at Rock & Beer in Maó). It simply didn’t occur to me that a “mixed salad” would contain anything but “salad.” I have to say I was somewhat angry at the waiter, with whom I had discussed my diet requirements just moments earlier. But the Spanish really have no concept of veganism. You’ll frequently find “vegetarian” dishes listed on menus which include fish as an ingredient, and the Spanish also seem to think that eggs grow on trees. To (most of) them, not eating any animal-derived foods is unfathomable.

So be very specific when you order any dishes, including salad. You simply cannot ask enough questions before ordering vegan food in Spain. I learned that the hard way.

Anyway, I was served toasted bread a la escalivada – a welcome variation of the ever-present pa amb oli, but quite expensive at 7.50 Euros. I also enjoyed the salad (5.95 Euros) – the photo was taken after I’d given the egg to my dining companion, who – luckily – is an omnivore who loves eggs.

However, the whole purpose of being a vegan is to reduce the consumption of meat, fish, and animal-derived foods. To pass them on to someone else isn’t really an option for vegans who try to live ethically.

So I didn’t go hungry at Restaurante Las Vegas, but the food that I was able to eat wasn’t all that exceptional. At this point in my vacation, I’d simply eaten too much toasted bread already, and I was sick and tired of salads. Restaurante Las Vegas is a survival tip for es Mercadal but not a recommendation. They were open during the off-season in April, they opened early for lunch, and they have a nice patio. That’s it from a vegan’s point of view.

Please note that the restaurant doesn’t have a website.

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated August 11, 2013.

Es Mercadal is a small town at the centre of Menorca. Depending on which guide book you read, either 2.400 or 5.400 people live there. From es Mercadal, an access road leads up to Monte Toro, at 357 (or maybe 358) metres the island’s highest mountain. One thing all the guide books seem to agree on is that es Mercadal is the island’s “culinary centre.”

I beg to differ.

Yes, there are a few restaurants in this small town. And – as usual – several were still closed during the off-season (or only open in the evenings) in April, but this claim to fame left me baffled. Vegans have the usual choices: toasted bread and salads, and not much more. So don’t get your hopes up.

I will review two restaurants in separate articles in the next few days, but today I want to give you some (food) shopping information.

Dietètica Margarita, located at Carrer Nou 29, is a small herbalist/health food store. They sell all kinds of nutritional supplements, organic food, cosmetics, and also tofu, Seitan, soy milk, etc. (They don’t sell fresh fruit or vegetables.) I bought a two-pack of caramel oat pudding (2.10 Euros) and a quinoa bar (1.00 Euro) there. We stopped by mid-morning and had a whole day of sightseeing ahead of us, so I didn’t buy any chilled items. But this store sells a few refrigerated foods that are a welcome addition to any vegan diet, so drop by. The store doesn’t have a website.

That’s it. I don’ have any more shopping tips for you for es Mercadal, and I’d appreciate any additional information from readers.

Es Mercadal is really quite small. The town centre basically consists of just a few streets. There’s a crafts museum, located in old British military barracks, The Centre Artesanal de Menorca. It was still closed in April.