Zaranda

Is Zaranda worth booking in Palma's old quarter?

Yes; but with a clear-eyed understanding of what you're committing to. Zaranda holds a Michelin star (2024) and an Opinionated About Dining Classical recommendation (2023), operates out of a genuinely unusual physical space in Palma's Es Princep hotel, serves tasting menus that run from 6 courses up to 18. At €€€€ pricing and with dinner service running only from 7 PM to 9 PM, Tuesday through Sunday, this is a deliberate, high-investment meal. If you want a quick dinner or are testing Palma's fine dining scene for the first time, Adrián Quetglas offers a more accessible entry point. But if you are ready to commit to a multi-course experience anchored to Mallorca's ingredients and a space with genuine architectural history, Zaranda makes a compelling case.

The Recent Evolution: From Two Stars to One, a New Home

Zaranda's story matters here because it directly affects how you should think about booking it now. Fernando Pérez Arellano built the restaurant into the only two-Michelin-star venue in Mallorca; a notable distinction for any Spanish island kitchen. The move to its current location within the Es Princep hotel in Palma's old quarter cost it that second star, it currently holds one. That transition is not a reason to avoid the restaurant; it is, if anything, a reason to pay attention. The cooking and the kitchen team did not change, the location did. Zaranda's current Michelin one-star standing, combined with its OAD Classical recommendation, suggests a kitchen that independent guides continue to rate seriously even after the logistical disruption of relocation. The comparison point is useful: plenty of one-star restaurants in Spain are aspirational bookings. Consider Arzak in San Sebastián or Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, both multi-starred and both destinations in their own right. Zaranda at one star is a different proposition but not a lesser one for the right diner.

The Space and What It Means for Your Visit

The physical setting is one of the more considered in Palma's fine dining scene. Zaranda sits above the remains of a former tannery, the design works directly with that history: rooms are named Guild Hall, Saddler's Corner, Tanner's Dining Room, with partially visible archaeological remains below a glass floor. This is not incidental atmosphere. It positions the meal as something specific to this place and this city, a Palma old-quarter experience that you cannot replicate at, say, Marc Fosh or Aromata. The Es Princep hotel is a Michelin Key recipient, though Zaranda maintains a separate entrance, so the restaurant functions as a destination in its own right rather than as a hotel dining room you drift into.

The menu structure gives you real choices. Patrones offers 6, 7, or 8 courses. A flor de piel runs to 12 courses across three spaces. Plena flor is 18 courses, also across three spaces. If you have been to Zaranda before and worked through the shorter format, the multi-space 18-course experience is the logical next move, it is the version most specifically designed around the tannery's spatial history, moving you through the building as the meal progresses. That format is closer to what restaurants like El Celler de Can Roca in Girona or DiverXO in Madrid offer in terms of theatrical ambition, but at a Palma price point and scale. Appetisers draw on Moorish culinary traditions, appropriate given Mallorca's Arab-influenced history, the island's produce runs through the menu, which makes the cooking feel grounded rather than generically modern.

Neighbourhood Anchor: Why Palma's Old Quarter Matters Here

Zaranda's location inside the old quarter of Palma is not just a backdrop, it is part of the restaurant's argument. The cooking references Arab influence, the building references tannery history, the glass floor makes the archaeological layer literally visible. For a visitor to Palma who wants a meal that connects to the city rather than simply happening within it, this is the most coherent answer in the fine dining bracket. Mallorca's food scene has strong competitors, DINS Santi Taura works deeply Mallorcan material at a similar price level, but Zaranda's anchoring to a specific historic site inside Palma's walls gives it a character those restaurants do not replicate. If you want to understand what this city's culinary identity looks like when taken seriously at fine dining level, Zaranda is where that argument is being made most deliberately.

For broader context on eating and drinking in the city, see our full Palma restaurants guide, our full Palma bars guide, and our full Palma hotels guide. If you want to extend into wine or experiences during your stay, our Palma wineries guide and our Palma experiences guide cover both. For comparable Spanish creative kitchens outside Mallorca, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona, and José Carlos García in Málaga give a useful cross-section of what the Michelin one-star tier looks like across Spain.

Practical Details

Zaranda serves dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday, with a single service window from 7 PM to 9 PM. Monday is closed. The venue is at Bala Roja 1 in Palma's old quarter. Booking is hard, demand at this level in Palma's limited fine dining market means you should expect to plan well ahead. Pricing is €€€€; confirm current menu prices and booking availability directly with the restaurant, as tasting menu costs shift with seasonal changes.

Quick reference: Zaranda, Bala Roja 1, Palma old quarter. Dinner only, Tue–Sun, 7–9 PM. Closed Monday. Hard to book, reserve as far ahead as possible.