Blue Arenal — Restaurant in es Mercadal

Absolutely an amazing place. We decided to walk up to it from our rental after reading the reviews. We had been awake for nearly 2 full days (with light naps on the plane flights) and this was our first meal in Menorca. We were tired, cranky, and ready to sleep for hours, but our stomachs called, and this place answered in the best possible way.

First, the waiter (owner maybe?) was so happy to be doing what he was doing (which is why I question if maybe he owns it?). He stopped to talk to every patron, making sure they were satisfied. He even spoke some words in each tables' main language (and complimented me on my mediocre spanish). Coming from the US, most of our meals are meant to be fast to get the next person in. This was more like sitting with family to get. Such a relaxed, happy atmosphere!

Second. The food! I started off with a warm salad. The cheese was magnificent and the crunchy bits (what i'm assuming was shallot) were my favorite part. We have a rule on vacation that we try to eat like the locals do. If the place is an island, like Menorca, you gotta have the seafood or what is best known to the area (like Iberico Ham). While I appreciate that they have food to cater to all palates, I would never order a burger at a place like this. But....I did order the Pluma Iberico. It was one of the best things I have ever eaten. Although I want to spend the rest of my vacation eating my way thru the island, I'm also considering just eating here daily. It is THAT good.

We weren't going to go for dessert, but our waiter helped us change our minds. They have a typical dessert menu that probably is pre-made options from some local company, but they also had homemade options of cheesecake and tiramisu. We got an order of each and split it. Maravilloso! Absolutely fantastic! We will definitely be back!

And the price? The best part. For a meal like this in the US, we would have to spend at least $200. Our meal.was way less and a million times better tasting with a better environment!

¡Gracias al personal por un momento...

Stunning location and friendly service, unfortunately the food was a big disappointment. We managed to get a great table (worth asking when you get there, the ones nearest the sea view aren't bookable, you take your chances). The staff were attentive and helpful throughout.

The fish eaters had the less good experience. Our starters - calamares and sepia (cuttlefish) - were very mediocre and the paella quite bland and outrageously salty, although it contained a decent offering of seafood including crab legs and langoustine.

The vegan paella was better, good flavour and variety, although still stodgy and nothing to write home about.

The vegetable tempura starter was the best thing we were served, nice and fresh, lightly battered (egg-free) and big enough to share.

By mistake the salad they brought at first was the tomato and mozzarella one, which looked quite nice (how could you mess that up?). But we sent it back in favour of the Blue Arenal salad we had ordered, as we wanted one we could all share and that was the only cheese-free one. Bad move. It turned out to be a weird concoction involving fruit and crispy fried batter bits, as well as a syrupy sauce. As if it couldn't make up its mind whether it was a starter or dessert.

Speaking of dessert, they don't have homemade ones. So we skipped it, feeling fairly disenchanted by this point. One last thing - the house white wine is almost undrinkable.

Overall, for the money, this place sadly can't be recommended at all, despite the efforts they've gone to with service, and also being relatively vegan-aware which was a big part of why we had chosen them in the...

This has been the best experience we have had on this beautiful island of Menorca! The staff are all friendly and absolutely helpful when it comes to recommendations! My kids had chicken fingers and fries which were a hit. As for the adults based on recommendations we did the fish of the day (AMAZING!!!) Seafood Paella, and several other dishes. We came back a second time to make sure we didn't miss anything. Overall food was great but the real standout here is the entire staff and service! Top notch and a absolute GEM in Menorca.

Just a side note, the Passion fruit mojito is the most delicious drink we have had on the island! Had 5 myself and my friend had 4. It was unreal!

The pictures I've posted are basically our favorite dishes and the people who assisted us! We will back one day

-Thomas,...