Restaurante de Tapas & Paellas Casa Rufino — Restaurant in Palma

A Hidden Culinary Gem in Palma – Casa Rufino is a Must-Try!

During our stay in Palma, we stumbled upon Casa Rufino, a small local restaurant tucked away from the busy tourist streets — and what a delightful surprise it turned out to be!

From the very first bite, we knew we had discovered something special. The tapas and seafood paella were absolutely incredible — bursting with flavor, made from fresh, high-quality ingredients, and seasoned to perfection. Honestly, it was the best paella we've ever had — rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying.

One of the simple yet unforgettable highlights for me was the toasted bread with olive oil and allioli. It might sound basic, but the balance of textures and the richness of the flavors made it unforgettable. Sometimes, it's the little things done exceptionally well that leave the biggest impression.

We also loved the grilled octopus and the crispy Sandrine fish — both cooked beautifully, tender inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. Each dish felt like it was made with care and passion.

The atmosphere of Casa Rufino is warm and unpretentious, just like a true local gem. Special shout-out to Javi, our waiter, who made our experience even more enjoyable. He was incredibly friendly, attentive, and made us feel so welcomed with his kind and open demeanor.

If you're looking for authentic Mallorcan flavors in a cozy, intimate setting — Casa Rufino is the place. We’re so glad we found it and would return in...

So my partner and I love travelling to Spain and a lot of the islands so we have had our fair share of tapas for a lifetime.

Playa de Palma is quite resorty/touristy so there isn’t a whole lot of choices for local food. We stumbled across this restaurant with raving reviews so of course we paid a visit.

The menu is overall quite overpriced. But that’s fine since there isn’t a whole lot of food choices in the area. But sadly the food quality did not justify the prices. The octopus was quite over cooked. The calamari looked very blond but was likewise over cooked. The meatballs were fine. The bread in the bread and aioli was quite dense which I don’t prefer but just a personal preference. It did come out warm so that’s good. The aioli was whipped, but nice.

The server we had was a nice lady. However I found it a bit off that she tried to imply it would be hard to get a table if we didn’t have a reservation, when it was almost 80% vacant the whole time we were there, and at the end of the meal they were quite aggressively soliciting google map reviews (presenting the bill and after the payment) with QR code placards brought along with the bill (which would explain the large number of 5 star...

Reservation needed, we did it on their website, link here on Google maps. You can probably get a free table, but best to make a reservation to be sure. The staff was friendly and helpful, fast service. The food was delicious, I personally am not much of a fan of seafood (that goes on paella), but I must say it was very delicious, confirmed as well by my partner, which loves paella. For my personal taste maybe a bit to salty, but even so pretty good. They bring it to your table and serve you a portion, the rest you take by yourself. The portion was good, we both were full, also tried Homemade Chicken "Croquetas", which were delicious too. Sangria was great as well. Definitely recommend to...