Churchill’s

Churchill's sits at the entrance to the Cala d'Or marina, on Avinguda de Cala Llonga, and the name will reliably mislead you. Anyone expecting English cooking behind the British lettering finds themselves in front of Spanish tapas instead. The full name of the house is Churchill's Art y Tapas, and both halves are meant literally: there are paintings on the walls, and homemade tapas coming out of the kitchen. The menu is kept short, and that is a decision rather than a shortcoming. Instead of a list that tries to cover every taste, you get a handful of things this house clearly enjoys making, alongside the classics no tapas menu on the island can do without. The tip guests pass on most often is a practical one: the portions are larger than tapas usually are. When in doubt, order one round fewer and follow up. Churchill's in Cala d'Or: tapas, not British cooking The name is a joke, the kitchen is not. The cooking here is Spanish and Mediterranean, and the Mallorcan side is not an afterthought. Sobrassada turns up twice, once on toast with Mahón cheese, once as a sauce for potatoes. Anyone who knows the island reads that as a sign that somebody here shops locally. The rest of the menu reads like a good Spanish tapas round: patatas bravas and patatas alioli, albóndigas in tomato sauce, gambas al ajillo, crisply fried calamares and chipirones, Spanish omelette, boquerones, chorizo in red wine, bacon-wrapped dates and croquettes with cheese and chilli. Alongside them a pork fillet, for anyone after something more substantial. Cheese, dates and the things people talk about here When guests describe this place, the same two names come up almost every time. One is the melted camembert with dates, orange and mint, a combination that sounds wilful on paper and makes immediate sense on the table. The other is the goat cheese bruschetta. Add to that a buffalo mozzarella salad and, as a speciality of the house, a date sauce the kitchen itself recommends outright. So the vegetarian side is not a token gesture here: the meat-free plates belong to the core of the menu, not to its margins. Art on the walls, wine from Mallorca The Art in the name is not decorative padding. The walls are hung with pictures, which makes the room feel more like a small, personal place than a harbour address for people passing through. Guests describe exactly that again and again: a warm atmosphere in which you stay seated longer than you planned. The drinks match. The house keeps Mallorcan wines alongside cocktails and sangria, and it thinks both important enough to name in the same breath as the food. Booking, and how to order properly The place is small and often full in the evening. A reservation is therefore not a formality but the difference between a table and a walk back into town. You book by phone or WhatsApp, straightforwardly and without a booking portal. And once more, because it is the commonest beginner's mistake: order less than you think. The plates arrive generous, and you can always add another.