Merlet

Merlet sits in the old town of Alcúdia, right on the Plaça de la Porta de Mallorca — the square in front of the town gate that forms one of the openings in the medieval town wall. Anyone walking inland from the bay into the walled centre passes this corner. The house behind it is small, run by a family, and cooks tapas. Merlet states its own understanding of the trade most plainly itself: “En Merlet tenemos las mejores tapas hechas al momento” — at Merlet we have the best tapas, made on the spot. That is not a throwaway line but a statement against what is otherwise common in tapas places: nothing sits ready-made in a display case waiting for takers. The order comes first, the cooking after. Guests confirm it through a detail that is hard to fake. The croquettes, they report, are so crisp that you can tell they only went into the fryer once the order had been placed. What comes to the table at Merlet Three plates surface again and again in guest accounts. The octopus, which they describe as extremely tender. The croquettes, crisp and recognisably fried to order. And an aubergine with goat cheese and sweet onions, called creative, a combination that by common consent really does work. The rest of the menu follows the same line. Guests describe the tapas as distinctive rather than standardised — not the usual run you find in every other place, but plates that each carry their own twist. What comes through is fresh, evidently carefully chosen produce, cooked cleanly. The look of the food is a strikingly frequent theme as well. The plates are beautifully presented, guests say, each one visually remarkable and packed with flavour at the same time. For a small family house that is unusual care, because plating takes time that a kitchen of this size does not really have to spare. A family at the town gate Whoever is waiting tables makes no secret of how the house works. Guests report being told outright that this is a family business and that the cooking is done within the family. Recommendations follow in the same breath: the staff's own favourite plates, named unprompted. Take them up on it and you end up eating what the house considers its best work. The tone matches. The service is described as exceptionally friendly and helpful, and it visibly guides you through the menu rather than merely taking notes. Spanish-speaking guests sum it up as a family restaurant that also feels like one, with a welcome and a service that make you feel wanted. Small children are expressly included — there are toys on hand for the youngest. Visiting Merlet: small, so book ahead The room is small, and that is the one point almost every guest account raises: you should reserve a table several days in advance, by phone. Turning up on spec while wandering the lanes of the old town, hoping for a seat, is a poor bet. For ordering there is a usable rule of thumb from guests: two plates per person are enough, and generously so rather than sparingly. Because everything is shared, it pays to order broadly instead of each to their own. Tapas can also be taken away from Merlet — the house points that out itself. The heart of it, though, remains the small room by the town gate, where you sit, share and let yourself be advised.