PALET Taberna Griego Mediterránea

PALET Taberna Griego Mediterránea is the Greek address on Carrer Jacint Verdaguer in Palma's Nord district, only a few metres from the entrance to the rail and metro station of the same name. The name says what it is: a tavern that cooks Greek, and a kitchen that also understands itself as Mediterranean. The house describes its own line briefly and without fuss — no frills, no avant-garde, just homemade plates built from everyday ingredients. Herbs, vegetables and pulses form the base, and that is exactly where you recognise the handwriting of the menu. Stavros is at the stove; how closely the house is tied to its chef shows on the pasta page, where one dish simply carries his name. Mezze, moussaka and the Greek baseline If you want an overview, order the mezze platter for two: Santorini fava, grilled aubergine, keftedes, dolmadakia, tzatziki and a piece of feta with extra virgin olive oil. That is the menu in miniature, because the same building blocks return on their own. The fava, the Greek hummus made from split peas, comes with caramelised onion and capers. Tirokafterí is a soft, mildly spicy feta mousse, while buyurdí is feta from the oven, melting under tomato, pepper and onion. Alongside them: spanakopitákia with spinach and feta, dolmadakia of vine leaf and rice, tomatokeftedes of tomato and courgette, and the joriátiki salata with Kalamata olives and capers. Two starters break the pattern: metsovone, the smoked Greek relative of provolone, arrives melted with caramelised onion, and in the garides saganaki the prawns sit in a homemade tomato sauce with feta dissolved into it. The mains hold what you expect: moussaka of potato, aubergine, courgette and beef under gratinated béchamel, souvlaki of marinated pork with pita bread, gyros of pork with tzatziki or of chicken with a honey-mustard sauce. Beside them, plates you find less often: Juncar Beyerdí, beef braised with herbs, red wine and cinnamon on aubergine cream; yaourtlu kebab, spiced minced-beef skewers on pita with tomato sauce and Greek yoghurt; the cazuela de Estambul with braised spinach, minced beef and yoghurt; and a crisp octopus leg on Santorini fava with capers, red onion and hot oil. Where Greece meets Mallorca The most interesting plates are the ones where both kitchens stand at once. The pappardelle tou Stavrou — Stavros's pasta — runs with a sofrito of Mallorcan camaiot and balsamic, topped with brossat, the local fresh cheese, seasoned with lime and olive oil. The wild boar kritharoto works with kritharaki, the rice-shaped Greek pasta drawn out here like a risotto, together with boar braised in red wine and smoked metsovone. The menu reaches beyond Greece elsewhere too. The ensalada Palet takes its tone from cured Mahón cheese and a pistachio vinaigrette, and the cachopo asturiano is a double beef fillet in panko, filled with serrano ham and, again, Mahón. The sweet side: filo, syrup and mastic The desserts are no afterthought here. The baklavá is filo pastry with walnut and pistachio, soaked in sugar syrup; the kataifi, filled with walnut and honey, comes with vanilla ice cream. The tarta Dubái builds on a base of kataifi pastry, mascarpone cream and pistachio praline under chocolate ganache. The mosaico is a handed-down recipe of chocolate, biscuit, walnuts and brandy, and the torrija of tsoureki is baked from Greek brioche with mastic seeds and coated in almond glaze — mastic being the resin of the mastic shrub. The drinks page continues in the same vein: a Greek red from Macedonia, a young retsina from the Roditis grape, alongside Mallorcan wines from the Pla i Llevant and cocktails built on mastic liqueur and ouzo. Good to know before a visit to PALET The menu marks gluten-free, lactose-free and fully vegan dishes with its own symbols, and gluten-free bread is available on request. Takeaway is possible, and for larger parties of eight or more the house lays on its own group menus, which need to be agreed beforehand. Children are welcome; high chairs and a changing table are there. Besides the indoor room there is a terrace, and booking runs through the venue's own system.