Verana Bar & Restaurante

Verana Bar & Restaurante sits a few minutes' walk above the cove of Cala Mendia, in the middle of the holiday development of a settlement that belongs to the municipality of Manacor. It is not an address you stroll past by accident: hotel complexes and apartment blocks stand all around, the route to the sand runs elsewhere, and the house depends on guests remembering it and coming back. The reason they do is a menu kept unusually short for a beach resort. Instead of the customary long list there is a manageable selection fed from two directions: Mediterranean grill on one side, Middle Eastern and East Asian flavours on the other. People who wander in out of curiosity tend to report the same thing afterwards — that they had expected something else. The kitchen at Verana Bar & Restaurante The core is what comes freshly cooked. Dorada and lubina go on the grill whole, alongside octopus, entrecôte and steaks; roasted potatoes turn up as a side, and even the fries have a reputation of their own among regulars. Next to that sits a row of small plates for sharing: croquettes with potato and ham, tapas and prawns — sometimes in tempura, sometimes with chilli, sometimes with wasabi. What separates this menu from the neighbourhood are the notes in between. Baba ganoush arrives with pomegranate and pita, there is a trio of tzatziki, hummus and guacamole, halloumi is served with orange, and the chicken wings get a Korean gochujang glaze. Butter chicken is on the card as readily as a pita with grilled chicken, and the pulpo comes with mashed potato. Dessert stays house-made: cheesecake, tiramisu, apple strudel, cookie dough. Middle Eastern and Asian accents In this location hardly anyone expects pomegranate, gochujang and wasabi. That is precisely where the character of the house lies: the Mediterranean basis stays recognisable — fish from the grill, meat from the grill, tapas — but the seasoning reaches further, and the plates are visibly put together with care. Vegetarian guests do better here than in most houses in the area. The dips, the halloumi and part of the tapas come without meat, vegan dishes are provided for as well, and several visitors point this out expressly, because a selection that usable is not something they find everywhere on the island. The bar and the specials board The word bar in the name is not a formality. Alongside wine there is a cocktail list built along classic lines rather than colourful ones: Old Fashioned, Pisco Sour, Bramble — plus a changing recommendation from the house. In an area where a seriously meant cocktail list is rare, that stands out, and guests mention it accordingly often. The second menu hangs on the board. On it are the recommendations of the day, often fresh fish, occasionally a dish that is not otherwise available — a Korean burger, for instance. Anyone who wants to know what the kitchen is currently working on looks there first. Verana is run as a family business, and it shows: the service knows the menu, and special requests are handled without fuss. Cala Mendia and the neighbouring coves Cala Mendia forms a run of sandy coves together with Cala Anguila and Cala Romàntica, lying close together and linked by coastal paths. The beach at Cala Mendia is within walking distance of Verana, and so is Cala Anguila. The surroundings are a holiday resort rather than a village: hotels, apartments, a handful of shops, quiet in the evening. Anyone wanting to see more drives to Porto Cristo, a few kilometres north, with its natural harbour, fishing boats and the Caves of Drach. Manacor, the second-largest town on the island, lies a good ten kilometres inland. Verana Bar & Restaurante is therefore well placed for guests who are out and about during the day and do not want to drive far in the evening.