Stagier Bar

Stagier Bar is an intimate tapas and fusion restaurant in Santa Catalina, Palma's liveliest district for going out. Since 2018, Chilean-born chef Joel Baeza and his partner Andrea Sertzen have blended Latin American roots with Mediterranean produce here, in small, precise plates made for sharing, somewhere between a relaxed bar and haute cuisine in miniature. What makes Stagier Bar special The name says it all: as a stagier, or trainee, Joel Baeza gained experience in around 23 renowned, often Michelin-starred kitchens in Spain and beyond. He serves that schooling today as tributes, honestly declared on the menu. The spherified olive with anchovy bows to Ferran and Albert Adrià (El Bulli), the truffle egg to Carles Abellán's Comerç 24, the foie gras toast to Cinc Sentits, the crispy Iberian pork gyoza to Dos Palillos in Barcelona. Rather than trading in superlatives, the house prefers to understate. Run by a Chilean-Peruvian couple, the tone stays casual while the technique plays at a level you would hardly expect here. Stagier Bar is listed in the MICHELIN Guide (Modern Cuisine, €€ category), whose inspectors single out the truffle egg and the smoked sirloin steak tartare for praise. The kitchen and the menu Everything arrives in small plates, with Peruvian and Chilean accents meeting Mallorcan produce. The menu runs from sea bass ceviche and tiradito to steak tartare, oysters, avocado rolls stuffed with lobster, and a smoked wagyu hanger steak from Chile with chimichurri and béarnaise sauce. The grilled Iberian pork is seasoned with tap de cortí, the Mallorcan pepper salt. A classic opener is the homemade sourdough from the social bakery Amadip Esment, served with smoked, chimichurri or truffle butter. To finish, Joel and Andrea send out desserts with a Latin twist, such as a passion fruit royal with coconut foam and mint, or a warm chocolate cake with lúcuma. If you cannot decide, the tasting menu (most recently around 68 euros) walks you through the signature dishes. Atmosphere and location The room is tiny: just around seven tables and an open kitchen where the plates are built right in front of you. The close-set tables and lively buzz mean it can get quite noisy, worth bearing in mind if you are after a quiet conversation. That is what gives it the personal, almost family-like feel that Andrea carries through the service with real warmth. The bar sits on Carrer d'Espartero, in the heart of Santa Catalina, a few steps from the Mercat de Santa Catalina; in summer the small terrace adds a few more seats. Free on-street parking is available nearby. Who Stagier Bar is for For anyone who wants to eat creatively and off the tourist track in Palma, without the stiffness of a fine-dining temple. Ideal for dinner for two or a small group keen to share their way across the menu. With only a handful of tables, it pays to book early, especially at weekends.