Walk on the sunny side: Café Murada

**** Sadly, Café Murada does not exist anymore. ****

Palma has been my home for many years now, but I still love to explore its different barrios and often I wander around with no special aim in mind. Its fabulous gothic city center is said to be one of Europe largest. While the narrow alleys are nice and cool during the hot months, in winter I like the broader streets and places even better because they get sun. One of my favorite walks leads me past the cathedral and onto the old fortification wall. I never tire to admire the vista: the big blue in the bay of Palma with its necklace of palm trees and beautiful Parc del Mar to my feet. It’s fun to sit in one of those small booths within the wall but there is a place I like even more.

Turn to your left and you will soon come across Café Murada, a small Italian restaurant in a sheltered corner of Passeig D’alt Murada. For a long time, there has been but a tiny kiosk-like place, a few pillows on the staircase and a couple of chairs. And whenever I passed by, they were either all taken or the place was closed. Today, the restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine: crispy salads, a tasty caprese, several classic pasta dishes and a nice choice of pizzas – that I would count among the best in Palma. Between meals, Cafè Murada is a wonderful relaxed place to have a drink – there are lots of aperitivos and long drinks on the menu.

The restaurant occupies the ground floor of a beautiful mansion located right on the city wall so the tables outside are directly facing either the cathedral or the ocean. So don’t forget to bring your shades! Sometimes, Miguel Ángel Munc takes a seat next to the café and plays his guitar for a while. He is one of the few street musicians who’s really good at what he does, and I like his smooth voice and his somewhat edgy way of singing. It reminds me a little of great Gaetano Veloso…