Best Ice Cream in Palma: The Top 5 Heladerias

Summer without ice cream is possible but senseless. Actually, I love it all year round. In winter I prefer the cold sensation together with a hot chocolate at Can Joan de S’Aigo, or with a coffee at Ca’n Miquel. This time of the year, just get a cone or a cup with as many sabores as you can eat before the ice cream melts down while you walk around looking for a shady place.

Within the last few years, Palma has become a fantastic place for ice cream aficionados. I’ll introduce you to my personal favorites. The list is subjective but I can assure you that I have tried out many and always return to these five heladerias.

My longtime frontrunner is Ca’n Miquel. Miquel has outstanding sorbets and by far the broadest variety of chocolate ice cream. During the summer months it’s more than 20 different flavours – mind you, just chocolate. Miquel’s sorbets and ice cream are made from fresh fruit and taste like they had packed summer itself in the freezer to serve it chilled. Ca’n Miquel also offers tasty cakes and snacks like bocadillos and empanadas, and they have decent coffee.

The only flavour I miss at Ca’n Miquel is pistachio. So every once in a while Iceberg is my first choice. Iceberg has three ice cream parlors in Palma. And in additon to the classic pistachio they also have Mozartkugel, a mix of pistachio with almond and dark chocolate, like the specialty from Vienna. An absolute must is Iceberg’s orange sorbet with mint which has been awarded „Best Ice-Cream Worldwide“ a few years ago.

The most traditional heladeria is Can Joan de S’Aigo, the oldest chocolateria on Mallorca. Can Joan has three cafés today, the oldest being the one on Carrer Can Sanç. Try their almond ice cream, ideally with a piece of gató, the traditional Mallorcan almond cake. Or do as the locals do: On a Sunday evening they are queuing to take a bucket of ice cream home for their families.

And there has been a new entry to Palma’s ice cream scene, recently: Vanini from Switzerland. The cool chocolateria also offers varying sabores of finest ice cream. Besides a couple of most delicious chocolate flavors their pistachio is a dream. Vanini’s lemon sorbet tastes like summer in the Mediterranean, and the passion fruit sorbet seems to come directly from the fruit. **** Unfortunately, Vanini had to close in the wake of the pandemic. ****

Last but not least Fet a Sóller just opend a new shop on Plaça Cort. I love their orange ice cream with chocolate chips, made from the exquisite oranges of the Sóller valley. A rare flavor, even at their own stores. When I’m lucky it’s available in their café in Port de Sóller. It’s the perfect refreshment after a hike while I watch the sun set over the bay.

Of course, there are many more ice cream parlors in Palma, often less pricy than these five. But if quality matters and you rather skip a meal than an ice cream (like me), these are my personal recommendations. If you miss your personal favorite, please let me know!