Algaida is a municipality located in the centre of Mallorca, a collection of three separate villages; the eponymous Algaida, Pina and Randa.
Its roots are Arabic (words starting with Al normally denote a Moorish root in Spain), founded in the early 13th Century. The landscape is dominated by the mesa Puig de Randa, a rocky outcrop that provides views over the surrounding area and where the ‘blessing of the fruit’ is held traditionally on the fourth Sunday after Easter.
The most important landmarks of Algaida include three monasteries built into different levels of the rocky mesa; Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gracia, a 15th Century hermitage; the Santuario de Sant Honorat dating from the 14th century; And the Santuario Nuestra Señora de Cura, which is closely associated with Ramon Lull, a Franciscan tertiary (writer, poet, mathematician and theologian) and widely recognised as the first important author in the Catalan language. Algaida town is also the home of the island’s oldest glassblower Gordiola, the family firm whose factory can be visited today where everything from glass lamps to tableware is manufactured using age old techniques.
Recommended Algaida restaurants, wineries and patisseries
The bars, restaurants, gourmet shops and wineries of Algaida municipality are accommodated in some of its finest buildings, food is an important part of local culture and should be explored in all its expressions. Here below we present a few of the nearby highlights.
Restaurante 4 vents; specialises in meat and fresh fish dishes with a contemporary flourish accommodated within the bar of the old Algaida railway station.
Restaurant s’Hostal de Can Mateu; attached to a working farm the food offering is based on its onw livestock and farm produce. Traditional recipes served in a rustic setting.
Forn de Can Salem; hidden within the back streets of Algaida where everything is free from preservatives, additives. The unmissable products here include fish pasties, butter croissants, cremadillos as well as the white chocolate and walnut ensaïmada.
Bodega Vins Can Mayoral; recently founded family run winery using the most modern of wine technology and know how in its production of top quality wines. The red and wite wines are included in the Appellation Pla i Llevant de Mallorca.
Bar Restaurant Es Repic: with its sunny terrace and old world charm the bar restaurant is located right in the centre of the Algaida village.
Restaurante-Cafeteria Santuari de Cura: gastronomic restaurant and all-day café serving traditional Mallorca fare in a unique historical setting, the refectory and library of a convent, with breathtaking views.
