Osteria N15 Restaurant Review

If you’re after something a little special but still family friendly, if you want fine dining but cheerful service and if you love your local ingredients and wine then you’ll want to visit Osteria N15 in the market square of Puerto Pollenca.

With a great location you can watch the world go by from the beautifully laid tables outside of this restaurant, or sit inside in the large bright dining room, or alternatively out on their quiet enclosed patio. Breakfast is served everyday from 10 am from a menu of 6 options plus daily specials, most around the €6 mark except for the €12 Colazione dell’Osteria which includes eggs, bacon, sausage, pastry, orange juice and coffee but with the wonderful bonus of free coffee refills allowing you a good excuse to linger - especially on a Wednesday morning when you can enjoy breakfast here in full view of the market under way in the square.

There’s a lunch ‘snack’ menu which kicks in from 12 until 6pm offering salads, sandwiches, burgers and pasta dishes from €6-€11. But the dinner menu is really where this restaurant comes into it’s own.

The mission statement of Osteria N15 is to “achieve and maintain a distinction in the classic and modern Italian food using seasonal products from the island of Mallorca, paired with the finest and complete selection of Italian, Spanish and Mallorcan wines and an informal and casual service” and it seems as though they’ve nailed it. I was drawn in by the Early Bird dinner special, a 2 course meal for €14.50 which changes weekly and is served until 8pm. I ordered the pork belly with truffle honey to start and the penne arabiatta main although it was a tough choice between that and the lamb loin with rosemary sauce or John Dory with olives and fresh tomatoes.

The service was excellent with the mixture of British and Mallorcan waiting staff, immaculately turned out in black and white with smart waistcoats and full-length aprons, they all seemed to be on hand to serve me whenever anything was needed and were extremely swift in their service. I was brought a tiny canapé on a silver leaf tray when I sat down which was an unnecessary but nice touch, I was also brought a basket of bread which I do think should be free in a good restaurant but which I was charged for, however it did include a lovely olive bread as well as plain white baguette so I didn’t really mind the €1.50 fee. Unfortunately not knowing my wines I merely ordered a glass of house red which turned out to be alright but expensive at €5 a glass and in retrospect I should have consulted the menu or asked for a recommendation.

My starter was excellent and elegantly presented, the meat was tender and succulent and the swirls of honey added beautifully to the flavour of the pork. The penne was a little disappointing to look at but I suppose there’s not much you can do to jazz up presentation of a plate of pasta. It did taste wonderful and the abundant sauce was packed full of flavour. The waiter seemed genuinely upset for me when I couldn’t finish it all.

The rest of the menu although on the slightly expensive side offers some wonderful and intriguing choices such as, tuna tartar with a sorbet of avocado, basil and olive oil, ravioli with walnut pesto, risotto with foie gras ice cream, penne in vodka sauce, Roman style roasted suckling lamb and Florence style chicken cooked under a weighted hot brick. Mains cost anything from €10 to €27. They also offer a steak special which includes the Florentina, 1kg of T-bone steak for two served with potatoes, grilled vegetables and hollandaise sauce for €42.50. They also offer gluten free pasta options.

There is a children’s menu offering pizza, pastas and BBQ chicken expensive at around €7 a meal but they are accommodating and will also do half size portions of any of the pastas on the main menu. The staff were also excellent in their service of the children present, stopping to talk to them individually and rearranging tables to accommodate pushchairs and highchairs where needed.

The food here is excellent and I couldn’t fault the service, I would suggest reserving a table for dinner in peak summer especially if you are a larger party or wish to sit on the patio, and stud up on your local wines before you arrive!

Open: 10am till late everyday.

Contact: +34 971944332