Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo

The café is named after Joan de s’Aigo, who in the early 18th century paid men to gather snow in the Serra de Tramuntana and pack it into snow houses. The ice was sold in Palma and around the island, and he mixed the meltwater with fruit juices to make an early form of ice cream. The first flavour was almond, and the old mill used to make it is still kept at Can Sanç.

Hot chocolate and ensaïmadas followed. In 2025 Ultima Hora reported that cousins from the third generation of the Martorell and Vich families run the business today, and that some families on holiday head here for breakfast as soon as they step off the boat.

Order an ensaïmada, plain or filled with cream, with a cup of thick hot chocolate: the pairing the café is known for. In warm weather, try the almond ice cream, still made in house, or a glass of horchata. Other specialities include the quarto sponge cake, coca de patata and cremadillos.

The Can Sanç branch is in the lanes of the old town, about 200 metres from Plaça Major. From the marinas on Palma’s seafront, such as the Real Club Náutico, it is roughly a 20-minute walk up through the old town, or a few minutes by taxi.

Can Sanç is open every day from 8:00 to 21:00. The website has no booking system, so walk in, and allow time for a queue at busy hours; a sign at the door asks guests to wait to be seated. Inside, the room keeps its old lamps, marble tables and patterned floor tiles. There are two other branches in the city.