Sa Fàbrica de Gelats

The business was founded in 1994 by Franz Kraus, a German who had settled in the Sóller valley and wanted to make better use of its oranges and lemons. The Guía Repsol says many people consider it the best ice cream on the island.

Everything is made with fresh milk, cream and natural fruit juice, without colourings or preservatives, and the sorbets use juice with fine pieces of peel and pulp rather than concentrate. Since 2018 production has moved to the company’s own workshop on the Son Angelats estate outside town, and the shop on the square is where you eat it.

Start with the orange or lemon sorbet, made from fruit grown in the valley: these are what the shop is known for. The fruit sorbets contain no milk, so they suit vegans. There are around 40 ice cream flavours, from almond and pistachio to chocolate, as well as Mallorcan ones such as ensaïmada and coca de patata, added for the shop’s 30th anniversary in 2024. A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is the other order.

From the marina at Port de Sóller, take the old wooden tram up the valley to Sóller: it stops at Mercat, a few steps from the shop, about 4 km from the port. A taxi is quicker. Sóller’s main square, Plaça de sa Constitució, is a short walk away, so the visit fits easily into an afternoon in town.

There is no booking: order at the counter and find a seat in the leafy patio. It can fill up on hot summer afternoons, and the early evening is usually quieter. Hours change with the season and the weather, so call ahead if you are planning a visit out of summer.