Ca ses Bessones in Portocolom closes on 12 October after 43 years

Ca ses Bessones, the Portocolom family restaurant that started out as a bar in 1983, closes to the public on 12 October 2026. Sisters Magdalena and Catalina Matemales, who took over from their parents, are retiring, they told Diario de Mallorca: "El 12 de octubre cerramos al público, pero el 16 haremos un tardeo abierto a todo el mundo" (we close to the public on 12 October, but on the 16th we'll hold an afternoon party open to everyone). That farewell runs from 17:00 to midnight on 16 October, with music and something to eat and drink.

The story starts in 1983, when their parents, who had run a bar on Carrer Aragó in Palma, turned one of two apartments on a property they had bought in Portocolom into a bar, later taking in the second one to expand. One sister joined in 1994 and the other in 1999, after their mother, who had been the cook, gradually stepped back. In the early years it was only a bar, serving tourists burgers, sausages and roast chicken; as more local and Mallorcan customers came, the menu shifted to local tastes. One of its most popular dishes has been tumbet, served with cuttlefish, pork loin, secreto or fried eggs. The restaurant opened from May to October, most recently closing on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The sisters say plenty of foreign regulars, many of them Irish, have come every year since their parents opened, and some have travelled back specially to say goodbye. "Echaremos de menos el trato con la gente" (we'll miss dealing with people), they said. They have a plan for the space but can't share it yet; what they did confirm is that nobody will carry on the restaurant in the same format.