Playa de Palma cafés say breakfast is replacing lunch for many German holidaymakers

Cafés and restaurants on Mallorca's Playa de Palma say breakfast is increasingly taking the place of lunch, according to Mallorca Zeitung. Nicole, who runs By Nicole Cafe Mohn on Carrer de la Mar Menor, told the paper that the first meal of the day matters most of all to German holidaymakers. Sheila Vorgic, who works the morning shift at Deutsches Eck, said some guests turn up at 8am and are ordering beer and schnitzel a quarter of an hour later.

Classic dishes such as schnitzel, sausages, toast with jam, cold cuts and scrambled eggs remain the most requested, and some complete breakfast deals cost just under €10. At Levita Café, María and Alberto Pons have built a more international menu around brunch, bagels, sandwiches, toast, scrambled eggs and iced latte; María Pons said breakfast has become cheaper than lunch ("Frühstücken ist günstiger als Mittagessen", "breakfast is cheaper than lunch"). Not every venue is seeing more breakfast trade: at Blau Restaurante, on Plaça de les Maravelles, breakfast demand hasn't risen, but more guests now order takeaway sandwiches at lunchtime instead of sitting down to eat.

Long-time local trader María Gómez told the paper that eating out has grown too expensive for many holidaymakers, so German guests now eat a big breakfast, keep lunch to a snack, and save restaurant visits for the evening; rising hotel prices play a part too. Summer heat added to the shift: despite well-booked hotels, fewer people were out on the streets in July and August, with many holidaymakers barely leaving their accommodation during the day.

At Canela y Azúcar, which Susan Richter opened on Carrer Llaüt in 2024, coffee and a croissant cost around €4, and Richter said many guests return several times during a single holiday, and again on their next trip to Mallorca. Some venues have also dropped lunch service to focus on breakfast and dinner instead: at Levita Café, July and August were slower than in previous years, partly because of the heat, before demand picked back up in September, with growing numbers of guests from the US and Italy joining the regular German clientele.