Close Ca'n Biel Felip, one of the flagship bars of the varied in Mallorca

PalmaOne of the most emblematic bars of traditional Mallorcan cuisine says goodbye. Ca'n Biel Felip has announced the definitive closure of the restaurant, in a publication on social networks, after more than thirty years of trajectory, a decision that the establishment itself admits "is never easy". The venue, recognized this year with the award for the best classic bar in the Balearic Islands, is now negotiating a possible succession so that the business can continue with a new stage. According to reports, the main reason for the closure is the lack of generational succession.

Through the statement published on social media, the restaurant managers assure that the "time has come to lower the blinds and say goodbye to a stage that has marked our lives". They also thank the support received over all these years from customers, workers, suppliers, family and friends, and they say goodbye by vindicating one of the dishes that best identifies their trajectory: "Thank you for everything. You will always be part of our history. Long live the variat!".

The closure puts an end to the history of one of the establishments that most contributed to vindicating traditional Mallorcan cuisine in Palma. Founded by Biel Roca Joan in 1994, Ca'n Biel Felip became a benchmark for Mallorcan snacks and the variat, with an almost exclusive focus on recipes prepared in the restaurant itself and with local products.

In an interview granted to l'ARA Balears a few months ago, its owner argued that quality and local produce were the key to the business. "It is cheaper to buy local, quality produce and prepare it yourself than to buy it frozen," he stated. He also advocated for an "old-fashioned" way of doing things in catering, cooking every day from early in the morning and avoiding any industrialized preparation.

Biel Roca explained that he decided to bet on Mallorcan gastronomy at a time when international cuisine restaurants were proliferating and considered that "nobody was taking care of our cuisine". From that philosophy were born some of the house's most recognized dishes, such as frit de sang —a recipe created by the restaurateur himself—, variat, pig's trotters, or tongue with capers.

For years, Ca'n Biel Felip also became a meeting point for customers from all over Mallorca. "People are our treasure," assured the restaurateur, proud that people from all over the island's regions coincided in the dining room every day.

A symbol of the Mallorcan variat

The disappearance of Can Biel Felip arrives at a paradoxical moment. Although the variat is experiencing a new boom among younger generations and has become one of the great attractions of Mallorcan gastronomy, fewer and fewer bars are continuing to prepare it in an artisanal way and faithful to traditional recipes.

Born as a way to take advantage of the different preparations offered in bars during snack time, the variat has ended up becoming one of the most emblematic dishes of popular Mallorcan cuisine. Far from disappearing, in recent years it has regained prominence thanks to a new batch of establishments that have championed it and the growing interest of young people in local gastronomy.

Can Biel Felip has been one of the main exponents of this tradition in Palma. Its closure means the loss of one of the establishments that had most contributed to preserving a way of understanding cuisine based on local produce, homemade preparations, and respect for traditional recipes. A philosophy that made it a benchmark for lovers of varied dishes and traditional Mallorcan cuisine.