A restaurant that works with children is not the one with a colouring sheet. It is the one where they can get up from the table without anybody minding, and where the adults can therefore stay at it. We have grouped these by area so you can find the nearest, and every one has been checked as trading.
A farm, on the east coast
Can Muson on the Santa Eulalia to Cala Llonga road is the strongest answer on the island. It is a working organic finca with animals, fields and a farm shop, and children can walk round it between courses. There are workshops for them through the season.
It opens every day of the year from nine in the morning, though in winter it closes at four, so it is a lunch rather than a dinner for half the year.
Beaches with something behind them
Babylon Beach outside Santa Eulalia has an eco-adventure playground behind the tables and a floating pontoon moored offshore to swim out to. It is a beach bar rather than a day club, so the music stays at a level you can talk over.
Cala Bassa Beach Club on the west coast has real shade from the pine wood behind the sand, shallow water and several kitchens to choose between, which covers a wide range of appetites in one stop.
El Chiringuito at Es Cavallet has a garden for children beside the terrace, inside the natural park.
Inland, in the evening
Macao Cafe in Santa Gertrudis has a playground behind its tree-shaded garden, which is the reason families book it rather than anywhere else in the village. Dinner only, from about seven.
Camí de Balàfia at San Lorenzo is a family grill in an orange grove and has been feeding island families for over thirty years. Cash only, and book well ahead.
What to plan around
Spanish dinner times are late. Kitchens inland often open at seven and fill at nine. An early booking is the whole trick.
Shade is the constraint in July and August. Ask before you book, because plenty of handsome terraces have none.
Some of the best are cash only. Camí de Balàfia and the fish shacks do not take cards.
Quick answers
Which restaurant is best with small children? Can Muson, because it is a farm as well as a kitchen.
Is anything open all year? Can Muson, every day except 1 January and 25 December.
Where is there shade on a beach? Cala Bassa, from the pine wood behind the sand.
Do restaurants have high chairs? Most do, and our team can confirm when booking.
What time should we book? Seven, before the room fills.
Are the beach clubs loud? The day clubs are. The beach restaurants above are not.