Outdoor Kitchens in Mallorca: What Works on a Terrace
Key takeaways
- Position before equipment: the wind, the sun and the route from the indoor kitchen decide it.
- Porcelain, sintered stone and dense granite go outside; quartz, wood and most marble do not.
- Shade is the first purchase, not the last.
- A kitchen shut for four months is asked to survive more than one used every day.
An outdoor kitchen on the island is not a barbecue on a stand. It is a second kitchen, on the terrace where the meals happen, built for a place that gets full sun, salt air and a winter with nobody in it. These are the decisions, in the order they are made.
Where it goes
Out of the prevailing wind, so the smoke goes away from the table. Near enough to the indoor kitchen that plates and food travel a short way, and far enough from the bedrooms that a late dinner does not reach them. With the sun in mind: a kitchen that faces west is unusable at six in July unless it is under shade. And close to where water, waste, gas and power can reach without crossing the whole terrace.
What it is made of
| Part | What works outside |
|---|---|
| Cabinetry | Masonry faced in stone, tile or render; stainless steel; powder-coated aluminium; marine-grade board behind stone fronts. |
| Worktop | Porcelain, sintered stone or a dense granite. Not quartz, not wood, and marble with open eyes. |
| Cooking | A built-in grill, a plancha, or both, on gas or on a circuit that carries induction. |
| Refrigeration | An outdoor-rated fridge, which is a different machine from an indoor one. |
| Sink | Yes, with hot water if the cooking is serious, and a drain that empties. |
| Shade | A pergola, a sail or a fixed roof over the kitchen and the table. |
| Light | For the evening, on its own circuit, warm. |
Indoor and outdoor as one
The best outdoor kitchens on the island read as a continuation of the indoor one through the glass: the same porcelain on both tops, the same lines in the cabinetry, the same floor through the threshold. That is one design, by one company, and the outdoor kitchens page is where that request goes.
The winter
Drains that empty, appliances that can be isolated and covered, surfaces that do not hold water, and a gas bottle store that is closed. A kitchen shut from November to March is asked to survive more than one used every day, and it is the part everybody forgets in June.
Does an outdoor kitchen need a roof?
Not to work, but to last, and to be usable at midday. A pergola or a sail keeps the sun off the surfaces and the rain off the appliances, and most terrace kitchens here are built under one.
Which worktop goes outside?
Porcelain, sintered stone or a dense granite. The worktop hub compares them.
Who builds it?
A kitchen company for the kitchen; often a landscaper for the terrace, the paving and the pergola as a structure. The two are frequently the same request sent to two companies.
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