The Best Restaurants in the Canary Islands: A Local’s Picks, Island by Island

This is not a list copied from review sites. These are the places I would send a friend: traditional guachinches, family restaurants by the sea and a few special places for a big night out, on every one of the eight islands. I was born in Tenerife and I have eaten my way around all of them.

New to Canarian food? Read my guide to what to eat in the Canary Islands first, so you know what to order.

My top 10 restaurants in the Canary Islands

If you only have time for a few, these are my favourites across all the islands.

#	Restaurant	Where	Island
1	Guachinche Ramón	La Orotava	Tenerife
2	El Rincón de Juan Carlos	Adeje	Tenerife
3	La Casa Romántica	Agaete	Gran Canaria
4	Los Guayres	Mogán	Gran Canaria
5	El Risco	Famara	Lanzarote
6	Casa Santa María	Betancuria	Fuerteventura
7	Chipi Chipi	Santa Cruz de La Palma	La Palma
8	Casa Efigenia	Las Hayas	La Gomera
9	El Refugio	La Restinga	El Hierro
10	Casa Enriqueta	Caleta de Sebo	La Graciosa

Tenerife

Tenerife is the home of the guachinche: simple, family-run places in the north of the island that serve their own wine and home cooking. Mix one or two of them with a special dinner in the south.

Guachinches

Guachinche	Where
Casa Chano (my favourite)	Guamasa
Guachinche Ramón	La Orotava
Guachinche El 23	La Orotava
Guachinche Pa’picar	La Matanza
Guachinche Casa Anita	La Victoria
Guachinche Casa Chiqui	Santa Úrsula

Restaurants

Restaurant	Where
Cofradía de Pescadores (fresh fish)	Punta del Hidalgo
El Rincón de Juan Carlos	Adeje
San-Hô	Costa Adeje
La Hierbita	Santa Cruz de Tenerife
El Taller Seve Díaz	Puerto de la Cruz
La Bola de Jorge Bosch	Tegueste

Local tip: my personal favourite is Casa Chano in Guamasa: go in the morning for one of their sandwiches, especially the bocadillo de pata. For the best fresh fish, I go to the fishermen’s restaurant, the Cofradía, in Punta del Hidalgo, where I grew up. Guachinches are informal and some only take cash, so go at lunchtime and order what the locals at the next table are eating.

Gran Canaria

Restaurant	Where
La Casa Romántica	Agaete
Los Guayres	Mogán
La Aquarela	Patalavaca
Poemas by Hermanos Padrón	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Muxgo	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
El Equilibrista 33	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Deliciosa Marta	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Casa Brito	Arucas
El Senador	Maspalomas

Local tip: combine La Casa Romántica with a drive through the green Valle de Agaete, one of the prettiest corners of the island.

Lanzarote

Restaurant	Where
El Risco	Caleta de Famara
Kamezí	Playa Blanca
Palacio Ico	Teguise
Bodega de Uga	Uga
Lilium	Arrecife
La Tegala	Mácher
El Guachinche de Luis	Teguise
Casa Tino	Arrieta
La Cascada del Puerto	Puerto del Carmen
Teleclub de Tao	Tao

Local tip: El Risco sits right on the seafront in Caleta de Famara, looking out over the beach and the Famara cliffs. Go for lunch to enjoy the view.

Fuerteventura

Restaurant	Where
Casa Santa María	Betancuria
Casa Marcos	Villaverde
El Horno	Villaverde
El Pellizco by Rigoberto Almeida	Costa Calma
La Jaira de Demian	Puerto del Rosario
La Puipana	Puerto del Rosario
Marabú	Morro Jable
La Bodega de Jandía	Morro Jable
Casa Toño	El Cotillo
La Vaca Azul	El Cotillo

Local tip: while you are in Fuerteventura, try the local Majorero goat’s cheese.

La Palma

Restaurant	Where
Chipi Chipi	Santa Cruz de La Palma
Tasca Luis	Santa Cruz de La Palma
El Sitio	Tazacorte
El Jardín de la Sal	Fuencaliente
La Casa del Volcán	Fuencaliente
Casa Munda	Breña Alta
El Duende del Fuego	Los Llanos de Aridane
La Cascada	Los Llanos de Aridane
Asador El Campesino	Barlovento
Pino de la Virgen	Puntagorda

La Gomera

Restaurant	Where
Casa Efigenia	Las Hayas
Los Telares	Hermigua
Paraíso del Mar	Valle Gran Rey
La Salsa	Valle Gran Rey
Restaurante Inta	San Sebastián de La Gomera
Caprichos de La Gomera	San Sebastián de La Gomera
El Faro	Playa de Santiago
La Vieja Escuela	Vallehermoso
Restaurante Laguna Grande	Laguna Grande, Garajonay
Mirador de Abrante	Agulo

Local tip: Casa Efigenia and Laguna Grande are close to Garajonay National Park, so they are perfect after a walk in the forest.

El Hierro

Restaurant	Where
El Refugio	La Restinga
Casa Juan	La Restinga
El Meridiano	La Restinga
La Maceta	Frontera
La Higuera de la Abuela	Frontera
8Aborigen	El Hierro
Mirador de La Peña	Guarazoca
La Pasada	Valverde
Mesón Jarera	Valverde
La Bodeguita de Fa	El Pinar

Local tip: the restaurants in La Restinga are the place for fresh fish after a dive or a swim.

La Graciosa

Restaurant	Where
Casa Enriqueta	Caleta de Sebo
El Girasol	Caleta de Sebo
El Varadero	Caleta de Sebo

Local tip: if you visit La Graciosa on a day trip, check the time of your return ferry before you sit down for a long lunch.

Before you go

• Check opening days: many family restaurants and guachinches close one or two days a week, and some close for holidays.
• Book at weekends: popular places fill up with local families, especially for Sunday lunch.
• Bring some cash: especially for guachinches and small village places.
• Eat at local times: lunch from about 1:30 pm and dinner from about 8:30 pm.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best restaurant in Tenerife?

For a real local experience, Guachinche Ramón in La Orotava. For a special dinner in the south, El Rincón de Juan Carlos in Adeje.

What is a guachinche?

A simple, family-run place in the north of Tenerife that serves its own wine with a short menu of home cooking. It is one of the most authentic ways to eat on the island. Read more in my Canary Islands food guide.

Restaurants change owners, menus and opening hours. Check before you go.