We went with part of our team on holidays in Teneriffa to get to know this island where we also provide sea tours. While “testing” some of our partners’ activities around Tenerife, we got to learn a lot of “inside” information about the island. Some tips where of course about the best restaurants in Teneriffa. So, every day we had some new local restaurants in Tenerife to check out. We decided to share our favourite spots. Be aware that we’re a fan of authentic, basic and good food, no luxury or fancy places.
This is our top 4 of the best local restaurants in Tenerife
1. El Cine – Los Cristianos
This restaurant had been recommended to us by one of our colleagues who had already visited the island before. Located in the touristy Los Cristianos, we were not full of expectations as we usually prefer more local restaurants in Tenerife. After walking a bit as we could not find the spot, we asked for directions to some people and they told us it was just around the corner but hidden behind the pharmacy. We then immediately found this literally “hidden” gem. We arrived around 13h30 and the mini restaurants with only seats outdoor, on a terrace, was packed. Fortunately, a table became free quickly.
El Cine is a fish restaurant, with both grilled and fried options. For the non-fish-fans, there are chicken wings, or eggs, which are a speciality too. We ordered some dishes to share and it was perfectly enough. We were 5 and ordered 4 dishes (fish of the day, grilled sardines, clamares – a huge fried squid – and chicken) with 2 portions of Canarian potatoes and two portions of salad. We were all fan of the calamares that was already recommended to us by Federico, the skipper of the sailing tour we had done the day before. The Canarian potatoes with the local red and green sauces (mojo) are incredible and the salad made out of tomato and onions was surely one of the simplest but most tasteful ones we ever had.
We’re sure this is one of the best local restaurants in Tenerife and will definitely come back if we’re visiting the island again.
The price we paid per person: 12€
2. Casa de Fernando – Playa de las Teresitas (San Andrés)
Casa de Fernando, is more a snack bar rather than a restaurant. It’s got a bar and only a 3-4 tables for 3/3 people each. This spot was recommended to us by Cao, our guide of the walking and kayak tour we did. Casa de Fernando is located near Playa de las Teresitas, one of the few white sanded beaches of the island. From there, we have very nice SUP and kayak tours. Be aware that on Google Maps, the name of the restaurant is slightly different: Bar Los Churritos.
As Cao, the kayak tour guide, said, at this snack bar, we should eat stewed octopus and mini fried squids (“Chopitos”) with Canarian potatoes (papas arrugadas) and “mojo”. We did not try the typical “Churros de Pescado” but will come back one day! Accompanied by some cold beer, this was just what we longed for after the kayak tour. We’re used to delicious Portuguese seafood, but we must admit this octopus and squids were incredibly fresh and well done. We strongly recommend this spot for a truly local experience.
The price we paid per person: 8€
3. Restaurant in the Anaga Mountains – Casa Nene
After our beautiful 3 hour hike in the Anaga Mountains in North Tenerife, Cao, the guide, took us for a typical lunch at a restaurant. We’re sure this is one of the most authentic local restaurants in Tenerife. The place is basically a garage turned into a restaurant. It’s quite a drive, but we totally recommend it as the food experience is unique and the drive is stunning. You’ll park on a lot with chicken walking around you.
To eat, we followed Cao’s suggestions and we had bread and local white goat cheese to start. We were drinking a very local red wine, rather fruity. After the cheese, we had a funny kind of dough made out of vegetables, grain flour and meat stock, called “Escaldón de Gofio”. This is eaten with a red sauce and raw onion. Half of the groups loved it, the other not so much… The main course was Puchero, a very local stew with beef and a lot of veggies, like sweet potato, normal potato, corn, cabbage, courgette and pumpkin. We all liked this dish and it reminded us of the Portuguese “cozido”. For desert, we accepted the suggestion of the local “sweet coffee” – Barraquito. Basically, it’s coffee with milk with condensed milk and a local liquor. It reminded us of a mini Irish coffee. Very sweet, but recommended too.
You can visit this restaurant on your own, but we actually suggest to go for a hike in the mountains with Cao before, the get the full experience, like we did.
The price we paid per person: 7,50€
4. Manfred´s soul cafe – El Médano
This town was recommended to us by Federico, the skipper of the sailing tour we did in Puerto de Colón. He said El Médano was like a cooler and layback town with a stunning beach and many small tapa bars on squares and along the beach with incredible views. As soon as we entered this town, we felt the vibe Federico was talking about. We were all immediately a fan of El Médano. As it was around 19h30, we decided to walk a bit around and look for a nice spot for some tapas. That’s when we ran into Manfred, a cool informal bar with a nice terrace with a view over the bay. While enjoying some reggae music, we ordered a jar of Sangria, the speciality of the house. We ended up ordering another one as it was indeed delicious. For tapas to share, we finally tried two local kinds of cheese we heard about: Almogrote Picantón and fresh grilled goat cheese with Tenerife honey and marmalade. Both were served with bread and a true taste explosion. The Almogrote Picantón is like a more mature minced cheese to spread on bread. On top of that, we had some Albondigas, nachos with guacamole and olives.
The price we paid per person: 12€
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Let us know if you’ve got any more tips to share or if you’ve got additional feedback about these local restaurants in Teneriffa. Buen provecho!
