The 21 best restaurants in Tenerife
Traditional Canarian cuisine has been twisted beyond recognition, fused with flavours from around the world, and is presented with artistic flamboyance. Global gastronomy now rules the roost in historic towns and cities, and even the old-school places have sharpened up to keep in line with the rising tide of quality across the board.
All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best restaurants in Tenerife. Find out more below, or for more Tenerife inspiration, see our guides to the island's best hotels, bars and nightlife and attractions.
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Best all-rounders
Tasca Ihüey
Finding a traditional Canarian restaurant that offers something a little bit different is a challenge in Tenerife, but the trendy Tasca Ihüey is such a gem. Claudio and Melisa, the owners, don't just present their passion for Tenerife in the food they produce, but also in the local wines, the Canarian lace napkins and crockery commissioned from island artisans. Try the rabbit pate and the delicate duck breast followed by the sweet potato with cinnamon and ginger ice cream.
Area: Puerto de la Cruz
Website: ihueytasca.es
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Crater
Part fine dining and part edible cultural lesson, this tasting-menu-only restaurant themes its gastronomy around one of the eight Canary Islands at a time. Each dish is accompanied by a tale about how the ingredients are representative of a part of Canarian life and heritage. Look out for the wreckfish with seaweed and green peppers, and leave room for the Canarian cheese trolley paired with sweet wine and local honey.
La Hierbita
Set in a supposedly haunted, 19th-century mansion in the old quarter of Santa Cruz, La Hierbita gives the impression of dining on a ship, partly because of the nautical-themed décor and aged, wood furnishings, but also because of the creaky, uneven floors. If it's traditional Canarian, it's on the menu. The Hierbita Pulpo (octopus) is a definite must. There's a terrace on the pedestrian street or reserve the upstairs balcony table for grandstand people watching.
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Best for families
Hard Rock Café
The famous franchise brings a blast of Vegas vibe to the Golden Mile street in Playa de las Américas with live nightly bands, and music memorabilia covering the walls. Think Classic American, big and bold burgers, ribs and steaks. Kids' menus, performers and the array of rock 'n' roll décor make this a sensory playground for young diners. Try the Tupelo Chicken Tenders, and a Hurricane cocktail complete with souvenir glass.
Area: Playa de Las Américas
Website: cafe.hardrock.com/Tenerife
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
El Monasterio
A former monastery turned gastro-gathering of traditional restaurants on a sprawling hillside overlooking Los Realejos. The four distinct eateries serve a range of food from paella to flaming sausages. All look like something out of a medieval film set, and while white-shirted waiters roam the dining rooms, peacocks parade through the leafy grounds and cloistered courtyards. Don't miss a visit to the cave winery.
Bianco
This contemporary Italian restaurant has reigned for several years now as the in-vogue dining venue in the heart of downtown Playa de Las Américas. The funky styling is as attractive as the catwalk-ready staff. Even the food is good-looking, especially the truffle linguine with pecorino cheese. Evening meals come with a side order of soft serenading by an island singer. Ask for a street-view table on the terrace if you want to watch the world go by along the resort's Golden Mile.
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Best for cheap eats
Las Goteras
There are three reasons why both locals and visitors are drawn from all over the south to this unassuming rustic restaurant in a hillside town – meat, meat and more meat. Fillet steaks as big as a boxer's fist are arguably the best on the island, while the barbecued chicken, flaming sausage platter, and giant pork chops give any Canarian restaurant a run for their money. Like the decor, the house wine is down to-earth, and in my mind is best avoided.
Area: Tejina de Isora
Contact: 00 34 922 857 056
Prices: £
Reservations: Recommended (especially at weekends)
La Bodeguita de Enfrente
If you're looking for downright traditional in a chocolate box setting, book a table at this cutesy hobbit-like cottage on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz. This family-run restaurant serves all the Canarian stalwarts along with a few spins on the island's originals, including guinea fowl in salmoreja. Although the food is fabulous, the friendliness and setting are the real draw.
Oasis
This simple roadside eatery serves the locally famous 'Adeje chicken', a secret recipe of crispy thighs and drumsticks in garlic and mojo sauce. It's by no means the biggest or most well-known restaurant specialising in this dish, but it's one of the most authentic. Pavement tables slope precariously, the wine is served in earthenware jugs, and the menu is limited to two choices – Adeje chicken or go somewhere else.
Area: Adeje
Contact: 00 34 922 780 827
Prices: £
Reservations: Recommended
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Best for fine dining
El Rincon de Juan Carlos
This 2-star Michelin restaurant lies in the new foodie capital of the south, La Caleta. Choosing your meal is easy when you only have one option - the tasting menu (not suitable for vegetarians, nor those intolerant of lactose, seafood or shellfish). A seemingly never-ending succession of tantalising teasers provides teeny works of art in their own right. There's a definite seafood slant, but meat makes an appearance too in dishes such as pigeon, and Canarian black pudding.
Char
If meat is your thing, Char is perhaps the most stylish grill house on the island that will satisfy your carnivorous cravings. While the interior is trendy and the staff are young, their aged cuts are cooked primitive-style over glowing embers by young Senegalese chef, Babacar Fall. Wagyu and other premium meats dominate the menu, but the buttered King crab leg with cava cream should definitely not be overlooked.
Troqué
A chic and cheerful bistro in oceanfront La Caleta that oozes style. The food has a Spanish slant and covers the whole gamut of food choices from grilled lamb chops in garlic herbs to bluefin tuna belly and creamy lobster broth. The service is exceptional, and for this diner, the garlic prawn croquettes and the Sorlut oysters are a shoo-in for starters. The wine menu is extensive, featuring some of the island's finest.
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Best for walk-ins
Flashpoint
This beachfront shack in El Médano started life as a drop-in watering hole for the watersports set. Still popular with the wind- and kite-surfers, it has now become a go-to bar and snack joint for the young at heart. Their fresh fruit and granola bowls light up the breakfast menu, while burgers, huge salads, and picky bits provide sustenance for those who want to hang out with the cool kids and watch the windsurfers.
Area: El Médano
Contact: 0034 922 176 111; facebook.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Asador La Camella
Another paradise for meat lovers, this steakhouse lies slightly off the beaten path in La Camella, 5 minutes' drive from Los Cristianos. The vast interior – decorated with cattle artefacts, including trophy heads – all but guarantees walk-ins will be seated straight away. Before you delve into the dry-aged ribeye and Wagyu, try the wafer-thin slices of Iberian ham with a fruity glass of something local.
The Vault
A class up from you typical, British bar and bistro in Tenerife, The Vault Bar is dressed in shiny brass, lacquered wood and carries the velvet swagger of industrial-chic. In addition to a range of craft beers, the menu concentrates on Tex-Mex, burgers and steaks. A children's menu and super-friendly staff make families welcome, and nightly live bands play music for all generations. Their 'buy me a drink' service allows friends and family back home to order a round straight to your table.
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Best for views
Las Estrellas
While the grilled meats are as pleasant as in any other low-key tapas bar on the island, it's the views, not the food, that makes hikers, bikers and drive-by day-trippers turn off the tree-lined road on their way to Teide National Park. From the terrace, the panorama of pine forest and coastline is monumental, three neighbouring islands providing a trio of proverbial cherries on the cake.
Area: Guía de Isora
Contact: 0034 922 850 906; facebook.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins
Sauco
Although there's a cosy interior at this trendy, Italian-leaning restaurant, it would be silly to sit inside and miss out on the spectacle of waves frothing over the rocks below, so plonk yourself at a promenade table. The Valencian paella is always worth a punt, but the creamy seafood linguine made with homemade pasta is understandably a perennial favourite. Lunchtime is the best time to linger with a glass of dry white by your side.
Restaurante El Timón
As one of the very few Tenerife restaurants perched over the ocean, the clutch of balcony tables at this tiny, family-run eatery are the hottest tickets in town. El Timón serves simple seafood dishes inside, on the covered roof deck, and at the aforementioned balcony tables. One word of warning though – when the tide is in and the waves are choppy, you won't need to season your food, the ocean will do that for you.
Area: El Médano
Contact: 0034 613 773 128
Prices: £
Reservations: Recommended
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Best for seafood
La Vieja
There are plenty of fish restaurants in cutesy La Caleta village, but La Vieja is certainly the most venerable, and the priciest. So what extra bang for your buck do you get here? Beautiful bay views from an elegant interior, for a start. Both the wine and food menus are huge, the latter featuring a colourful regatta of both sea and land-based dishes. The shared sea bass in a salt crust always elicits communal 'wows'.
Abordo
Abordo, a beachfront fixture for over three decades, reels in locals and holidaymakers with fresh-caught seafood and the salty swagger of affable fishing boat captain and owner, José Luis. The rustic, maritime interior and a buzzing pavement terrace contribute to its popularity as much as their renowned paella and sangria, while the mixed shellfish dish is astounding both in quantity and quality.
Area: Los Cristianos
Website: restauranteabordo.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Agua y Sal
Facing the ocean in the west coast fishing village of Playa San Juan, dining at Agua y Sal is one of those amazing, messy and noisy affairs that the Canarians do so well. There are no pretences, just an amazing seafood counter where you take your pick, take your seat, and keep fresh seafood dishes coming until you can face no more. The spaghetti marinera is the best on the island.
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How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
About our expert
Joe Cawley
I live in the Canarian hills with my family and other wildlife. I moved here from Bolton in 1991, when, for want of anything else to do, I bought a bar and restaurant before becoming a full-time author and travel writer. I loses no sleep over this decision.
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