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Canarian cuisine is based on the delicious rockfish that abound near the coast, and its specialties are worth searching out. A typical meal begins with a hearty stew, such as potaje canario (a stew of vegetables, potatoes, and garbanzo beans), rancho canario (vegetables and meat), and potaje de berros (watercress soup). Canarians eat the porridge-like gofio (made with corn or another grain and milk or broth), though it's hard to find in restaurants. The next course is fresh native fish, the best of which are vieja, cherne, and sama, all firm-flesh white rockfish. Accompanying the fish are papas arrugadas (literally, "wrinkled potatoes"), tiny potatoes native to the Canaries boiled in salty water so that salt crystals form on them as they dry.
Other specialties include cabrito (roast baby goat) and conejo (rabbit), both served in salmorejo, a slightly spicy paprika sauce. Finally, no Canarian meal is complete without a dab of mojo picón, a spicy sauce made with pimientos (red chili peppers), garlic, and tomatoes. Most restaurants serve mojo with each main course, and Canarians heap it liberally on dishes as varied as fish and papas arrugadas. The tamer version is mojo verde,made with cilantro and parsley. Another island specialty is goat cheese, made best in La Palma.
Canarian wines are surprisingly good and varied. Try the young reds and whites on Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, where wine production is centuries old—the Malmsey wines from Lanzarote were a favorite with Shakespeare's Falstaff. On the stronger side, the Canaries are famous for their dark rum, and several new liqueurs (flavored with coffee, cocoa, or hazelnut) have grown in popularity over the last few years.
The best of French cuisine fuses with Canarian and Spanish touches at this sophisticated venue in the Jardines de Nivaria Hotel. Dine inside under chandeliers and in classic French style or outside on the pleasant terrace. The chef, Spanish-born Rubén Cabrera, cut his teeth at Arzak and Mugaritz and creates seasonal menus hinging on whatever's at the market; there's also a tasting menu. No shorts or sandals allowed.
Behind the Atlantic Sol shopping mall, this well-established restaurant is one of the oldest in town and has been under the same management since 1989. As you might expect from the name, its interior has wooden furniture, beamed ceilings, and cozy lighting. House specialties include paella, goat stew, and steak. Book ahead or arrive early to shore up a table.
Cheap and cheerful sums up this small bar-restaurant at the north end of Maspalomas. It's usually packed with locals, who flock here for good and inexpensive Spanish classics, including revuelto de papas con jamón serrano (scrambled eggs with potatoes and Iberian ham) and bacalao con tomate (cod in tomato sauce), and tapas. The daily set menu, which has two courses, is about €10. Expect generous portions, and if you want to be sure to get in, arrive early—before 2 pm for lunch and before 9 for dinner.
A few minutes’ drive from Costa Adeje lies this oceanfront restaurant overlooking the quaint harbor of La Caleta. Watch the sun set over La Gomera island while you savor fresh local fish and shellfish and Tenerife wines. Specialties on the menu include seared cherne negro (black wreckfish) and lomo de bacalao (cod with piquillo pepper sauce).
Los Pinchitos is one of those dying-breed of restaurants where you can eat your fill of pristine seafood without maxing out your credit card. Settle in for a leisurely no-frills feast of octopus, scallops, squid, and whatever other sea creatures were hauled up onto the pier that morning, and wash it all down with a carafe of good house wine.
Creative cooking with Canarian roots is the philosophy behind the dishes at this 10-table restaurant east of the San Ginés lagoon. In the white-tablecloth, blue-walled dining room—or, if you're lucky, on the outdoor terrace—feast on creamy croquetas with a variety of fillings and local fish spooned with nontraditional sauces.
Seafood lovers, look no further: This Galician restaurant serves some of the most pristine fish and shellfish on the island, from rape a la marinera (monkfish cooked in wine and garlic) and zarzuela de pescado y marisco (fish and seafood stew) to various rice dishes such as paella. It's a well-established favorite with islanders—many travel all the way here from Las Palmas just for dinner. It's been run by the same Galician family since 1986 that also owns Las Rías, in Meloneras, to the west of Maspalomas.
Opposite the Iberostar Grand Mencey, this tiny no-frills bar serves simple Canarian cuisine—think grilled sardines and tomato-avocado salads—in abundant portions at reasonable prices. The dining room has a beamed ceiling, low wooden stools, and barrels for tables—perfect for a quick bite but perhaps not ideal for lingering.
Just below the cathedral square is one of the island's best bars for beer and tapas. In a casual dining room with high ceilings and wooden chairs, chow down on unusual tapas like nachos with eggplant and ginger sauce and spinach-and-walnut croquettes. There are indoor and outdoor tables and usually live music on Thursday.
Those in the know come here for typical Canarian food, especially the local dayboat fish. The best tables are outside on the pedestrian street, a couple of blocks behind the port, but the interior’s cheap and cheerful wooden tables and fishing nets are nearly as charming. There’s a good-value prix fixe, and fish comes grilled with a side of papas arrugadas.
A magnet for vegetarians and vegans, this restaurant has retro decor and a pleasant, shady terrace. Specialties include vegetable woks with tofu, vegan meatballs, and healthy organic breakfasts. There's a great-value daily lunch menu (€12) and soy milk shakes and gluten-free cakes for afternoon tea; brunch, served on weekends, is also popular.
Students, families, and penny-pinching travelers flock to this no-frills juice bar that's famous for its colorful smoothies (made with local fruit), club sandwiches, and filling platos combinados (lunch and dinner combos) served with fries and salad.
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