11 Best Restaurants in Canary Islands, Spain

A five-minute drive from the Casa del Vino, in the township of El Sauzal, you'll find this award-winning winery and restaurant perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean. After a lunch of crackly pulled (local heritage-breed cochino negro) pork and roasted potatoes, waddle over to the bodega for a tour and tasting, and if you're looking for a gluggable souvenir, snap up a bottle of the tintilla, a smoky, complex red aged in French oak barrels that's nearly impossible to find in shops.

One of the Canaries' few great specialty coffee shops (think single-origin beans, seasoned baristas, and Chemex pour-overs), Caracolillo, opened in 2021, is a trendy hangout in the Centro district. 

Freshly dug baby potatoes with mole sauce, tempura octopus with aerated spirulina, smoked salmon aguachile with green apple ice cream—these are a few of the palate-bending dishes you'll find on the menu at El Santo, one of Gran Canaria's most exciting fusion spots. Rustic stone walls give the restaurant an intimate, relaxed feel, while the white tablecloths and professional waiters make it feel like a special occasion.

Shaded by a splendid ficus that keeps the terraza cool in the midday heat, La Bodega de Santiago is worth going out of your way to visit. The traditional Canarian menu is exquisite, integrating meats and produce from the surrounding farms and complementing dishes with island wines. The rosemary-scented kid goat is memorable, as are the freshly pounded mojos and stewed garbanzos (chickpeas). Call ahead to book a patio table.

On a hill overlooking the port, this small family-run restaurant is all about the catch of the day (try the barracuda if available), served either fried or grilled and always accompanied by papas arrugadas. Arroz caldoso con bogavante (soupy rice with lobster) is another highlight. Try to score a table on the outdoor terrace, where you can watch the boats ply across the harbor; inside, eclectic family artworks are on display.

Expertly grilled fish and fried seafood lure crowds night after night to this open-air restaurant steps from the beach. Let the chatty waitstaff talk you through the extensive, well-priced menu, which runs the gamut from morena frita (crisp-fried eel) to alfonsino (a delectable red-skinned fish) to escaldón, a hearty gofio (toasted grain) porridge made with fish stock and topped with mojo.

In the small town of Villaverde, halfway between Puerto del Rosario and Corralejo, is one of the island's best-kept culinary secrets. At this small restaurant, Canarian dishes are served family style in the center of the table. Favorites include huevos amarrados (literally "tied-up eggs," but really half-boiled eggs with fries and spicy sausage) and paprika-dusted fried octopus with potatoes.

Of all the seafood restaurants in the tiny hamlet of El Golfo, this harborside standby stands out for its ultrafresh fish and homemade Canarian dishes. Order the parrillada de marisco, or grilled seafood platter, for a sampling of local fish (the barracuda is consistently exceptional), calamari, and fried shellfish, all of which soar to new heights when dunked in cilantro-packed mojo verde.

To fully grasp the potential of Canarian cuisine, book a table at this white-tablecloth standby that coaxes market ingredients—such as patudo (bigeye) tuna, black potatoes, and local heirloom tomatoes—into flawless, modern preparations like tataki (lightly seared), ensaladilla rusa (salade Olivier), and vinaigrette, respectively. The prix-fixe lunch and more elaborate menú de degustación (tasting menu) are fantastic values, as are the bottles of Tenerife wine.

Figurines of the Virgin Mary and other religious paraphernalia line the walls of this eclectic tavern with low ceilings and a cozy, countrified feel. Hand-cut jamón (ham) and runny-in-the-center tortillas make wonderful appetizers; save room for the conejo en salmorejo (roast rabbit in a paprika-garlic sauce) and homemade desserts.