A tour of some of the tastiest tables on the islands. Those that have managed to remain open despite the terrible weight of the pandemic
These are not easy times for the hospitality industry, but we are reluctant to throw in the towel. For those who have managed to reach any of the islands, we have prepared this list of restaurants to savor the Canaries. From the hand of Javier Suárez, gastronomic informant trained at the GastroActitud school, who develops his professional work in the Canarias newspaper Now we visit 12 restaurants in the Canary Islands, which you may not know.
El Hierro. La Restinga s/n Telephone 625.587.193
We start the trip on the island of El Hierro, so fashionable because of the television series, and we travel to La Restinga. There a decade ago they already lived a confinement because of the submarine volcano that emerged right in the area known as the "Mar de las Calmas". In the hands of the chef Arabisén Quintero and the head waiter Lorena Machín, a married couple in real and professional life, diners can enjoy the marine pantry of the archipelago. In these months the king of the Canary coasts is the wild Bluefin Tuna, but there are other species such as the viejas, the fula de altura, the red crab, or the grouper that deserve attention.
Among all the dishes prepared at Casa Juan, Lorena's fish soup stands out, a family recipe from previous generations that is made over low heat for 12 hours with fish bones, crab, limpets and a final touch of rice, it is perhaps the best fish soup I have ever tasted. Although fried soldier shrimp, as Ángel León taught him to do three years ago, is a very serious thing.
La Palma. Fuencaliente lighthouse. Telephone 922.979.800
La Palma is known as “the beautiful island” due to the lushness of its forests crisscrossed by long trails that captivate tourists from all over the world. At the end of one of those long walks you arrive at the Fuencaliente Lighthouse, with the imposing Atlantic Ocean crowning the view.
There is one of the most renowned salt flats in the Canary Islands and home to the restaurant that takes its name from it, El Jardin de la Sal. Stroll through the salt flats with Andrés to finish at the dining room enjoying the cuisine of Juan Carlos Curpa turn what is a special day into an unforgettable one. In his proposal there is never a lack of marine flavor, nods to the palmera cow that is producing such good meat and the touch of salt that surrounds everything. Do not forget to finish the meal with a "barraquito", a coffee-based drink that may surprise you. Souvenir lovers should not fail to stop by the store to take, even if it is only a handful of salt.
Image by Facundo Cabrera
La Palma. Plaza Elias Santos Abreu 2, Los Llanos de Aridane. Telephone 922.40.10.02
Pedro Hernández may be one of the most radical and surprising chefs in the Canary Islands. His cooking style, inimitable and unique, like his menu, is characterized by a firm and determined commitment to local producers. 90% of the ingredients are purchased within a 20-kilometre radius.
Obsessed with the little details, he makes his own sourdough bread daily and would almost say it's worth crossing the island to sit at his table. The list of his iconic dishes is headed by the osso buco, a stew with an absolutely delicious sauce, which is hard to forget.
La Gomera. Plaza de la Constitución 14. Telephone 626.223.301
La Gomera is one of the most unknown islands for the peninsular, even for the canaries themselves. But its gastronomy is full of roots and truth. At one time, a Gran Canarian emigrated to the island, Ancor Sánchez, to raise his dream in the form of a restaurant and La Salamandra Gastrobar was born. The name anticipates the culinary proposal well because the salamander needs a profound transformation to live. That is what Ancor does with local produce: transform it into great dishes without losing its origin and essence. A changing kitchen, which follows the rhythm of the season, with dishes that never fail such as smoked wahoo, fish caught on the islands, or fried kid or in sauce.
Tenerife. The lagoon. Elena Volcano 9. Telephone 922.310.355
Braulio Simancas is synonymous with roots, canarity, authenticity and a lot of work in the kitchen. After many years dedicated to haute cuisine, he decided to return to the place he owned, located in a small industrial estate in the city of La Laguna. Although it may seem like a contradiction, one of the best kitchens on the islands is hidden in this modest place.
There, Braulio has become “more Canarian than ever” as he likes to define himself. Defender of the product of the entire archipelago with a management that borders on mastery in boiled Canarian mojos, whoever tries them does not forget it. His other passion in the kitchen is cheese and for this reason he has not stopped until he fulfilled his dream in the form of his own cheese cellar, where apart from caring for and pampering the best and most artisan pieces from all over the archipelago, he has dared to mature the their own. You shouldn't leave without trying the male octopus in vinegar and bonita potato.
Tenerife Santa Cruz. Plaza Ireneo González Telephone 922.299.162
In charge of this singular gastronomic space, a journalist turned cook or I would rather say that she is someone who has decided to be happy and fight for her dream, her name, Cris Hernández. If you ask her to describe Sabela, she is is his answer: “Sabela is a different place in the culinary sphere of Santa Cruz. It could be a tapas bar, a wine bar, a gourmet shop, a cafeteria or a restaurant... It's a bit of all of that at the same time».
An honest place, with no pretension other than the quality of the products they offer and where you know that whatever you order will be delicious: healthy bowls, salmon, laterío... Breakfasts and brunches, both to eat on the premises and to deliver at home. And the certainty that they take care of everything to the maximum, down to the smallest detail.
Gran Canaria. Tejeda Avenida de los almendreros 25. Phone 928.666.677
Borja Marrero unites around himself the figure of the chef, farmer and rancher, because all of that is Texeda, perhaps the strongest KM0 project in the Canary Islands. After a journey that took him to Ramón Freixa's kitchen or to distant Mexico, where he worked for a while, he returned to the town of his childhood with the firm proposal of positioning it on the gastronomic map for the most gourmets.
More than 80% of the ingredients that make up their dishes come from their land and animals. Everything except fishing because Tejeda, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, is at the highest point of the island, it has no sea. His letter changes every two weeks. pure temporality. Although ropa vieja is still on the menu, it is their flagship dish for a reason. Always restless, he is involved with various projects of his own: making artisan cheeses and an ice cream parlor that has become a sensation on the island.
Gran Canaria, Galdar. Andamana number 5. Telephone 928.897.254
A few meters from the Church of Santiago de los Caballeros in Gáldar, which also celebrates 2021 as a Xacobeo year twinned with Galicia, we find this small place with more than 100 years of existence and that has lived through everything, always giving public service. It was an oil and vinegar store, it became a village bar and today it is a restaurant that preserves a halo of history within its four walls where Carmelo in the kitchen and Nereida in the dining room entertain the diner as was done in Canarian village houses long ago. years, making him feel part of the family.
I could tell you not to forget this or that dish, they all start from the Canarian recipe book, but if a dish defines this house because of everything it has inside, it is its seasoned tomatoes, from its garden, one of the few from the area to which its irrigation point with seawater gives it a unique flavor. Another specialty is "papas al peloton", an old recipe that combines the tuber with vegetables and ham, ideal for feeding large families. Simpler, impossible.
Fuerteventura. Villaverde. Calle Los Geranios 10. Telephone 928.176.704
Fuerteventura struggles little by little to open a gap when it comes to having its own gastronomic space of interest to visitors. The work of Marcos Gutiérrez stands out in the restaurant that bears his name, anchored in a small rural hotel with five rooms in an area in the interior of the island, but well connected to the El Cotillo or Corralejo beaches. Marcos cooks with large perolas (calderos), using goat as the main ingredient in some of his dishes, since it is, together with cheese, the most typical ingredient on the Majorera island. Stewed in the traditional way it is delicious, but it is also worth trying the cecina and ham. The garden grows year after year, as does the recipe book that starts from the Canarian traditions of yesterday and is projected towards tomorrow.
Lanzarote, Playa Blanca. Maritime avenue of Playa Blanca, 97. Telephone 928.517.206
My first gastronomic memory of Lanzarote takes me to Brisa Marina, a restaurant that is more than 25 years old and whose owner, Juan el Majorero, is an institution on the island. Right where the waves of the sea hit, one can spend hours eating the freshest fish, the tastiest rice (the lobster one is excellent) and a list of specialties where the quality of the raw material makes the difference: limpets, for example.No It is a restaurant for tourists like many others on our coasts (insular and peninsular) although due to its features it can be confused. An essential visit, especially in bluefin tuna season, to try the tartar with an octopus carpaccio at the base.
Lanzarote, Yaiza. Montañas del Fuego 27. Telephone 928.836.204
A house with history where there are any on the island, sons of the first innkeepers who brought chick peas, cheese and wine to tourists who visited the Montaña del Fuego in the municipality of Yaiza and whose immovable dish, chick peas has been making more 60 years in the village church bar, but also here.
Its terrace is covered, like the only umbrella, by a tree that is more than 50 years old that provides shade and shelter to the diner. But inside the rooms, the Canarian culture is palpable, from floor to ceiling. In La Bodega de Santiago you will eat, in a big way and with time ahead. The menu varies according to the season and beware! it is one of the few places where you can try local vegetables. They also prepare the famous black pig, raised in the Uga farm.
Lanzarote. Famara Beach Montaña Clara 30 Telephone 928.528.550
We finished this trip through the Canary Islands without crossing to La Graciosa, but almost, because El Risco is a restaurant that we could say lives between two waters such as the land of Lanzarote and the graciosero seabed. It is not on the way, you have to go on purpose. But people go, go if they go. An islander can eat at the next table and a former president of the government or a film director at the other. Among the essentials, the prawns from La Santa (local area), its octopus and pork ropavieja, the fresh fish of the day, but above all there is one that drives everyone who tries it crazy, the morena chips, undoubtedly the best of the entire Canary Islands and their secret... when they visit it they will tell you.
