The 11 best restaurants in Tenerife

Long gone are the times when Tenerife tourism was only associated with familiar fodder listed on laminated menus. That food is still available for those looking for home comforts, but tastes in Tenerife have changed, and so has the quality on offer. These days creative Canarian is the dish of the day, with no less than six Michelin-stars awarded to restaurants dotted around these shores and award-winning chefs from far afield joining the burgeoning foodie scene. There are still the traditional, family-run restaurants sticking to granny’s tried and tested menus, but because of the stratospheric rise in general quality, even these quaint finds have had to raise their game.

For more Tenerife inspiration, see our guides for hotels, bars and nightlife and attractions.

This contemporary Italian restaurant has reigned for several years now as the in-vogue dining venue in the heart of downtown Playa de las Americas. The funky styling is as attractive as the catwalk-ready staff, with a ceiling of flowers looping over a white, gold and marble interior. Even the food is good-looking, especially the truffle linguine with pecorino cheese. Evening meals come with a side order of soft serenades 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.

Contact: 00 34 922 788 697; biancorestauranttenerife.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

One word. Meat. But not just any meat. The Bank is a sauve steakhouse priding itself on serving the best of the best of aged premium cuts such as Angus Porterhouse and Tomahawk. They also do oysters, crab and lobster but seafood is not why you’d drag your salivating chops here; this is steak country with a conservative New England vibe. For the full American east coast experience, allow time to stool-perch in their classy Bullion bar and bag yourself a freshly shaken cocktail. Brunch is a good time to try out the terrace.

Contact: thebanksteakhousetenerife.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Highly recommended

If you love a fling with the French, this cosy but elegant eatery between Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos provides plenty to amuse your bouche. Homemade pate with fig jam, carpaccio of duck breast and liver shavings, and rack of lamb in truffle juice were some of our favourite French fancies on the night. Weekdays see an ever-changing menu du jour featuring regular appearances of frogs’ legs and escargots. Although there’s a pavement terrace, we’d recommend a table indoors as it can get noisy roadside.

Contact: le-comptoir-de-damien.business.site
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

There are plenty of fish restaurants in cutesy La Caleta village but La Vieja is certainly the most venerable – and probably 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 usually elicits stereo ‘wows’, while the monkfish marinara is also a popular pair-pleaser.

Contact: 00 34 922 711 548; restaurantelavieja.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended

With a Michelin star under its belt, this Peruvian/Japanese fusion restaurant in the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort doesn’t just provide fantastic Nikkei food, it offers an education. Every dish is artistically presented in modern, airy surroundings, and is accompanied by both culinary and historical insights. It might sound pretentious but be assured, it’s not. Prepare to be surprised, not just by the laid-back vibe, but also by the bombardment of unusual pairings such as a dry vodka martini with wasabi, and local fish on a bed of yucca mash.

Contact: gastrocorales.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Essential

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. Wine pairings come as extra.

Contact: elrincondejuancarlos.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Essential

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 that make walking without a sway tricky to master. Set menus are the only option and provide great value starting at under £18 a pop (with wine), and include choices such as fresh fish, entrecote and Galician black pig’s foot. There’s a terrace on the pedestrian street, or bag an upstairs balcony table for grandstand people watching.

Contact: 00 34 922 244 617; lahierbita.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

There’s one reason why hungry diners, both locals and visitors, are drawn from all over the south to this unassuming rustic restaurant in a west coast 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. This is the real, raw deal so don’t expect silver (or even bronze) service or frilly décor, but do come armed with a carnivorous craving.

Address: La Gorrina, 12, 38685 Tejina de Isora
Contact: 00 34 922 857 056
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 12pm-11pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

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 white over the rocks below, so plonk yourself at a promenade table and get ready for the natural son et lumière show. The grilled fresh fish of the day is always worth a punt, as are the pizzas, but the creamy seafood tagliatelle made with homemade pasta is understandably a perennial favourite. Lunchtime lingering is unavoidable when you have the ocean for company and a crisp, dry white by your side.

Contact: 00 34 922 860 744
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended

Dress up and step back in time at the island’s only two Michelin-starred restaurant. Set in the pink palace that is The Ritz-Carlton Abama hotel, stiff-backed waiters float in and out of the sophisticated interior like old-school butlers, synchronising the swishing of tureen lids, and dutifully explaining what the heck each culinary creation contains. Contemporary Basque is the theme, though it’s doubtful if you would find such culinary concoctions as ‘pigeon flamed on a bed of cocoa’ on the menu of any eatery in the western Pyrenees. A magnificent tasting menu provides an easy, all-encompassing option.

Contact: 00 34 922 126 000; ritzcarlton.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: Essential

You don’t come here for high-end gastronomy, though it’s as good a place as any to acquaint yourself with typical Canarian dishes. While the grilled meats and massive salads are as pleasant as any other low-key bar/restaurant on the island it’s the views that make hikers, bikers and drive-by day-trippers veer off the tree-lined road to Teide National Park and into its plain confines. From the adjoining terrace, the panorama of pine forest and coastline is monumental, three neighbouring islands providing a trio of proverbial cherries on the cake.

Address: Carretera Boca Tauce, 21, 38689 Chío
Contact: 00 34 922 850 906
Opening times: Daily, 8am-6pm
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only

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.