One of the most asked questions: Is there any Canarian food restaurant on Gran Canaria? Where to eat Canarian food? I’m really excited because I can say YES and I can actually tell you where to go, what to order and especially, I’ll give you the MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE for any of your trips to Spain. Therefore, KEEP READING 🙂
So, let’s give it a go:
First of all, you should know there are many places where you will randomly bump into a menu with some new vocab related to food – this is probably a sign you are getting to know some Canarian cuisine. Let’s see a few tradicional Canarian dishes first and then let’s check our favourite Canarian food restaurants.
- Papas arrugadas con mojo: a traditional boiled potato dish. It is usually served with a chili pepper garlic sauce, called mojo rojo
- Gofio escaldado: a fine Gofio puré served with various toppings and chopped onions on the sides to use them as a spoon. On top you can complement it with some peppermint leaves and sometimes even with red or green Mojo to make it extra tasty
- Ropa vieja: Ropa vieja is a stew-type of dish in Spanish cuisine that is made with chickpeas and meat or octopus
- Queso herreño a la plancha: smoked cheese with sweet tomato jam o
- Queso frito: Canarian cheese fried with some tomato or red pepper jam
- Calamares saharianos: fried Saharan squid with french fries and ali oli
- Potaje: potaje is usually a vegetable soup or stew (a very typical one: potaje de berros)
So, the most important thing to know when in Spain (anywhere in Spain) is to share. If there are two of you, I would recommend ordering 2 or 3 different dishes and then I would share.
It is definitely not recommended you order your own portion of a meal as you may end up eating a side dish, e.g. papas arrugadas. 🙂 If there are 4 of you, I would go for 4 to 5 different dishes. The more you are, the more you can try 🙂
And apart from exploring the island and its beautiful sights, here goes the list of the best Canarian restaurants.
CANARIAN FOOD restaurants
1 In the Capital city: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Bar La Peña: Casa Domingo
Domingo, Canarian chef who prepares the best Canarian food in Las Palmas de GC. There are plenty of Canarian dishes, so I’ll try to make it easy for you – try to go with some friends, order a few dishes and share them all.
TOP 5: Calamares saharianos, papas arrugadas, gofio escaldado (in the photo), gambas al ajillo, tacos de pescado (these are not Mexican tacos but pieces of fried fish), sardinas fritas.
Tasca La Lonja
They are specialists in seafood and rices (rice is not typical Canarian, but Spanish). My recommendation is: Arroz negro con calamares, which is black rice with squid or any arroz caldoso, any fish they recommend (in the photo you can see their sardinas) and gambas al ajillo.
El Dorado
In the middle of Paseo de Las Canteras, you will find another restaurant with Canarian food: El Dorado. Go for any of the recommendations mentioned in the introduction. In this restaurant you will also be able to enjoy a beautiful view to the ocean.
CANARIAN FOOD restaurants
2 South: El Tablero
Bar Aridañy Montaña Blanca
That’s a place in the south of the island you will adore. If you go there at the weekend, as soon as you arrive, you are given a number and asked to wait. Therefore: If you can go there during the week or around 13.00 at the weekend, you will avoid the waiting in the queue. It’s a place where the locals go, so expect a busy atmosphere 🙂
TOP 3: Calamares fritos, queso frito and ropa vieja de pulpo (in English: chickpea stew with octopus). We also love their french fries and salad.
*VERY cheap!!!
*Be careful with the Google maps. The address is in El Tablero (not in La montaña blanca en Pasito blanco- they moved in 2024 and the location on Google is right, but not the photo)
CANARIAN FOOD restaurants
3 South: Bahia feliz
Rincón Canario
A calm and lovely restaurant with a beautiful ocean view.
TOP 3: papas arrugadas with mojo y ali-oli (in the photo), croquetas y sardinas.
Interesting fact: there is no potato in “croquetas”, they are made of flour and you will love the ones prepared in Rincón Canario.
Another important tip: if you want to get a beautiful view, try to make a reservation in the front line when you call.
Bar Playa El Boya
A great restaurant located very near Arguineguín. For the locals and where you will definitely feel the Canarian atmosphere. A very traditional dish is their fried octopus or any of their local fried fish (pulpo frito or pescado frito).
It’s a perfect plan to start or end a beach day in the south.
CANARIAN FOOD restaurants
4 North: Agaete
El Perola
If you want a proper Spanish gastronomy experience, you should go to El Perola. It’s in Agaete village and it’s run by a very easy-going elderly man who will do it all for you – but he’ll take his time 🙂 If you go there, make sure you’re not in a rush.
TOP 3: papas fritas con berberechos (in the photo), cerdo frito y ropa vieja de carne o de pulpo
CANARIAN FOOD restaurants
5 North: Galdar
La Tasca de Juan Pedro
CANARIAN FOOD restaurants
6 Center of the island: Tejeda
Restaurante Gayfa
When you explore the center of the island, feels like eating some Canarian food would fit perfectly. In our case, we love stopping by in the Restaurante Gayfa: not only becuase of its delicious Canarian dishes, but also because of the beautiful view to roque Prieto.
TOP 3: ropa vieja, papas arrugadas, ensalada mixta
Restaurante El Centro- Guayadeque caves
Restaurante El Centro is located in the centre of Guayadeque ravine. There are several caves that offer a unique environment to savour the extensive menu of very representative dishes of the Canarian gastronomy.
These are, in our opinion, the best restaurants on the island that serve Canarian food. If you want to add any to our list and make it even larger, we will be more than happy to hear out the options in the comments.
Don’t forget to have a look at our (ALWAYS UPDATED) general restaurants list here. 🙂
