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Food tours in Tenerife: what to eat and which tour to book
Canarian food is simple and island-made: small wrinkled potatoes boiled in salty water (papas arrugadas) with red and green mojo sauces, grilled goat's cheese, rabbit in salmorejo marinade, goat stew, fresh local fish, and gofio, the toasted-grain flour that was the islanders' staple for centuries. The north of Tenerife, around La Orotava, Tacoronte and El Sauzal, is wine country and the home of guachinches, informal family-run places that sell their own wine with a few home-cooked dishes. The resort south (Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos) is dominated by international menus; for Canarian food, head to the fishing villages, La Laguna and the north.
Use this page to decide what to order and where: the dishes and areas below say what each part of the island does well and when the markets run. The tours shown are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; confirm the current price and details on the booking page.
What to eat in Tenerife
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrinkled potatoes with mojo papas arrugadas con mojo | Small local potatoes boiled in their skins in very salty water until wrinkled with a salt crust, served with mojo rojo (red pepper, garlic, cumin) and mojo verde (coriander or parsley, garlic). | Every Canarian restaurant and guachinche. | roughly €4–7 a portion |
| Grilled cheese with mojo or palm honey queso asado | Slices of local goat's cheese grilled until golden and served with mojo or with miel de palma (palm syrup from La Gomera). | Traditional restaurants and guachinches. | roughly €6–10 |
| Rabbit in salmorejo conejo en salmorejo | Rabbit marinated in garlic, vinegar, paprika and herbs, then fried and simmered in the marinade. | Guachinches and traditional restaurants in the north. | roughly €10–16 |
| Goat stew carne de cabra | Goat slow-cooked in a spiced sauce, often served with papas or bread. | Guachinches and countryside restaurants. | roughly €10–15 |
| Gofio broth escaldón de gofio | Toasted-grain flour stirred into hot fish or meat broth to make a thick, savoury paste, eaten with raw onion. | Traditional restaurants and fish restaurants in the villages. | roughly €4–7 |
| Fresh local fish pescado fresco (vieja, cherne, sama) | Grilled or fried local fish such as parrotfish (vieja), wreckfish (cherne) or sea bream, served with papas and mojo verde. | Fish restaurants in La Caleta, Los Abrigos, San Andrés and other fishing villages. | roughly €15–25 a portion; some fish priced per kilo |
| Canarian ropa vieja ropa vieja | Shredded beef and chicken with chickpeas, potatoes and peppers; a leftovers dish that became a classic. | Traditional restaurants and guachinches. | roughly €8–14 |
| Layered coffee barraquito | Coffee with condensed milk, Licor 43, frothed milk, cinnamon and lemon peel, served in layers in a glass. A Tenerife speciality. | Cafés and bars across the island; a 'barraquito sin licor' leaves out the alcohol. | roughly €2–3.50 |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África (Santa Cruz)
Santa Cruz's main covered market, with fruit, vegetables, cheese, fish, flowers and small bars and food stalls around the courtyard; a flea market (rastro) sets up nearby on Sunday mornings.
Guachinches of the north
Family-run wine houses in La Orotava, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, La Matanza and Los Realejos that serve their own wine with a few homemade dishes at low prices. Many are in garages or farm buildings and have no website.
San Cristóbal de La Laguna
University city and UNESCO-listed old town near Santa Cruz with tapas bars, student cafés and traditional restaurants, plus its own municipal market.
La Caleta and Los Abrigos
Fishing villages on the south and west coast, close to the resorts, with seafood restaurants by the water serving the day's catch.
Calle La Noria (Santa Cruz)
Restored old street in Santa Cruz lined with tapas bars and restaurants, popular with locals in the evening.
Food tours in Tenerife compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canarian Cooking Class in Ancient Tenerife Village | 2 - 3 hours | from €34 per person | max 9 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Tenerife: Avocado Farm Tour with Tasting Menu & Wine | 2 hours | from €50 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Tenerife: Tour of an Organic Vineyard with Tasting & Snacks | 3 hours | from €65 per person | max 8 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Canarian Wine Tasting and Banana Plantation Tour in Tenerife | 4 hours | from €72 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Tenerife: Canarian Cooking Class with Iconic Local Dishes | 3 hours | from €69 per person | max 9 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
Canarian Cooking Class in Ancient Tenerife Village
On GetYourGuide · run by Casa Carmen
- Length
- 2 - 3 hours
- Price
- from €34 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 184 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 9
- Included
- Cooking class Instructor Tasting Storytelling Beverages Transport
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- Address: Casa Carmen, C/ San Felipe, Nº 18, 38688 Chirche, South Tenerife. Optional pick-up service available from South-Tenerife area. We will send you detailed information with driving instructions and optional transport arrangements by email.
Tenerife: Avocado Farm Tour with Tasting Menu & Wine
On GetYourGuide · run by TAHODIO AVOCADO EXPERIENCE
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €50 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 119 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
Tenerife: Tour of an Organic Vineyard with Tasting & Snacks
On GetYourGuide · run by Bodegas Ferrera
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €65 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 52 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 8
- Included
- Transfer from the winery to the wine camps. 4 glass of wine 4 canarian tapas Hotel Pick up and drop off Tips
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Bodegas Ferrera
Canarian Wine Tasting and Banana Plantation Tour in Tenerife
On GetYourGuide · run by Atlántico Excursiones
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €72 per person
- Rating
- 4.6 ★ from 51 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
Tenerife: Canarian Cooking Class with Iconic Local Dishes
On GetYourGuide · run by Casa Carmen
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €69 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 8 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 9
- Included
- Cooking class Instructor Dinner Storytelling Beverages Transport
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- Casa Carmen
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Tenerife has little street food. Quick eating means a sandwich (bocadillo or pulguita) at a bar, empanadas from bakeries, or snacks at the market bars. Local festivals (romerías) bring grilled meat and stalls.
Sit-down meals
Canarian meals are relaxed and portions large; dishes are often shared. Lunch from about 13:30 and dinner from about 20:30, though resort areas serve earlier. Guachinches have very short menus, low prices and are often cash only; arrive early at weekends.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes and food experiences usually teach papas arrugadas and mojo, sometimes with a winery or cheese-farm visit in the north. Wine tastings at bodegas in Tacoronte-Acentejo and La Orotava are easy to arrange.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | €25–35 (café breakfast, bocadillo lunch, guachinche dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | €50–70 (two sit-down meals with wine) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | €120+ (Michelin-starred tasting menu) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Workable: papas arrugadas, mojo, grilled cheese, almogrote (a spicy cheese paste originally from La Gomera), salads and vegetable stews (potaje de verduras, check for meat stock). Vegan is harder in traditional places because of cheese and stock.
Halal: Limited. A few kebab and Moroccan restaurants exist in Santa Cruz and the resort areas. Pork appears in stews, chorizo and grilled meats; fish dishes are the easiest option.
Gluten-free: Spain has good coeliac awareness and many restaurants mark 'sin gluten' dishes. Papas, mojo, grilled cheese and grilled fish are usually naturally gluten-free; gofio contains gluten if made from wheat or barley, so ask.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Restaurants calling themselves guachinches that are really ordinary restaurants with long menus and higher prices. A traditional guachinche serves only its own wine and a very short menu (often three dishes). Ask locals for current recommendations.
- Touts and 'English breakfast' strips in Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos with frozen, overpriced food. Take the bus or drive to La Caleta, Los Abrigos or the north for Canarian food.
- Timeshare and holiday-club touts offering free drinks, meals or scratch cards in the resort south. Politely decline; anyone offering a prize in exchange for a 'short visit' is selling.
- Fish priced per kilo, leading to high bills. Ask the weight and total price before it's cooked.
Top tours & activities in Tenerife
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Tenerife?
Tipping is not obligatory in Spain. Locals usually round up or leave small change; in tourist areas 5–10% for good service is generous. Guachinches and small bars don't expect tips. Food tour guides appreciate a tip of roughly €5–10 per person if you enjoyed it.
What is a guachinche?
A guachinche is an informal family wine house, mostly in northern Tenerife, where growers sell their own wine with a few homemade dishes. Rules introduced in 2013 limit them to their own wine, a short menu and a few months' opening per year. Expect simple food, low prices and cash payment.
When are guachinches open?
Traditionally they open around late November, when the new wine is ready, and close when it runs out, often in spring. Some open at other times. Most are busiest at weekend lunchtimes. Opening days change, so ask locally or check recent reviews before driving out.
Where should I eat Canarian food near the resorts?
In the south, the fishing villages of La Caleta (Adeje) and Los Abrigos (Granadilla) are the easiest places for fresh fish and Canarian dishes. Further afield, La Laguna, Santa Cruz and the northern towns of La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz have more traditional restaurants and guachinches.
How much should I budget for food per day?
Tenerife is good value outside the resorts. About €25–35 covers a café breakfast, a bocadillo lunch and a guachinche or simple restaurant dinner. A comfortable day with two sit-down meals and wine is roughly €50–70. Tasting menus at the island's top restaurants start around €100–150.
When is the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África open?
It opens in the mornings and is busiest early, when locals shop for fish and produce. The bars inside serve drinks and snacks. On Sunday mornings a flea market sets up nearby. Hours vary by day and season, so check current hours before you go.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.