If you’re a first time visitor, or even an oft returning one, the range of restaurants in Puerto de la Cruz can be bewildering and you could easily lose an hour or more wandering around looking at menus before you decide where to eat.
New restaurants are constantly opening in Puerto de la Cruz and even if you live here it’s hard to keep track. Having said that, there’s one district that’s a must for lovers of good food and wine.

Head east out of Puerto’s main plaza of Plaza del Charco, along Calle San Felipe and you’ll find yourself in the old fishing quarter, known as ‘La Ranilla’; the heart of the restaurant district. For years, regular visitors and residents have known that the restaurants that line the area’s narrow cobbled streets offer the very best in fish, seafood, Canarian and Italian cuisine.
Every few months it seems, another new restaurant is opening its doors in the Ranilla district, bringing new menus and contemporary décor to sit cheek by jowl with the old established businesses.

Vegetarian, organic whole foods, Mediterranean, classic Spanish and nouveau Canarian menus are appearing on the doors of elegant, sophisticated interiors while the pavement tables and chairs with their romantic candles and decorative crockery are giving the sleepy streets a new look and a steady trade.

And the really great news? The prices are not inflated to feign exclusivity, nor are any of the familiar fishing net and farm implements décor of the old established businesses being supplanted. You can still choose to eat simple, delicious conejo en salmorejo (rabbit stew), gambas a la plancha (grilled prawns) or cherne con papas arrugadas y mojo (grouper with wrinkled, boiled potatoes and spicy sauce) just as easily as you can choose panga fish with mango sauce or pork fillets in a herb baked crust.

With almost 300 restaurants to choose from in Puerto de la Cruz, this is just a selection of those that offer something different in terms of location, décor or menu and that we know from personal experience:

El Annexo
Papaya’s little sister who lives next door, this cosy eatery offers a smaller menu and fewer tables but a good standard of food and service and an even lower price tag than its big sis.
Calle Lomo, 12; (0034) 922 374 712

El Maná
Stylish, mainly vegetarian, restaurant with a master chef-owner who loves to present you with a selection of his outstanding dishes. Don’t expect the usual vegetable lasagna or omelette choices usually faced by non meat eaters in Spain; this is gourmet cooking for veggies.
With contemporary décor which includes animal prints and a cactus chair (!) Maná is very popular with young, hip Canarians and booking is advisable.
Calle Mequinez, 21; (0034) 922 372 474

El Padrino
Generous portions of mainly meat and fish dishes with an international and slight Scandinavian influence; El Padrino’s menu with offerings such as pork steak with blueberry sauce, red cabbage and croquettes or sole fillets in a lobster sauce offer a variation from the traditional Canarian fayre served in many of Puerto’s restaurants.
Calle Lomo, 17; (0034) 922 382 937

La Papaya
A beautiful garden courtyard is the romantic setting for this very popular restaurant which serves traditional and nouveau Canarian and Spanish cuisine.
Friendly service, relaxed atmosphere, excellent food and great value for money.
Calle Lomo, 14; (00 34) 922 382 811

La Rosa Di Bari
Sophisticated, elegant décor sets the tone for this fine Italian dining with a range of wines to suit even the most discerning of palettes. Excellent service, authentic freshly made pastas and sauces and fabulous surroundings. If you were in Britain, you’d have to add a nought to the bill.
Calle del Lomo, 23; (0034) 922 368 523

La Tasquita de Min
Located beside the harbour, La Tasquita is a popular choice with Canarians who fill the outside tables with their vivacious joi de vivre each Sunday; a surefire indication of the quality of the traditional dishes which they consume with mucho gusto. The lapas in ajo y cilantro (limpets in garlic and coriander), when they’re available, are possibly the best in Puerto.
Mequinez esq. Parque Maritimo; (0034) 922 371 834

Mil Sabores
One of the new breed of restaurants in the fishing district, housed in the former popular restaurant of ‘Mi Vaca y Yo’, this beautifully restored Canarian house offers Mediterranean dishes with, as the name says, a thousand flavours.
Try the Atlantic fish in lobster and Pernod sauce, pork fillet in a herb crust or the roast duck or…We’ve yet to order a dish that we haven’t wanted to come back and order over and over again. The postres (sweets) are sensational too.
Cruz Verde, 3; (0034) 922 368 172

Regulo
Long established and often cited as one of Puerto’s best restaurants, Regulo is situated in a beautiful Canarian mansion with an inner courtyard, traditional wooden balconies and a wide wooden staircase. The food is of the very highest standard, as is the service (although we did once feel a little hurried by the waiters) and the menu and wine list are extensive. The desserts are works of art to be admired, photographed and then devoured.
The prices are commensurate with the standards and are therefore a little above the usual for Puerto but still ridiculously good value for money by UK standards.
Booking is essential unless you’re prepared to wait for a table and risk being seated in one of the plainer rooms.
Perez Zamora, 16; (00 34) 922 380 360

Restaurant Puerto Cruz/Casa Sayo
Unpretentious surroundings scream ‘fish and seafood’ from every photograph, model boat and fishing net that adorn the walls. The food is fresh and delicious and offers the sort of value for money that has you reading the total twice and feeling slightly embarrassed at how low it is.
Perez Zamora, 14; (00 34) 922 370 568

El Templo de Vino
One of the newer restaurants in the district and a great example of a tapas bar where traditional favourites and nouvelle tapas meet and get on swimmingly. Serrano ham, pinchos with a mischievously spicy sauce represent the old whilst the Tunisian, and extremely more-ish, dates wrapped in bacon represent newer, international influences. Beautifully cooked and elegantly presented and as the name suggests, the wine won’t disappoint either. A great place to enjoy imaginative tapas washed down with ‘vino tinto’ as smooth as Daniel Craig in a tuxedo.
Calle El Lomo,2; (0034) 922 374 164

Bar Luis, El Balcon
The quite stunning courtyard at El Rincon is home to three restaurants, the most popular of which is Bar Luis. All three serve good traditional Canarian cuisine, but Bar Louis also has an extensive selection of tapas dishes which is ideal for people who like to sample a range of local offerings. The churros de pescado (small goujons of fried fish in herby batter) are particularly more-ish. Although the food is good, the real star is the setting; a towering palm tree dominates a courtyard surrounded by exquisite polished wood balconies.
Plaza del Charco (c.c.Rincon del Puerto) (0034) 922 384 207

Cha’ Paula
One of ‘Real Tenerife’s’ favourites; an atmospheric restaurant set around two rooms and a courtyard in a charming antique town house. It’s full of character and the tapas dishes like cheese from El Hierro, chipirones (small squid) and grilled sardines are delicious. The house wine, from their bodega, is cheap, seriously quaffable and potent. A truly authentic experience and still something of a secret despite it’s proximity to Plaza del Charco.
Calle Blanco, 19: (0034) 922 380 730

Pomodoro
Unpretentious Italian restaurant whose uniqueness is its position below the main promenade. Wide stone arches which overlook the dramatic and beautiful coastline and the occasional muchacho trying to impress the girls by suicidal dives from the rocks are a distraction from the generally excellent food. Pizzas are cheap, large and tasty. This is a good choice for families.
Santo Domingo, s/n. (mirador punta del viento pza.); (0034) 922 381 328

Tasca La Muralla
Intimately cosy tapas bar on Calle La Hoya. Good range of reasonably priced tapas and relaxed surroundings with a few tables outside; perfectly placed for watching the world go by.
Calle La Hoya, 40; (0034) 922 368 004

Poco Loco
So you think you know Mexican food? The menu at Poco Loco might make you reconsider. There are old favourites like chili con carne, fajitas and nachos, but mainly this is Mexican with imagination. Beautifully prepared dishes will have your taste buds dancing ‘la cucaracha’, helped along by some dangerously drinkable tequila beer (no…you haven’t misread that). An eclectic mix of wooden tables and chairs are set in and around a stone cottage, the décor is as creative as the food.
Paseo Dragos, 7 (beside Sitio Litre); (0034) 922 385 662

Most restaurants have menus in English; however some translations can be confusing. I’ve seen ‘roasted paw of the house’ and tuna from the iron’. Here are a few Tenerife favourites to help you out.

Boquerones
These are small filleted fish in vinaigrette. Not salty, or bony, just tasty.

Camembert frito
Mouth-watering fried camembert served with a fruit conserve.

Chipirones
Small squids usually brushed with oil and griddled on a hot plate; tender with an exquisite flavour.

Chopitos Fritos
Tiny squids with a crispy batter coating. A great little snack.

Churros de pescado
Small goujons of white fish in herby batter.

Croquetas
Simple bread-crumbed croquettes normally filled with potato and, or fish.

Empanadas
Empanadas are pies. Served as tapas they’re usually small crescent shaped pastries filled with tuna and tomato.

Ensaladilla
Sometimes called ensaladilla Rusa. A mix of tuna, potatoes, vegetables, hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise.

Papas arrugadas
Literally wrinkled potatoes. Tasty, salty little potatoes which are an island speciality. They’re always accompanied by mojo verde (a slightly spicy coriander sauce) and mojo rojo (a spicier red sauce flavoured with chillies).

Pimientos de Padrón
Delicious little green peppers fried in olive oil and sprinkled with rock salt. One in ten can have a kick like a mule; eating these is the equivalent of playing culinary Russian roulette.

Tequeños
Small fried pastry sticks filled with cheese.