Food & Guachinches

The Canarian cuisine is honest, hearty, and surprisingly diverse — a mix of Spanish, Latin American, and African influences. In Tenerife, a unique culinary tradition has also been preserved: the Guachinches.

What is a Guachinche? Guachinches are makeshift taverns run by winemaking families in garages, backyards, or outbuildings. The idea: The winemaker serves his own wine and offers simple, homemade food — often just 3–4 dishes per day, prepared by the grandmother. The setting is spartan (plastic chairs, paper tablecloths), but the food is authentic and dirt cheap: A complete lunch with wine costs 8–12 € per person.

Guachinches have no fixed opening hours and no websites — they open when the new wine is ready (usually October to May) and close when it's drunk. They are mainly found in the wine-growing areas of the north: La Orotava, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, La Matanza. Finding them is part of the adventure — ask locals or look for handwritten signs by the roadside.

What you must try:

• Papas arrugadas con mojo — "Wrinkled potatoes": Small potatoes cooked in saltwater until the skin shrivels and forms a salt crust. Served with two Mojos: Mojo rojo (red, paprika-chili) and Mojo verde (green, coriander or parsley). The national dish of the Canaries, simple and divine.
• Gofio — Roasted corn or wheat flour, the staple food of the Guanches. Served as a side dish, in soups, or as a dessert (Gofio amasado with almonds and honey).
• Queso asado con mojo — Grilled Canarian goat cheese, often with Mojo and palm syrup.
• Conejo en salmorejo — Rabbit in spicy marinade, slowly braised. A classic in the Guachinches.
• Ropa vieja — "Old clothes": Chickpea stew with beef, chicken, and vegetables — Canarian soul food.
• Vieja a la espalda — Parrotfish, baked in the oven. The most popular fresh fish of the Canaries.
• Bienmesabe — Dessert made from almonds, honey, egg yolk, and lemon. Sweet and sticky, a Canarian specialty.

Wines: Tenerife has five Denominaciones de Origen (designations of origin) — more than any other Canary Island. The vines often grow on volcanic soil at altitudes of 400–1,500 meters. Especially the Listán Negro red wines (light, fruity) and the Malvasía white wines (aromatic, floral) are excellent. In a Guachinche, a bottle of house wine costs 3–5 €.

Restaurant tips beyond the Guachinches:

• El Rincón de Juan Carlos (Los Gigantes) — Michelin star, creative Canarian cuisine. Menu from 95 €.
• Tasca el Olivo (La Orotava) — Traditional tapas, local wine, warm atmosphere. Tapas from 4 €.
• Cofradía de Pescadores (Puerto de la Cruz) — Fishermen's cooperative with a restaurant right at the harbor. Fresh fish from 10 €.
• La Hierbita (Santa Cruz) — Since 1893, the oldest restaurant in the capital. Canarian classics in a historic setting. Main courses from 12 €.