Tenerife is a beautiful trap.
If you let yourself go with the flow, follow the neon signs, or listen to the hotel concierge (who, let’s be honest, is usually on a commission), you will end up eating frozen fish at gold bullion prices, surrounded by people with sunburnt skin wearing socks with sandals.
I can’t stand that. To me, sitting down at a table is a sacred act. Life is too short to eat rubbish food, drink cheap wine, and pretend you are enjoying it.
Many clients, after we’ve chatted for a bit, end up asking me the same question: —»Iván, forget the guidebooks. Where do you go when you want a proper meal?»
The answer is never the trendy spot where influencers go to take photos with sparklers in their vodka bottles. The answer is usually a place where the produce rules, where there is silence (the good kind), and where the chef doesn’t mess about.
Today, I’m opening my personal diary. These are 3 of the restaurants I visit regularly. They aren’t the only ones—I have more up my sleeve for future articles—but these three possess something I value above any star or award: Truth.
No smoke and mirrors here. Just excellence.
1. Codeso Restaurante (Los Gigantes)
Haute cuisine without the chef’s ego.
The area around Santiago del Teide and Los Gigantes is often hostile territory for anyone looking to eat well. There are a lot of «tourist menus,» a lot of photos of yellow paella outside the door, and very little substance.
That is why walking into Codeso is like finding an oasis in the desert.
What happens inside is an exercise in absolute respect for Tenerife. And when I say respect, I don’t mean serving a few «papas arrugadas» just to tick a box. I mean taking local produce—the real stuff, that smells of volcanic earth and rough seas—and elevating it with a technique that shuts you right up.
I like it because it’s bold without being ridiculous. The flavours are powerful. Recognisable. You won’t find ethereal foams that vanish in your mouth and leave you starving. You will find substance, stocks that have been reduced for hours, and creativity that aims for your enjoyment, not your applause.
It is the place you go when you want the food to surprise you. Don’t rush. Order the tasting menu if you dare, or let them guide you. It is haute couture, but without the nonsense.
📍 Web: www.codesorestaurant.com 🗺️ Location: View on Google Maps
2. Troqué Restaurante (La Caleta)
The Temple of Fire.
La Caleta deserves its fame. It is, probably, the «Golden Mile» of gastronomy in the south of Tenerife. The standard is high, and the atmosphere is exclusive. But amongst so much choice, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between those who cook with passion and those who cook out of habit.
Troqué is pure passion. Or rather: it is fire.
If you like meat or wild fish, this is your spot. Here, they don’t hide a bad product behind a sauce with an unpronounceable French name. Here, the embers rule. And fire is the most honest judge in existence: either you have excellent raw materials, or you are dead.
And they have the best. They manage a Basque-style grill with brutal honesty. Chops with the exact maturation (neither raw nor overdone), and rockfish that need nothing more than a touch of smoke, oil, and salt. The wine cellar deserves a special mention. It is obscene (in the best possible way). If you like wine, let them guide you, because they have references you won’t see anywhere else.
It is my choice when I want a serious dinner. No distractions. Just capital-letter produce, impeccable service, and a glass of wine worthy of the conversation.
📍 Web: www.troquerestaurantetenerife.com 🗺️ Location: View on Google Maps
3. Bésame Mucho (Playa de Troya)
The sea on your plate (literally).
There is a giant difference between a «restaurant with sea views» and a «restaurant on the sea». Many places charge you for the view and serve you mediocre food. Bésame Mucho is the exception that proves the rule.
You are in a tourist area, yes. But they have the ability to isolate you from the noise. As soon as you sit down, the hustle of Las Américas disappears, and only the Atlantic remains in front of you. What wins me over about this place is that the kitchen is on par with the landscape, which is not easy.
Their rice dishes taste of rock stock. The scarlet prawns (carabineros) look like they jumped from the water onto the grill ten minutes ago. It is seafood cuisine, but executed with a level of detail and elegance that is not common on the beachfront.
It is a hedonistic place. It is a place to go without a watch. To order a cold white wine, order something for the middle of the table to share, and let the meal drag on while the sun goes down and the light of the island changes. You don’t come here to eat quickly and carry on sightseeing. You come here to live the Canarian lifestyle: good food, the sound of the waves, and absolute calm.
📍 Web: www.besamemuchotenerife.com 🗺️ Location: View on Google Maps
A Final Note
I could recommend fifty places. But I prefer to recommend three that I would return to tomorrow without a second thought.
Tenerife is there to be devoured. Don’t settle for the first place you see. Research. Taste. Demand quality.
In the end, the difference between a normal holiday and an unforgettable one is always in the details. And in where you decide to sit for dinner on your last night.
Bon appétit.
