The Canary Guide

Canary Islands Food & Drink

Wrinkly potatoes with mojo, fresh Atlantic fish, volcanic wine and strong coffee — what to eat and drink in the Canaries, and where.

Photo: Tamorlan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · scaled

Wrinkly potatoes with mojo, fresh Atlantic fish, volcanic wine and strong coffee — what to eat and drink in the Canaries, and where.

Eat & drink like a local

A Canarian meal of roasted chicken with papas arrugadas, mojo and salad on La Palma

Canarian Food: What to Eat

The island kitchen in a nutshell — the classic dishes, where they come from and what to order first.

Canarian papas arrugadas (salt-wrinkled potatoes) served with spicy red mojo sauce

Papas Arrugadas & Mojo

Salt-crusted little potatoes with two punchy sauces — the dish that defines Canarian cooking.

Vines growing in black volcanic ash hollows in the La Geria wine region of Lanzarote

Canary Islands Wine

Vines grown in black volcanic ash produce wines found almost nowhere else — here's how to taste them.

A bowl of gofio, the toasted milled grain flour that is a staple of Canarian cooking

Gofio: The Canarian Staple

Toasted milled grain that has fed the islands since before the Spanish arrived — in soups, desserts and even ice cream.

A wheel of Queso Majorero, the protected goat's cheese of Fuerteventura

Canarian Cheeses

The islands punch far above their weight in cheese — from Fuerteventura's world-champion Majorero to smoky Palmero.

Polvito Uruguayo, a layered dulce de leche and biscuit dessert popular in the Canary Islands

Canarian Desserts & Sweets

Almond creams, caramel puddings and gofio sweets — the island desserts worth saving room for.

Casa Pepe, a traditional guachinche country eatery in La Victoria de Acentejo, Tenerife

Guachinches & Canarian Tapas

Tenerife's home-run 'guachinches' serve the island's most honest food and wine — here's how to find the real thing.

A barraquito, the layered Canarian coffee with condensed milk, Licor 43 and cinnamon

The Barraquito & Canarian Coffee

The islands' show-stopping layered coffee — condensed milk, liqueur, lemon and cinnamon — and how to order like a local.

Grilled vieja (parrotfish) with papas arrugadas and mojo, a classic Canarian fish dish

Canarian Seafood & Fish

Fresh Atlantic fish is the islands' glory — the species to look for, the dishes to try and how to order it by weight.

A shot of ron miel, the Canarian honey rum, topped with cream and cinnamon

Canarian Drinks

Beyond the wine — ice-cold Dorada and Tropical, honey rum, Arehucas and the island soft drinks worth trying.

Papas arrugadas with green mojo, a naturally vegan Canarian dish

Vegetarian & Vegan in the Canaries

Papas, mojo, gofio and grilled veg make the islands easy going meat-free — plus a growing plant-based scene in the towns.

A restaurant plate of mixed grilled fish and seafood served in Gran Canaria

Eating Out: How It Works

Meal times, the menú del día, tipping and the difference between a tasca, a guachinche and a beach chiringuito.

A layered barraquito, the classic Canarian coffee served in a glass, Tenerife

A Canarian Breakfast

Strong coffee, tomato-rubbed toast, fresh pastries and gofio — how the islands really do the most important meal of the day.

A Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), the source of palm honey, on La Gomera

Miel de Palma (Palm Honey)

La Gomera's dark, treacly palm 'honey' — tapped from Canary palms and drizzled over everything from cheese to desserts.

A bowl of almogrote, the spicy hard-cheese spread of La Gomera

Almogrote & Island Specialities

Beyond the classics — La Gomera's fiery almogrote, hearty rancho canario and the regional dishes worth hunting down.

Food stalls inside the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África market, Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Canarian Street Food & Snacks

Pinchos, filled bocadillos, empanadillas and churros — the market and festival snacks to eat on the move.