Before I tell you what it is like to walk on an extinct volcano, I will take you on a culinary journey of discovery through Tenerife. I tell you where you can get really good tapas on your plate in Puerto de la Cruz. And also friends of craft beer get their money's worth (at least a little bit).
During our stay we will mainly eat tapas. The small delicacies are offered in (almost) every restaurant. And luckily there is not only the famous Jamon. Because even if I remember it differently from my first visit to Barcelona over 20 years ago, there is always something for vegetarians and vegans as well.
Night after night we enjoy queso asado (baked or fried goat cheese), cheese platter, croquetas (croquettes with spinach or another vegetarian filling) and many other delicacies. But what Mr. Wallygusto and I like best is to eat papas arrugadas. The jacket potatoes with a fine salt crust are a typical Canarian dish. Always served with green and/ or red mojo. Don't laugh at us, but we actually order papas arrugades every day. Tortilla is much less frequent on the menu, because Mr. Wallygusto has an aversion to egg dishes.
And we try in Puerto de la Cruz the first time churros. For the sake of my stomach, I have always avoided the long fat pastries, or rather, I didn't get any at the Christmas market in Barcelona. And I didn't want to eat anywhere else at that time.
After a week in Tenerife, Mr. Wallygusto and I are definitely addicted to tapas. So if you have a tip where to eat really good tapas in Munich, keep it coming!
Disclaimer: This post contains unpaid and unsolicited advertising in the form of links and/or location mentions. If something was consumed, this was financed by ourselves.
Food& Drinking
VULK Brewery | C. Cruz Verde, 2, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz INSTA
The menu of the VULK Brewery includes not only tapas, but also various burgers. Also there is a good choice of vegetarian dishes. They serve homebrewed craft beer from the barrel. Mr. Wallygusto and I try our way through the taps and taste Pumpkin Ale, Red Ale, Steam Beer and Irish Dry Stout. In addition, we enjoy a vegetarian burger with fries. The portions are generous and the service is very friendly. Another plus: The guys and gals know their stuff and can give very good advice on beer. That is unfortunately not always self-evident even in relevant restaurants. According to my research, VULK seems to be the only craft beer brewery on Tenerife.
Restaurante El Rey de las Tortillas | Carr. Botanico, 14, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
As the name already suggests, we can choose in the Restaurante El Rey de las Tortillas between different variants of the Spanish omelette. But that's not all, because the self-proclaimed "omelet king" of Tenerife also offers lots of (vegetarian) tapas. The portions are big, taste-wise everything is impeccable. Funnily enough we had much better tortilla somewhere else. And this, although this was supposedly freshly prepared here. No matter, because the Canarian red wine is very good for it.
Sueno Iberico | C. la Hoya, 9, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
The Sueno Iberico is nicely located in a pedestrian zone. Although the menu only covers one DIN A4 page, no wishes remain open. Since there is also a small selection of tasty vegetarian tapas such as queso asado, tortilla or Spanish tomato salad, we sit at one of the few tables in front of the small tapas bar on two evenings. The owner is not only very sympathetic, but also very attentive. This and the delicious Canarian wine (no matter if red or white) contribute to the fact that the Sueno Iberico immediately becomes our favorite restaurant. This completely contrary to our motto to always want to try something new.
Restaurante Templo del Vino | Calle Cruz Verde, 9, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
Typical for us that we drink everything in a restaurant with the name Templo del Vino, except wine. Since we have the evening before the red grape juice neatly, we stick here rather to non-alcoholic beer. This could taste better, but the large selection of vegetarian tapas consoles us over it. Since we are both really hungry, we order 6 tapas to get our fill. We like all the dishes, but we especially like the Mojo rojo, the Canarian cheese and the pear with fennel and cheese. And also here the service is very friendly and attentive.
Terraza Taoro | Ctra. Taoro, 9, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
The Terraza Taoro is the perfect place for a sundowner. You just have to be quick or make a reservation, because the seats in the first row are in great demand. No wonder, because what could be better than enjoying the view of Puerto de la Cruz with a glass of Canarian red wine?? Oh yes, of course there is also something to eat. But since we focused exclusively on the drinks during our two visits, we unfortunately can't say what it tastes like.
Restaurant La Carta | Calle San Felipe, 53, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
Very close to the famous Plaza del Charco in the old town of Puerto de la Cruz we discover La Carta with its cozy roof terrace. Besides traditional Canarian recipes, modern dishes are also served here. Specialties include Iberian roast beef or fresh cod with vegetable timbale and lemon butter sauce. The selection of vegetarian dishes is limited, but very appealing. The food is very lovingly prepared and tastes great. The white house wine is also worth a recommendation. If you are ever in town, be sure to leave room for dessert: the homemade ice cream is simply fantastic!
Sweet
Freddino | Plaza del Charco, 8, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
At the well-stocked ice cream counter of Freddino Mr. Wallygusto and I become repeat offenders. I don't know how often we come here, but every time we discover a new exciting – and of course tasty – variety.
Canelita Cafe | C. el Juego, 17, 38204 San Cristobal de La Laguna
Hard to believe, but it is not easy to get churros in La Laguna. Somehow every churreria we passed was closed. But maybe we are just too stupid for the crispy pastry. But no matter, because in the Canelita Cafe we get finally, finally Churros. After further start-up difficulties – we are first offered mango juice – we finally have the fat pastry in front of us. After trying the room, we are not very enthusiastic, but at least we know now that we should definitely take a Spanish language course.
Habatonka FactorIa Dulce | C. Tomas Zerolo, 22, 38300 La Orotava
Each of the cupcakes at Habatonka FactorIa Dulce is a little work of art in itself. Mr. Wallygusto and I therefore hardly dare to eat our sweet pastries at first, they look so pretty. It's a good thing that we finally get around to it, because otherwise we would have missed out on a real taste experience. But also the cafe itself is visually a show – starting from the tasteful furnishings to the green backyard. The overall picture is rounded off by the friendly and attentive service and very good Cortado.
Sleep
Since the southern part of Tenerife is quite crowded, we decided to stay in a hotel in the northern part of the island. Although tourists are of course also abundant in Puerto de la Cruz, it is much easier to get to know culture and people in the north. Besides, Puerto de la Cruz is not only one of the biggest cities in Tenerife, but also one of the most interesting ones. In addition, the distances to our planned activities and many sights are relatively short.
Dragos del Norte | Av. 8 Marzo, 4, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
When we arrive at Dragos del Norte we experience a short moment of shock: our reservation is not there. The first time we booked a package tour and then something like this happened. The friendly staff at the reception quickly finds a pragmatic solution and assigns us a free room for the time being. The reservation would show up at some point. Which it does in the end. So everything is fine!
Just like our clean, modern apartment, which has all the amenities you could wish for a comfortable vacation in Tenerife. However, we use almost nothing of it, because we are on the road all day and come back to the hotel only for showering and sleeping. Every now and then there is enough time for a non-alcoholic beer on the balcony.
Although we have a well-equipped kitchen with microwave and coffee maker, we decide for the breakfast offer of the hotel. The buffet selection changes daily and even vegetarians can start the day well satiated. Even the latte is quite decent. Here we also make the culinary discovery of the vacation: Gofio! The very fine flour from roasted grain is the staple of Canarian cuisine. It is used in both cold and hot cuisine and is one of the oldest traditional foods of the Canary Islands. Gofio tastes especially good when it is mixed with banana to a porridge. Needless to say, we stocked up on 2 packs of gofio at the supermarket.
The big plus of the Drago del Norte is its location, because the old town of Puerto del Cruz is within walking distance. So we have not far to the dinner and the next bar. There is also a small supermarket around the corner, where we stock up on mineral water and calorie-reduced soft drinks.
We felt very comfortable during our stay and could definitely imagine staying in this 3-star hotel again.