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From fry-ups to Michelin stars – how Tenerife became a foodie paradise
This British holiday favourite has Michelin firmly in its sights – Robin McKelvie discovers how his beloved Canary Island is fast becoming a gourmet destination
Tenerife now boasts more Michelin-starred restaurants than the whole of Wales. This is no mean feat for an island with a reputation built on package holidays, fry-ups and pubs owned by retired British footballers. To someone who hasn’t visited for a couple of decades, this dramatic change may seem like a scarcely believable metamorphosis. And yet the accolades keep coming.
“Tenerife has become a top gastronomic destination, driven by a shift in mindset among chefs, producers, and investors,” beams Erlantz Gorostiza, executive chef of Tenerife’s two Michelin-starred M.B restaurant, which has become a microcosm for the island’s dramatic change.
Today, this Macaronesian isle boasts a whopping 10 Michelin stars, with one hotel alone boasting more Michelin stars than any other in Spain.
“When I arrived on the island 16 years ago, the first signs of transformation were visible,” Gorostiza continues. “[Businesses have been] supported by both public and private investment. The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama, has long championed local produce and the island’s circular economy. Thanks to this and similar projects, haute cuisine has advanced rapidly, turning Tenerife into a culinary hotspot.”
Having visited Tenerife as a journalist every year since 1998, the Michelin mushrooming hasn’t taken me totally by surprise. I’ve long extolled the delights of boat-fresh local fish like cherne and vieja, and the bountiful fruit and vegetables the eternal spring climate serves up. There is delicious palm honey too, remarkable cheese and the lip-smacking mojo sauces. I’ve witnessed the wine industry refine itself into small producers focused on quality over quantity.
“At the heart of this gastronomic evolution is a deep commitment to local products,” says Gorostiza. “The recognition and elevation of exceptional ingredients – many of them endemic – have played a crucial role in establishing Tenerife’s unique position.”
Tenerife has always had fantastic traditional restaurants beyond the resort towns. Take Restaurante Los Abrigos, where I’ve returned on most of my visits to Tenerife. The fresh seafood heaves from a display alive with shellfish and white fish plucked from the waters just outside the doors.
Order bocinegro if they have it (a fish so delicious it doesn’t need garlic), spice those wrinkly potatoes (the dinky black ones) with that irresistible mojo rojo sauce and wash it down with a glass of bone-dry bodegas tajinaste blanco seco – now you have a sublime, thoroughly local, life-affirming treat.
The raw materials have always been there, but has the appetite been lacking? Literally. It is only over the last couple of decades that Tenerife has started to move away from focusing on a mass market that is content with two-star hotels with dodgy buffets rather than foodie accolades.
Most startling has been the expansion of luxury hotels from Costa Adeje spreading through La Caleta. Today, there is demand from discerning diners who know chorizo should never be anywhere near paella (sorry, Jamie Oliver) and that the best bit is found at the bottom of the pan – what the uninitiated sometimes complain is burnt to exasperated waiters – the caramelised socarrat.
As tourist tastes have expanded beyond simple and traditional, or the blandness of international comfort food, so has the dining. The pace of change has been impressive: it was only 15 years ago that M.B put the island on the foodie map by snaring the first Michelin star.
To see just how far the island has come, we travel along the cobalt ocean to another luxury oasis, the Royal Hideaway, Corales. A decade ago, the island had just three Michelin-starred restaurants, yet this hotel alone sports a trio of its own. In 2015, Il Bocconcino joined the hotel’s one-star San Ho and two-star El Rincon de Juan Carlos to take the hotel’s total star count to four. No single hotel in Spain boasts more.
Read more: Why the Canary Islands should be your next holiday destination
Dining on the sun-dappled terrace at Il Bocconcino is an utter joy, with the Atlantic gently rumbling in the background. Chef Niki Pavanelli’s tasting menu features local tuna and creamy salmorejo, a gazpacho-style tomato and bread soup. There’s a nod to Italian tradition by way of a perfectly al dente carbonara, and aged balsamic swirled into melted parmigiano. The wine pairing kicks off with an excellent Italian champagne doppelganger and soars with a sublime 2018 Amarone Riserva. Two stars here would not be a surprise.
“Our style of cooking at Il Bocconcino is focused on blending Italian cuisine, where I’m from, with locally sourced ingredients,” Pavanelli tells me. “Tenerife is rich in local produce thanks to the volcanic soil, warm temperatures, and the incredible variety of seafood. [The island’s] food scene is really transforming, and we are excited to be part of this evolution, creating dishes that celebrate innovation and rich culinary traditions.”
Read more: Best budget-friendly hotels in Tenerife for families, solo travellers and couples
The upward trajectory looks set to continue. Donaire was awarded its first star in 2025, joining existing one-star Haydee, Taste 1973 and Nub. Others wait in the wings. The Ritz-Carlton, Abama, may have closed its other star eatery, Kabuki, but new Japanese fusion restaurant Akira Back is reaching for a star with its sublime tasting menu that weaves an expertly curated list of Canarian wines around delightful Japanese fusion dishes. A highlight is cod-like local cherne fish served with a beurre blanc spiked with soy. An unlikely yet brilliant combination. A dish of Canarian potatoes served with palm honey has a similarly thrilling effect on the tastebuds.
In Madrid, Gofio restaurant is gloriously symbolic of how Tenerife has changed. Chefs Safe Cruz and partner Aida Gonzalez are proud Tinerfeños and have wowed locals in Madrid with their Michelin-star menu, showcasing traditional Canarian dishes and flavours. Today, Tenerife boasts more Michelin stars per capita than Madrid and is bucking the trend of parachuting in mainland chefs to run its restaurants.
Read more: Best luxury hotels in Tenerife for sophisticated retreats and adults-only spa escapes
The last word goes to the restaurant that started it all, M.B. Gorostiza, reclining in the Macaronesian sun, looks back at his two-Michelin-star gastronomic temple and smiles broadly. “Tenerife has made remarkable progress in recent years, and the best is yet to come.”
How to do it
The Ritz-Carlton, Abama, remains Tenerife’s finest hotel, enjoying its own barranco (gorge) among the banana plantations; its own stretch of beach too. Doubles from £214, including breakfast.
EasyJet flies to Tenerife from a number of UK airports, with flights from London Gatwick starting at £65.98 return.
Robin McKelvie was hosted by Ritz-Carlton, Abama
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