La Palma restaurants

Selected eating places (restaurants unless otherwise indicated) are listed below under the following geographical headings:

• Santa Cruz
• Near Santa Cruz
• North from Santa Cruz through Barlovento
• 'Near' the observatory, in the north
• Elsewhere

Some restaurants close one day each week (indicated if known). Restaurants also close for holidays, especially in July and August; it's worth telephoning beforehand to check.

'Tapas' = snacks, starters.

Please email (crb@ing.iac.es) if you have new information on any of these (or other) restaurants. Many thanks to all who have contributed reviews.

All photos are by Yvonne Makkinje, unless otherwise credited.

Santa Cruz

Casa del Mar

Excellent food. Cool terrace, well back from the road + tables inside building. Particularly good wine list. 40 euros for lunch for 3 (Apr 01).
Directions: ~ 100 m from the post office (or ING office) along the main road (Av. Maritimo) going out of town towards the airport, on the right. Look out for an attractive new building faced with stone, with a large ship's propellor outside.
Tel. 922 416187
Last report 6/04.

La Balandra

Good food, usually. Roomy interior, lots of wood, plus tables outside. There's a floor upstairs for large parties. 50 euros for tapas lunch for 3. No sandwiches.
Directions: ~ 50 m from the post office (or ING office) along the main road (Av. Los Indianos) going out of town towards the airport, on the right just after the bus stop.
Tel. 922 691244 Open 12:00-24:00. Closed Mondays.
Last report 6/07.

Scooter's Pizza Factory

Good pizzas and other food. Highly recommended dessert: hot brownies with ice cream. Good view over the marina.
Directions: Marina, close to where the ferries dock.
Tel. 638 324 900.
Last report 3/11.

Carybom

Good sandwiches and bocadillos, outside seating.
Directions: turn right out of the ING office, it's on the corner.
Closes 14:00 (opens again later).
Last report 4/11.

Tasca La Cuatro

Directions: turn left out of the ING office, it's about 100 m along the road, behind the Cabildo Insular (island government) building.
Tel. ?? Open ??
No report.

Cinnamon bar

Good tapas (~ 35 euros for tapas + drinks for 3)
Directions: Plaza de santo Domingo
Tel. 610 114 199 / 922 410224 Open: Tues - Thurs 12:30 - 16:00, 20:00 - 23:00; Fri - Sat 12:30 - 23:00; Sun 12:30 - 16:00, 20:00 - 23:00.
Last report 12/14.

Bar Papirusa

Good for quick lunch e.g. toasted sandwiches. Tables close to the road, noisy.
Directions: ~ 100 m along the Av. Maritimo going Northwards from the post office.
Tel. ??
Last report 4/02.

Por Fin

Bar in alley near sea front (can be windy). Good sandwiches for lunch. Back under original management as of Apr 01.
Directions: walk along Av Maritimo from Av El Puente, first alley on the right.
Last report 4/02.

Vulcano

Pizzeria, recommended. Good home delivery service (pizzas and other).
Directions: Av El Puente 35 (half-way up, left-hand side), not far from Edificio Tinabana (location of old observatory office).
Tel. 417434. Open Tues 19:00-23:00, Wed - Sun 13:00-16:00, 19:00-23:30.

Mexican restaurant

Mixed reports.
Directions: Av El Puente.

El Chino

Chinese food.
Directions: Calle Pedro Poggio, above the Plaza de Espana (= the main plaza on Calle Real).
Tel. 922416724. Open 12:30-16:00, 19:30-23:30. Closed Wednesdays. Closed forever??

Restaurante Chino

Chinese food.
Directions: Avenida El Puente, about halfway up, left hand side.
Open every day 11:30-16:30, 19:30-24:00.

Bar Canarias (now closed??)

Canarian food. Quality OK.
Directions: corner of El Puente and Avenida Maritimo.
Tel. 922 411020. Open 12:30-16:00, 19:00-23:00. Closed Saturdays.

Casa Lonja

Excellent tapas including many varieties of cured ham, and cheese from all the animals you'd want to eat cheese from. Expensive (the best cured ham is 12 euros per plate), but worth it. Setas (oyster mushrooms) delicious when they put in the right amount of lemon (sometimes they don't). Seats inside (beautiful, old Canarian house), and out.
Directions: on Av Maritimo, ~ 200 m north of Av El Puente, with seats both inside and out
Tel. 922 415266
Last report 6/04.

La Placeta (first-floor restaurant, not the ground-floor bar)

Good food and reasonable service. Banana fritters a speciality. Highly recommended by ELECTRA team. Excellent gazpacho.
Directions: in the small plaza a few 100 m along the Calle Real north of Av. El Puente.
Tel. 922 415273.
Last report 1/03.

Piccolo Pizzeria

Excellent pizzas (takeaway too) and pastas. Tables inside and out.
Directions: the restaurant stretches from Perez de Brito (no. 56) to Avenida Maritimo (enter from either end), and lies about half way between Avenida El Puente and the concrete ship.
Tel. 922 417097
Last report 5/11.

Bruselas

Food OK, reputedly not as good as under former management.
Directions: above the German bar in Avenida Maritimo, about half way between Avenida El Puente and the concrete ship.
Closed Tuesdays.

Bar/Arepera El Encuentro

Excellent arepas (maize envelopes) of meat ('carne mechada'), tuna etc., and the best barraquito con licor (sweet coffee with liqueur) in Santa Cruz. Two arepas (lunch for one) and a barraquito will set you back the enormous sum of 4 euros (plus tip). The wrought-iron seats are all on a hill, so you tend to fall off. Definitely the best place to eat if you've got a sloping bum.
Directions: in Plaza Alameda, at the other end of Calle Real / Perez de Brito from the sea-level office (~ 15 mins walk). The plaza is next to the concrete replica of Columbus' ship, and the arepera is at the opposite of the plaza from the ship. Seating inside and out (NB the seats higher up the slope are for customers of the pizzeria).
Tel. 922 411044 Open every day 09:30 - 24:00.
Last report 3/11.

El Parral

Favourite restaurant of at least one visitor to ING.
Offers home delivery of pizzas (they're OK, nothing exciting).
Directions: one street back from the sea-front, just behind the castle
Tel. 922 416778

Pizzeria Alameda

Good food, but the tables are a bit close-packed. Doesn't offer home delivery of pizzas.
Directions: the Plaza Alameda is near the concrete ship, at the north end of Calle Real.
Tel. 922 420865. Open 18:30-23:30 every day.

Near Santa Cruz

Parador

Excellent food, beautiful place (not to be confused with the old parador in Santa Cruz, which was hideous). Click here and here for photos of patio. Atmosphere a bit sterile. Expect to pay double what you pay anywhere else e.g. 15 euros for steak. Menu and wine list a bit limited. Not as good as Paradores on the mainland.
Directions: follow the signs for 'Parador' on driving south from Santa Cruz (about 15 mins drive). Click here for link to national web page on paradores.
Tel. 922 435828. Open 13:00-15:30, 20:30-23:00 every day.
Last report 4/05.

Airport

Very good pizzas. Binter pilots often buy their dinners here and fly them home in the cockpit, hence the faint aroma of pizza on some evening flights. This is a view from the outside terrace, close to the restaurant.
Directions: airport, upper floor.
Tel. ??. Open ??
Last report 2/03.

Hotel Taburiente, Los Cancajos

Report on the buffet: stick to food freshly prepared by the chef, the others are always cold. This applies to both breakfast and dinner (correspondent notes that two microwave ovens have now been added to warm up the food!).
Directions: On entering Los Cancajos on the road from the north, the huge Hotel Taburiente is a few hundred metres along on the left, you can't miss it.
Tel. ??. Open ??
Last report 1/03.

La Fontana, Los Cancajos

Generally excellent food and service, more formal atmosphere than most restaurants on La Palma, highly recommended (but last correspondent was not too impressed).
Directions: North of Hotel Taburiente. Take the road down to the main beach, turn left at the San Jorge (?) hotel, the restaurant is facing you a few 100 m along the road.
Tel. 922 434729. Open 12:30-23:00.
Last report 1/03.

El Pulpo, Los Cancajos

Good fresh fish dishes (e.g. gallo, tuna), beach-side setting, tables inside and out. Allow ~ 15 euros per person.
Directions: North of Hotel Taburiente. Take the road down to the main beach - the restaurant is on the beach, at the north end.
Tel. 922 434914.
Last report 8/11.

Sadi, Los Cancajos

Good food, tables inside and outside, popular with tourists.
Directions: South of Hotel Taburiente. When driving south along the main road through Los Cancajos, take the last turn on the left. Ristorante Sadi is about half way down on the left.
Tel. 922 181463.
Last report 8/17.

La Caleta, Los Cancajos

Good food, tables inside and outside.
Directions: as for Sadi, except that it's about half way down on the right.
Tel. ???
Last report 8/06.

Nosotros (de Sadi), Los Cancajos

Starters and main course excellent, wine list better than at Sadi's.
Directions: in a lane, turn left after reaching Sadi's (directions above).
Tel. ??.
Last report 1/03.

Bodegon El Campesino, Los Cancajos

Excellent tapas, main courses not tried. Outdoor tables, but below street level, fiendishly hot at lunchtime in the summer.
Directions: South of Hotel Taburiente. Take the last turn left from the main road (one-way) through Los Cancajos. The bar is about two thirds of the way down, below street level.
Tel. 922 181463.
Last report 9/02.

Tiuna, Los Cancajos

All food good. ~ 20 euros for a 3-course meal. Sea view, but hot in summer (and a bit noisy inside).
Directions: North of Hotel Taburiente. It's the greenhouse on the left as you are driving down to the beach.
Tel. 922 434382.
Last report 4/12.

Casablanca, Los Cancajos

Good pizzas. Eating inside or outside.
Meal for 3 ~ 40 e.
Directions: North of Hotel Taburiente, close to the beach, behind Tiuna.
Tel. 922 435199
Last report 8/12.
Tel. 922 435199
Last report 3/2012.

Meson Canario, in the Centro Comercial, Los Cancajos

You can eat inside or out. OK food, bad views (of concrete walls, mostly). Menu of the day ~ 6 euros.
Directions: North of Hotel Taburiente. Take the road to the beach, the Centro Comercial is the near-deserted shopping plaza on the ground floor of the first building on the left.
Tel. 922 181420. Open 12:00-16:00, 18:00-23:00.

La Fragata, Los Cancajos

Food good. Tables inside or outside on terrace.
Directions: upper floor of the main restaurant/bar complex near the beach.
Last report 12/03.

Restaurante Montmartre, Los Cancajos

Food good. Tables inside or outside on terrace. Expect to pay 50 - 60 euros for 3.
Directions: South end of main road through Los Cancajos, on the right when driving South.
Tel. 670 816 255 (mobile)
Last report 3/05.

Tasca Alavasca

Basque food. Tables inside and outside. Tapas for 3 ~ 30 euros.
Directions: a couple of doors north of Restaurante Montmartre (see above)
Tel. 922 434754
Last report 4/06.

La Mocanera, San Antonio

Excllent food and service, highly recommended. Indoor and outdoor sections. The tables outdoors are high above the road level, with a sea view.
Directions: take the main road south from Santa Cruz, follow sign to Los Llanos, then immediately left at the roundabout. On reaching San Antonio, turn right (opposite to the taxi rank). La Mocanera is a few 100 m along on the left.
Tel. 922 435151. Closed 16:00 - 18:00.
Last report 3/06.

Jardin Tropical, Brena Alta

Good food, slow service. Some outdoor tables.
Directions: on the left, about 10 mins drive along the main road from Santa Cruz towards Los Llanos. Looks like a chunk of Las Vegas, you can't miss it.
Tel. 922 429298. Closed Mondays.

El Chinchal, San Pedro

Very good tapas (~ 7 euros each), but not fast. Good place for a coffee. Some outdoor tables.
In the middle of San Pedro, just above the police station and the grassy plaza.
Tel. 922 438003
Last report 4/13.

Chipi-Chipi

Tables in individual cubicles, ideal for large/family groups. Impossible at weekends without booking in advance (people queue for up to 2 hours to get a table). Excellent food (famous for its chicken), limited menu.
Directions: on the road south from Las Nieves, on the right.
Tel. 922 411024.

Los Almendros, Velhoco

Canarian food.
Directions: on the road south from Las Nieves, on the right.
Tel. 922 411288. Open 12:00-16:00, 19:00-23:00. Closed Mondays. Menu in English.
Last report 6/04.

Los Braseros, Candelaria

Grill, outside eating area, good views of Santa Cruz.
Directions: a few km along the observatory road from Mirca, on the left.
Tel. 922 414360. Open 13:30-22:30. Closed Tuesdays. No written menu.

El Pino, Las Ledas

(Now closed, for sale in fact.)
Directions: not quite so easy to find as most of the restaurants listed here. From the road from Brena Alata (S. Pedro) to Mazo, take a left turn at Las Ledas on the road to Brena Baja (San Jose). El Pino is on the right side of this road.

Tres Chimeneas

Good food, pleasant decor, fairly expensive. Separate bar.
Directions: 15 mins along the main road from Santa Cruz to Los Llanos, just after the old airport.
Tel. 922 429470. Closed Mondays after 16:00, and Tuesdays.

El Elefante, Mazo

Recommended. Close to the centre of the village of Mazo. For lunch, only tapas are available.
Tel. 922 440404. Open Tue - Fri 12:00-16:00, 19:00-23:00, Sat 11:00-20:00. (NB closed until 1999 Aug 11).

On the road north from Santa Cruz through Barlovento

Casa Asterio

Canarian food, good service, restaurant the size of a hangar.
Directions: above the road, right-hand side, shortly before the turnoff to the San Bartolome viewpoint.

Los Roques

Typical local restaurant, standard menu. Good grilled food.
Directions: Los Galguitos, a few mins drive north of the long tunnel.
Tel. 922 450416. Open 10:00-24:00. Closed Mondays. Menu in English.
Last report 9/06.

Meson del Mar, Puerto Espindola

Fish a speciality. There are tables on a balcony overlooking the port. Receives bus-loads of tourists, don't arrive at 14:30.
Tel. ??
Last report 1/03.

Restaurant San Andres?

Near the church in San Andres. Better than the restarant at main-road level, clients mainly Spanish. Note from one visitor: "a bunch of locals enhanced their dining, and ours, by breaking out the musical instruments and putting on a stunningly professional impromptu performance."
Tel. ??
Last report 6/04.

Kiosco Charco Azul

Excellent fish. One visitor notes "Smells and tastes great. Big tables and chairs. View across pools and the sea. Everything is painted white and light blue and everything is clean. It's our number one this week. The salads are served with a lot of vegetables and the food is that good that we had to eat a third meal. So we tried the mussels in the grill, the shrimps in garlic and grilled squid. Delicious!"
Directions: Calle El Melomar, close to the sea (you have to walk down a short path).
Tel. 649 838 793 (mobile)
Last report 3/05.

Los Nacientes, Las Lomadas

Food OK, but the mini-waterfall attracts flies.

Hotel Romantica, Barlovento

The hotel is 600 m up, pleasantly cool in the summer, set in lush green gardens. Often excellent food (superb garlic bread) but uneven, service slow, not very friendly. The gardens attract flies; this is one of the few restaurants in La Palma where you have to wave them away while you're eating. The hotel accommodation itself is cramped, beds uncomfortable.
Directions from Santa Cruz: follow the main north road through Barlovento, and instead of turning right at the far side of town, to continue along the main route to Garafia, stay on the old road. Hotel Romantica is a few mins drive further on, signposted on the left. If driving from the observatory, turn left onto the old road on entering Barlovento.
Tel. 922 186261. Open 12:00-24:00. Open every day. Menu in English.
Last report 4/05.

Las Goteras, La Laguna, Barlovento

Canarian food. In the picnic area (which has excellent views, when it's not misty) next to the reservoir outside Barlovento.
Tel. 922 186024. Open 12:00-24:00. Menu in English.

Restaurants 'near' the observatory, in the north

La Briesta

Restaurant, bar, Canarian food. Pleasant setting in the pine trees.
Directions: from the residencia, take the main road towards Garafia (north west), and at Hoya Grande (about 20 mins drive), turn left towards Puntagorda. La Briesta is about 4 km further on, on the left.

El Bernegal, Santo Domingo (= Garafia)

Excellent food, run by ex-residencia staff (Mireille). Highly recommended by ELECTRA team.
Directions: from the residencia, take the main road towards Garafia (north west), and at Hoya Grande turn right. At Llano Negro, turn left towards Santo Domingo (= Garafia). Santo Domingo is a one-street village. Total time from observatory about 1 hour.
Tel. 922 400480. Open 12:30-16:30, 19:00-22:00. Now open every day.

Restaurante Terraza / Bar El Pino, Puntagorda

Quality of food unknown.
Directions: follow the directions for La Briesta, but continue along the main road to Puntagorda. Take the right turn into Puntagorda just before the petrol station on the main road (the restaurant itself is signposted from the main road). About 1 hour from the observatory.

Parilla El Bailadero

Bar and grill, outside eating area. Good food.
Directions: follow the directions for El Bernegal, it's on the right just after the right turn in Hoya Grande. Closest restaurant to the observatory.
Tel. 922 400257. Open 08:30 - 21:00.
Last report 5/02.

Elsewhere (random selection)

La Muralla

Good food. Nice views, especially of ostriches below
Directions: Tijarafe
Te. 922 695371
Last report 12/2016

Taverna Puerto de Tazacorte, Puerto de Tazacorte

Excellent fish, meat, desserts and service (recommended by one group of visitors as the best of four restaurants they tried). Main courses 8 - 14 euros.
Directions: third terrace on the right (yellow sunshades) as you enter Puerto de Tazacorte (street address Plaza Castilla No. 1).
Last report 5/2011.

Salta si puedes

Good food, good service, nice decor.
On the main east-west road through Los Llanos, a few hundred metres west of city centre, on the left-hand side.
Tel. 922 463879. Menu in English (according to which, you can order prawns individually)

Hotel Sol, Puerto Naos

Buffet food, excellent. Varied and tasty.
Last report 3/05.

Bar Faro

Excellent food, friendly service.
Directions: southern tip of the island, near the salt pans.
Last report 3/05.

Bodegas Tamanca

Directions: few km south of La Mancha, on the west side of the island
Tel. 922 494155
Last report 9/17.