4 ways to sample the flavours of Gran Canaria 

Over the past decade, Gran Canaria has emerged as one of Spain’s most exciting food and drink destinations. A wave of restaurants and bars – from Michelin to rustic – helmed by homegrown chefs has reinvented Canarian cuisine – making the most of fantastic, fresh local ingredients from mar y montaña (sea and mountains) and placing Gran Canaria firmly on every gourmet’s bucket list. Add to that, an evolving wine landscape with small – often family run – bodegas producing wonderful expressions of Indigenous grape varieties, as well as immersive food experiences such as banana and coffee plantation visits and tastings, it’s easy to see why Gran Canaria is becoming a cultural and gastronomic hotspot.  

Wine has been produced in the Canary Islands for centuries – ever since the Spanish brought vines here in the 1400s. William Shakespeare was said to have had a barrel of ‘Canary’ wine as part of his salary. The wines have improved from the sweet wines of Shakespearean times and Gran Canaria now has a host of producers making extraordinary wines from some of the 18 native Canarian grape varieties.  

Red wine fans are in luck as more than 70% of the wine produced here is red, although there are also some stellar whites, roses, sparkling and dessert wines, too. A few years ago, the island created the Ruta del Vino de Gran Canaria – a self-guided wine trail that includes vineyards, bodegas, bars and restaurants that produce or showcase local wines. It’s currently the only such route in the Canary Islands, and it includes many small, family-run wineries who are delighted to open their doors (and tasting rooms) to thirsty visitors. The most common grape varieties to look out for are Listán Negro (flavours of sour cherry, raspberries and black pepper) and Tintilla (black fruits, chocolate and liquorice). For something a little different, visit Bodegas Bentayga whose vineyards are at 1,000m above sea level. If you prefer bars to bodegas, try Vinófilos in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which feels like a giant library of wine. 

Thanks to the year-round temperate climate (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was for a long time considered the city with the best climate in the world) and fertile volcanic soils, you can pretty much grow anything here. As you travel around the island, you see and drive through plantations of bananas, tropical fruits and tomatoes.   

Gran Canaria is also the only place in Europe that grows coffee. Make your way to the Agaete valley in the northwest of the island to the Bodega Los Berrazales, where you’ll be able to have a tour of the coffee plantation and vineyard, as well as try and buy the beans and ground coffee. Bananas have been grown here commercially for more than 100 years and exported all over the world (it’s where London’s Canary Wharf get its name). Learn all about the history of the island’s biggest agricultural export at Mundo del Plátano near the town of Arucas. You’ll get a tour of the banana plantation and try banana products including jams, liqueurs and even wine.  

There are farmers’ markets nearly every day of the week in Gran Canaria, so you’re never far from colourful local produce. One of the most traditional takes place every weekend in Teror, where the sleepy town comes alive with stalls selling everything from cheeses to pastries, charcuterie to fresh fruit. Don’t miss the town’s iconic chorizo – a soft spreadable variety laced with paprika and spices. There are also many municipal markets open during the week where you can pick up local delicacies and authentic souvenirs. Try the market in the centre of the old Indigenous capital of Gáldar, where you should seek out Queso Flor de Guía – a creamy local cheese made using thistle flowers.  

Looking for dishes rather than ingredients? Make a stop at Mercado del Puerto in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a gastro-market packed with tapas bars and food stalls, such as Piscos Y Buches where you can taste small plates using local ingredients washed down with Canarian wine. If you’re here in the evening, you might even be serenaded with live music, as the market hosts regular jazz and acoustic nights. 

Did you know that Gran Canaria is part of the Taste of Spain Association – an initiative that supports and promotes young chefs to find new creative ways to use local ingredients? It could be the reason that the island now counts among its roster of restaurants some impressive Michelin stars. One of those is Muxgo in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which holds a Green Michelin star – awarded to restaurants leading the way in sustainable practices. Its brainchild, Borja Marrero, sources as much as possible from his finca high in the mountains of Gran Canaria.

There are also eight Michelin-recommended spots across the island, including the Casa Romántica near Agaete, which also has a zero-kilometre approach to its ingredients whereby ingredients are sourced as near as possible to where the dishes are prepared and enjoyed by diners. They offer both a tasting menu and à la carte, but all the dishes are distinctly Canarian and use the very best local produce.