Bars and
cafes
spill onto the plazas and
pedestrian streets of central
Santa Cruz. While the obvious
choices for a quick coffee or
snack are around the Plaza
Candelaria, most of the cafes
here are nothing special and a
bit overpriced. A couple of
minutes inland you'll find
more interesting and better
value places favoured by
locals. Likewise, though there
is a fair selection of
restaurants
near the Plaza Candelaria, and
particularly along the Avenida
de Anaga, there's a bigger
selection among the pedestrian
streets of the centre and
there are a number of cafes
and restaurants around Plaza
de la Paz, a ten-minute walk
northwest of Plaza Candelaria.
Finally, as you might expect
in a capital city, expect to
pay a little more for your
food in Santa Cruz than in
other towns on the island.
Each restaurant listed in the
Guide
has been categorized as either
inexpensive (under ?6),
moderate (?6- ?10) and
expensive (above ?10) -
indicating the price of an
average main course.
Cañas y Tapas ,
Avda Anaga 15. Branch of the
Iberian restaurant chain with
dark wood and tile decor and
some outside seating, opposite
the city's main harbour and
beside one of its busiest
roads. Large selection of
long-standing tapas favourites
such as blood sausage, a
salami platter and octopus are
available. As usual, eating an
entire meal based on numerous
tapas works out to be quite
expensive, but at least
selections here are dependably
good and vegetarians will find
quite a few options. Moderate
to expensive.
Cervecería Central
, Santa Rosalia 47. Large
restaurant in pleasant
plaza-side location. This is a
good option for lunch, with a
fair selection of tapas,
sandwiches, omelettes and
scrambled-egg dishes and an
acceptable gazpacho. More
substantial meals are provided
by a predictable range of
local fish and meat dishes.
Moderate.
Coto de Antonio ,
C/General Goded 13. tel
922/272 105. This elegant
simply decorated restaurant is
a consistently popular choice
with locals and visitors
alike. The excellent menu is
based around Basque and
Canarian cuisine, with superb
and varied daily dishes made
from local produce from the
town's market as well as
regular favourites including
roast kid from the
restaurant's own farm. Closed
Sun & Aug. Expensive.
Da Gi Gi , Avda De
Anaga 43. tel 922/284 607.
Italian restaurant, with two
outlets - the other is at
Rambla General Franco 27 (
tel 922/274 326) - each with
stylish brick interiors and
located in the city's most
popular dining areas. The menu
features a good selection of
antipasta, an excellent range
of fresh pastas and a large
selection of fantastic
thin-crust pizzas. Service is
quick (take out is also
available) and the restaurant
on the Avda De Anaga has some
outdoor seating. Moderate.
El Libano ,
C/Santiago Cuadrado 36. tel
922/285 914. Simple Lebanese
restaurant tucked in a side
street and popular with the
locals. The large menu
includes old favourites such
as kebabs and stuffed vine
leaves, but also includes some
more unusual dishes such as beme
, an excellent traditional
vegetable dish. Superb
selection of vegetarian
dishes. Moderate.
El Rincon de la Píedra
, C/Benavides 32. tel 922/249
778. Stunningly cavernous and
beautiful old house with
restored woodwork, beamed
ceilings and a friendly
atmosphere. The food includes
a good range of fine salads
and some fish, but the
restaurant is best known for
its meat dishes including a
superb solomillo .
Closed Thurs. Expensive.
Mesón Castellano ,
C/de Lima 4. tel 922/271 074.
Atmospheric basement
restaurant serving Castilian
food, fish and meat, and
specializing in a range of
sausage-based dishes. The
rustic little bar on the
ground floor above the
restaurant is pleasant place
for a quiet drink. Closed Sun.
Expensive.
Pans & Company ,
C/Villalba Hervás 18. The
fast-food ambience created
through the glass-and-plastic
decor belies the restaurant's
good healthy menus that
include salads and bocadillos
, which are particularly good
value when chosen as part of a
set meal. Open until 3am.
Inexpensive.
Pavarotti Pizzeria ,
C/de la Luna 4. Popular
restaurant for various Italian
specialities, where the bulk
of the seating is in a
pleasant broad pedestrian
alley. The predictable (but
good) range of pizza and pasta
on the menu is joined by more
creative house specialities
such as giant stuffed tomatoes
and an excellent selection of
marinated vegetables.
Moderate.
Viet-Nam , Paseo 4.
Smart but unpretentious
restaurant where diners have
the option of sitting outdoors
in an alley of bustling bars.
The 150-dish menu offers a
wide range of Vietnamese and
oriental cuisine. The
excellent seafood dishes are
well worth trying. Moderate.
