At this time of year, with the days getting colder, wetter and shorter, southern Tenerife is the perfect place to head to for a week or two, and forget all about the gloomy weather back home.
We’ve just recently come back from 10 days in Costa Adeje for a much needed top-up of Vitamin D!
Tenerife is definitely not an active holiday for us. It is a place to relax, enjoy some sun, a gin and tonic or two by the pool and generally just recharging. Honestly, the only time we really get up and move is to walk along the sea-front promenade to find a pretty spot to grab some food!
There are countless cafes and restaurants all along the waterfront in southern Tenerife, and Costa Adeje is certainly no exception.
But, we did find that some restaurants in Costa Adeje are best avoided…
Even though most places seemed busy day in and day out, I’m thinking this is really only because of their waterfront location, rather than because of the food they serve.
Full disclosure: We had some really dismal meals!
In an attempt to spare you the same disappointing fate, here’s my take on the best and worst restaurants in Costa Adeje!
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Lunch – Best Restaurants in Costa Adeje
Wine & Cafe – Tapas Bar
This little place is without a doubt our absolute favourite cafe in Costa Adeje. Whether you’re looking for a refreshing drink or a light lunch, you absolutely have to stop off at Wine & Cafe Tapas Bar. There are only about 6 tables with front-row sea views, but despite this, we always managed to grab a spot.
The service here is top-notch, despite it seemingly being just a two-person team. Bridget from Hungary is extremely attentive and friendly. Her Spanish partner is a bit quieter but will happily chat away about the local area if you ask.
Drinks are very reasonably priced, only €4.50 for a local gin and tonic!
The mixed bruschetta is a great shared lunch plate for two, or opt for the cold tapas platter for a pre-dinner snack.
If you’re looking for an after-dinner drink, as the name might suggest, Wine & Cafe Tapas Bar also serves great wine at great prices!
Ten O’Clock
Not far from Wine & Cafe, Ten O’Clock is a bit bigger with more tables with a view. The service is fast, mostly thanks to Oscar, a young waiter who seems to be everywhere at once.
The food is tasty, plentiful and cheap, and the views are wonderful.
I recommend their special sandwich, although the burgers are good too. And, the mojito I had here suggests their cocktails are worth a try!
Both of these cafes are on the lower end of Costa Adeje, towards Playa de Las Americas.
La Farola Del Mar
There are endless cafes and restaurants along Playa de Fañabé. La Farola Del Mar was one of the few we enjoyed.
They serve lunch and dinner, as well as coffee and cakes if that takes your fancy. Plus, they serve a mean gin and tonic! I loved my fruity strawberry option!
Throughout our lunch, there was excellent live music provided by a guy playing the keyboard piano.
This restaurant is on the ‘second row’ so to speak, up from the beach, providing a nice view from a higher vantage point.
Lunch – Worst Restaurants in Costa Adeje
Samoa Beach Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
The food is ok, but the service is very slow at Samoa Beach.
Which might be fine… You’re on holidays after all.
But, it was hard to get the waiter’s attention and despite there only being two of them, it wasn’t possible to order drink and food from the same waiter? One only took drinks orders, while the other only took food orders…
For me, when lunchtime comes around and I’m teetering on the edge of Hangry, this frustrated me no end.
Dinner – Best Restaurants in Costa Adeje
Restaurante Mario
The decor, including the red and white checkered tablecloths, suggests Restaurante Mario is an Italian restaurant. But, other than a few pizzas, the menu didn’t really seem to support that.
What I will say is that I had fantastic steak here. Twice. For an excellent price and in a lovely ambiance.
The portions were large and we were over the moon to get some proper vegetables for once. Vegetables seem hard to come by in most restaurants in Costa Adeje!
All the staff were extremely attentive and friendly (beware – some of them like to joke around, so don’t take anything too seriously!) and the service was quick.
Embassy
This restaurant is located on the main street so no view and a bit less ambiance compared to Restaurante Mario. But, to my earlier point, this does mean they have to try harder and this is evident in the quality of their food and service.
As with Restaurante Mario, we came back to Embassy again a second time because of the delicious food and wine.
I tried both their steak and pasta, and both were scrumptious!
Gran Maison
Right next to Embassy, Gran Maison is another “proper” restaurant in Costa Adeje with a nice vibe to boot.
The pasta and stroganoff we had were both super tasty.
They also do some great meal deals for two, which includes dinner and a bottle of wine for a set price.
La Hacienda
Depending on where you’re staying, if you’re up for a bit of a walk (about 20mins), La Hacienda is the place to go for your Mexican food fix!
This restaurant is part of Bahia del Duque resort so it is definitely quite a bit more expensive, especially for the portion sizes.
I had tacos, but had to order a second portion as the single portion of 3 small soft-shell tacos was not enough for a dinner meal. The fajitas were very good though and sufficient for a meal.
Both meals were mouth-wateringly delicious!
Dinner – Worst Restaurants in Costa Adeje
Restaurant Monica
Ironically, their menu board boasts “We Love The Flavour,” but, sadly, flavour was largely missing.
Quite simply, the food was awful.
The meat was extremely dry with no seasoning whatsoever. Getting wafts from a smelly nearby drain didn’t do much to add to our appetite.
Like many places, Restaurant Monica has live music every night, but we found it to be too loud, making conversation difficult.
Also, beware – if you do go here (don’t do it!), they will serve you bread and olives to start. But, these are not complimentary – They will charge you €1.20 unless you tell your waiter you don’t want it.
Restaurant Blue Marlin
If you think €8.95 for a 3-course meal is too good to be true, you are absolutely right.
We did have our misgivings, but it was our first night and we just wanted to grab a quick meal.
I made the mistake of ordering fish. This was definitely a bad choice! It was very slimy and covered in gloopy sauce. Blue Marlin comes in first equal with Monica for one of the worst restaurants in Costa Adeje.
You have been warned.
Harley’s American Restaurant & Bar
We walked by Harley’s Restaurant a few times and it had all the promise of being a decent burger joint.
It seemed akin to a Hard Rock Cafe from the outside, with old American cars converted to booths where you can sit and enjoy a drink or your meal.
Harley’s is on a small one-way street but it was a lot busier with traffic than we had expected.
The waitress was friendly and the portions were big. But, the chips and wedges were clearly not freshly cooked. They tasted like they had been sitting there all day waiting for us to order them… I found the burger itself to be a bit dry as well.
The Best Place For Just a Drink?
Restaurante Mania
If you’re walking the promenade and feel in need of refreshments, Restaurante Mania is the perfect spot to stop off.
We did not have any food here so I can’t comment on that but there is a huge outdoor seating area, providing an ideal spot for people watching.
They also have an incredible gelato selection!
The Worst Place For Just a Drink?
Monkey Beach Club
I was excited to go to Monkey Beach Club for a drink. It has a fun African-themed decor, with a variety of seating.
Unfortunately, the wine was absolutely awful and the service even worse.
Definitely not one to recommend!
Booking.com
I really appreciate this and would love to add my tips. We went to Gandhi’s for dinner and had absolutely fabulous food there. The waiter was a bit of a joker (I’m virtually vegan, and made a joke about the Gandhi Special which includes meat, fish and fowl!) but the waiter brought the order and announced ‘Chicken Rogan…’ while I triggered back, ‘No!’ before realising he’d got me… My non veggie Man said he’d had the best Indian there ever – felt wonderful afterwards. We tried Gran Maison. He was impressed. I was too – but less so. Neither of us are fans of Canarian potatoes but I like chips less (I’m a health freak – except when it comes to wine…) but I had the Gold Bream (fish) with him because of the dual deal which was very good. Not excellent, though… Have we had an excellent meal here (apart from Gandhi, which is hardly Canarian cuisine)? Not yet… but we’re here for five months, so we’ll have plenty of time to explore – and I’ll write about it! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks so much for your lovely comment and the great restaurant recommendation! I’m pretty sure I do know Gandhi’s, but we never did go there even though I absolutely LOVE a good Indian! I’ll store this away for the next time we get to Tenerife. I’m with you on the Canarian potatoes, not the biggest fan but they’re ok. And wow! 5 months!! That sounds amazing – have a wonderful time and let me know if you come across any other winners!
Hey Joannda awesome tips! I also have a suggestion but this restaurant is not in Costa Adeje, but if you have a car it is also worthwhile to visit Mesón Era Las Mozas. This is one of my favorite local restaurants in Tenerife.
Hi Janette! Thanks for the additional suggestion! I’ll be sure to add it to my list for my next visit to Tenerife 🙂
Your restaurant review is great – thank you.
We are off to Tenerife Easter 2020 – first holiday just me, hubby and daughter so want everything to be perfect!
Lots of ideas of where to eat now.
Did you by any chance do any of the day trips? Been looking at the Viking Cruise in particular.
Thanks again, hopefully will come across more of your reviews x
Hi Debbie, I’m so glad you found the list helpful! We didn’t do any day trips this time around. We have done a trip to mount Teide in the past but it’s so long ago now I wouldn’t know what company that was with anymore. Sorry I can’t help you with the cruise but I’d love to hear how you get on 🙂
Limoncello Paseo Maritimo ( Playa Fanabae)
This restaurant is excellent and is situated overlooking the sea in the Fanabae area of Costa Adeje.
Only eaten here once but you must try the steaks- restaurant ambiance is good and staff were very attentive.
One for your list.
Thanks for the suggestion, Les! I do love me a good steak 🙂 I’ll definitely add it to my list for the next time I’m in Costa Adeje!
Great post Joannda! It’s so good that you also included some worst places to avoid for other travelers. 😉 I’ve been to Tenerife last year, but not actually in Costa Adeje. I’ve felt in love with San Cristóbal de La Laguna! That was a wonderful city full of colors! I wish to come back one day to Canary islands and hope to live there for few months. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on San Cristóbal de La Laguna! I hadn’t heard of it before, and haven’t really spent any time in northern Tenerife so far. I hear it’s quite different to southern Tenerife 🙂
Oooh, I hope you manage to go and live there for a few months, what a great plan!
Guides like this are such a good idea. It’s always good to know where you should and shouldn’t eat when visiting someplace. Though you had to suffer through some bad meals and servers, at least others have now been warned to avoid these places.
Glad you enjoyed the guide on where to eat and where to avoid 🙂 It’s definitely useful to be able to avoid mistakes others have already made!
Awesome post, the tapas and the steak look amazing and it’s very useful to know which places to avoid! Reading this has also made me miss the sun quite a lot! Thanks for sharing 🙂 xx
Thanks, Laura! We definitely had some great food! Seeking out the sun at this time of year is something we try to do most years, for our mental well-being if nothing else 😉
I’m headed to Tenerife in 2019 and good food is important to my stress-free travel plan. I cannot take a slimy fish with gloopy sauce. I’ll probably buy a flight back the next day. Haha! Thanks for the recommendations!!
Bad food is the worst!! I hope you have a slimy-fish-free holiday! I’m glad you found the post useful 🙂