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The 11 best Lanzarote restaurants
Discover where to eat in Lanzarote, including suckling pigs and boat-fresh fish
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You still see the British cooked breakfast outlets and mass market 'traditional' restaurants serving average fare in the resorts (especially Puerto del Carmen), but a slew of Lanzarote restaurants have also moved upmarket in other resorts, the island capital of Arrecife and in the hinterland.
Island restaurateurs have responded to the desire to savour locally sourced produce, which Lanzarote offers in abundance – particularly seafood. Lanzarote’s Malvasia wines are handily an ideal foil for seafood. Restaurant owners have also responded to the desire to sample more creative cooking to spice up the traditional dishes.
Restaurante Lilium
The shining star of Arrecife’s emerging Marina district, well deserving of the Michelin Bib Gourmand it was awarded in 2019. It’s an apposite symbol of the modern face of Arrecife, with chef Orlando Ortega working in an open kitchen and a striking glass façade that opens up views across the marina. The white linen tablecloths may be traditional, but the menu is creative, as it plays with local produce, such as sardines paired with cheese and tuna laced with a punchy ponzu sauce. A stand out is the suckling pig, cooked sous vide style. The best tables at this compact restaurant are on the terrace overlooking the marina.
Contact: restaurantelilium.com
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
![Lilium, Lanzarote](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Spain/Lanzarote/restaurant-lilium-lanzarote-restaurants.jpg?imwidth=350)
Mexico Lindo
If all that boat-fresh grilled local seafood smothered in delicious Canarian mojo sauce gets too much, Playa Blanca now has an ethnic eatery worthy of a detour. The hotel’s only a la carte option soars across the Atlantic for an authentic sojourn to Mexico. Kick off with tastebud-tickling fresh ceviche, or Yucatan chicken and lime soup, washed down with a proper tequila, then move on to one of their fully loaded tacos. For something a little different opt for red snapper wrapped in banana skin with poblano chilli strips. It’s worth lingering on for a cocktail too as they mix a decent one here. On hot nights you can sit outside and feel the ocean breezes as the resort’s pools bubble in the distance.
Contact: barcelo.com/en-gb/barcelo-bavaro-palace/cuisine/mexico-lindo
Reservations: Essential
Prices: ££
Castillo de San José
The setting is breathtaking, occupying a prime position within the oceanfront Castillo de San Jose in Arrecife, in a stylish space that was brilliantly refashioned by Lanzarote’s uber architect Cesar Manrique. Go local to start with croquettes fashioned with a trio of local cheese, smoked paprika and gofio, topped off with a sweet homemade fig jam. Then dine with the great visionary – “Manrique’s Fish” is fish fillets in a traditional broth cream accompanied by local potatoes, pumpkin, beetroot and sweet potato. Or savour their signature beef tartare, prepared at your table. Dine within the sturdy old walls, but enjoy the big feature windows out to the Atlantic. Ideal for a romantic rendezvous.
Contact: cactlanzarote.com/en/cact/museo-internacional-arte-contemporaneo
Reservations: Essential
Prices: ££
Cofradia de Pescadores
This simple restaurant is run by the local fishing co-operative. Enjoy the fruits of the labours of the local fishing fleet, right down by the harbour and fish market in Playa Blanca. There are no frills in their basic dining room and brisk, at times brusque, service. Swirl in a few words of Spanish, though, and boat-fresh delights await. Ask to see the fresh fish of the day, priced by weight. If you’re unsure, a shared platter offers a smorgasbord of goodies. Superb fish that's as fresh as can be are at a serious markdown, compared to the island’s hotels. Well priced Lanzarote wines too.
Address: Calle El Chinchorro
Contact: 00 34 928 34 90 66; no website
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
Costa Azul
A sprinkling of seafood restaurants line the rugged black lava coastline of the picturesque coastal village of El Golfo. Costa Azul is the best. You can dine inside, but the dining room feels a little dark and uninviting compared to the terrace where you enjoy big skies and Atlantic surf. Atlantic prawns (cooked with garlic) or grilled limpets tempt, before a fresh fish main. Order the bocinegro if it’s available, a flavoursome local fish that doesn’t need garlic. Their paella is superb too. You will want to stay on afterwards with a glass of crisp Lanzarote Malvasia.
Address: Av. Marítima, 8, 35570 El Golfo
Contact: 00 34 928 17 31 99; no website
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
Villa Toledo
The new face of Costa Teguise is on show in this spectacularly set eatery. Dining in this glass-walled restaurant feels like being aboard a ship, as it hangs out over the ocean and a salty tang fills the air on their expansive terrace. Atlantic tuna spiced up with Canarian red mojo sauce tempts on the menu alongside paella. Even better than paella is their take on that mainland Spanish classic, fideua, made with noodles rather than rice. The dynamic team here also offer an excellent brunch – the tortilla, laced with chorizo, turbocharges your day.
Contact: restaurantevillatoledo.com
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
![Villa Toledo, Lanzarote](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Spain/Lanzarote/villa-toledo-lanzarote-restaurants.jpg?imwidth=350)
Mercado Diecisiete
Many of the restaurants dotted around Costa Teguise’s Plaza del Pueblo Marinero (charmingly conjured up by Cesar Manrique to evoke a whitewashed Canarian village) are average. This isn’t. The interior is bright and breezy, just the right side of hipster, though on a warm evening best dine outside in the buzzing square. Watch them cook your steak just how you like it in the open kitchen then have it topped with a spicy green peppercorn sauce. They are creative too, with the unlikely sounding tomato marmalade cheesecake an unexpected delight. A choice of Lanzarote Malvasia wine by the glass, which is a rare, but welcome, pleasure.
Address: Plaza Pueblo Marinero, 2
Contact: 00 34 928 34 62 26; no website
Opening times: Daily, 1pm-11pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££
La Cantina Teguise
This old world charmer is set in a whitewashed historic house in Teguise, the oldest village in Lanzarote. Teguise’s Sunday morning market is one of the most famous in Macaronesia, and dining here afterwards makes an ideal day out. Sound provenance is a key focus. Mains include the local catch of the day and Iberian pork fillet marinaded in mandarin, soy and garlic. There is also a fresh, bright tapas menu that allows you to discover the island’s produce, such as superb Lanzarote smoked salmon (from Ugo) and some of the island cheeses (the goat cheeses are especially good). Washed down, of course, with a glass of their excellent Lanzarote wines, or one of their craft beers.
Contact: cantinateguise.com
Reservations: Recommended (essential on Sunday)
Prices: ££
![La Cantina Teguise, Lanzarote](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Spain/Lanzarote/cantina-teguise-lanzarote-restaurants.jpg?imwidth=350)
Típico Canario
Many a restaurant enjoys an ocean view on the promenade in Playa Blanca, but few do simple Canarian specialities as well as Típico Canario. Yes, the service gets stretched at this no-frills restaurant when they are busy and no, they won’t be troubling the Michelin inspectors, but for honest Canarian food, it delivers. Seafood features heavily, but the traditional hearty goat and lamb dishes of the hinterland also appear, with both red and green mojo sauces on hand alongside those irresistible salted potatoes (papas arrugadas). You can just pop in for tapas and a glass of Malvasia, too.
Address: Avenida Maritima, 36, Playa Blanca
Contact: 00 34 928 51 91 37; no website
Opening times: Daily, 11am-11pm
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £
Jameos del Agua
It’s another aesthetically pleasing treat from Lanzarote’s uber architect Cesar Manrique. The jaw-dropping lair he fashioned here – with underground tunnels and pools set into the volcanic caverns – is positively Bond villain. This is a unique chance to dine in a lava cave restaurant after a wee aperitif by the water. They now offer a la carte as well as set menus. Kick off with the likes of fried Lanzarote smoked cheese spiced with carrot jam, followed by fresh fish, a well-cooked steak or Saharan squid with those irresistible salted wrinkly Canarian potatoes. The setting is sublime and the gloriously playful, unwaveringly tasteful, ghost of Manrique is everywhere. Live music and DJs add even more atmosphere on summer evenings at weekends.
Contact: cactlanzarote.com
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
![Jameos del Agua, Lanzarote](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Spain/Lanzarote/jameos-del-agua-lanzarote.jpg?imwidth=350)
Restaurante Esencia
Exciting chef David Perez Ruiz is at the helm of this impressive gastronomic temple. Their sumptuous multi-course degustation menu is one of the finest culinary treats, not only on Lanzarote but anywhere in the Canaries. Traditional Canarian produce is brilliantly reinvented – take the local fish cherne, which is transformed with a langoustine reduction and their house red mojo. The setting is suitably dramatic, a whitewashed old structure that has been opened up with floor-to-ceiling windows in a startling modern extension.
Contact: restauranteesencia.com
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££
![Restaurante Esencia, Lanzarote](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Spain/Lanzarote/restaurant-esencia-lanzarote-restaurants.jpg?imwidth=350)
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
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