EATING wELL fOR iNCREDIBLY cHEAP pRICES…

How could there possibly be a better choice?

Well, you are lucky! There are a lot of hidden places on the island where you can enjoy some good food for very competitive prices. They are mostly located on the north side of the Island of Tenerife, in the garage or courtyard of a rural family home. These family establishments are guachinches, Tenerife’s greatest gastronomic treasure.

TELL THE STORY

Once upon a time… a guachinche

According to the legend, these establishments were places where the farmers sold their surplus wine to the British, avoiding having to pay intermediary fees. In the past, a guachinche  was a small room with low pretensions and dirt floor, where the farmers placed a small stand to sell the harvest and offer traditional local food: Tomato salad, goat cheese, chickpeas stew, pork stew and rabbit. Today they are open to the public and look nicer than before, but the guachinches  still keep their natural essence: sell the harvest offering local food in a rural and familiar environment.

HOW TO FIND THEM

Choose your favorite

In certain seasons, between November and May when the harvest comes to an end, and particularly in the northern towns, such as Tacoronte, El Sauzal, Tegueste, La Matanza de Acentejo, La Victoria de Acentejo, Santa Úrsula and El Valle de La Orotava, you will find a very wide range of them. Only in Santa Úrsula, with a population of around 14.000 inhabitants, there are 90 guachinches, which open for the season. Only recently, the guachinches have been regulated by law. They are only allowed to do business for four months a year, sell their own wine, which has previously gone through quality controls, and the owners must have a food handler certification. Some of them have become so popular over the years that they have turned into restaurants to legally open all year around.

Please note that you won’t find coffee, dessert, tobacco dispensers or alcohol at a guachinche, because they don’t have a special license, but they do offer a warm atmosphere, the experience of eating and drinking house wine with the locals for very reasonable prices and tasting Tenerife’s authentic cuisine. To go on a Sunday would be like the cherry on top of the cake. Many guachinches offer their guests delicious grilled suckling pig. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit a guachinche during your stay in Tenerife. You will be very happy with your experience.

You will find our favourite guachinches on the map below. If you still want to locate them all, we recommend you to use Guachapp, the perfect app to find guachinches and wine houses. You will be able to spot them and find the nearest one to you, read guest reviews and rate your experience and the standard of service you received. You can download the iPhone or Android version.