Andrea’s Tenerife Vegan Food Guide

After a summer in Sweden with a lot of work, we are back on Tenerife, Costa Adeje area. If there is anything else I love than travel and natural skincare it’s food. So let me share some places or alternatives for vegan food I have discovered here:

THE LOCAL RESTAURANTS

Just right in front of our apartment we have a local Arepera called El Volante. The typical canarian food and its heavily Venezuelan influenced cuisine, parade a lot of meat, cheese and egg, fish and seafood tapas-like dishes but luckily, there are some super delicious plant-based staples you find anywhere.
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• Pimientos de Padrón 4.50€ – tiny green non spicy peppers, grilled and topped with coarse sea salt.
• Papas Arrugadas 2€ – typical canarian potatoes cooked in vastly salted water (originally sea water) until wrinkly and usually served with the typical mojo sauces.
• Mojo sauces, free as a side or 1.50€ for both – come as a spicy red version called Mojo Rojo or a mild green version called Mojo Verde. Both are naturally vegan and made from peppers, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and other spices and herbs. Sometimes you’ll be served Aioli and bread as a starter, if you don’t eat mayonnaise, make sure to let the staff know!
• Potaje 2.80€ – is a hearty thick stew and can come with or without meat or fish. Usually you’ll easily find a veggie version anywhere.
• Arepas 2€ – ground corn is a staple on the canary islands. Together with water and salt, it is fried into crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, hand-sized cornbread pockets stuffed with different local fillings. Make sure to go with ”solo verduras” or ”solo vegetables” (only vegetables) and why not add ”no queso” (no cheese).

IKEA

Next place, if you’re in need of cheap vegan no BS food is – believe it or not – Ikea Just outside Santa Cruz, the capital of the island. We needed some home-stuff and made it for breakfast to the IKEA in-shop restaurant. We totally paid 5.75€. After paying for our shopping, we went to the IKEA Bistro because they have the plant-based sausage that I was dying to try! The sausages and a Lingonberry drink cost 2€ in total. BTW, did you know IKEA is one of the worlds largest food exporter?
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• Grain sandwich with Hummus, tomato and bellpepper (no additives on the ingredient list!!).
• Fresh seasonal fruit salad.
• Coffee with heated soy milk.
• Hot Dogs topped with red pickled cabbage, mustard and crunchy fried onion.
• Lingonberry drink.

SAMELO VEG

If you love new food experiences, then Samelo Veg is you place to go! In a surreal little new built coastal village called Abades. Surreal because the white, crisp little houses suddenly appear out of a barren volcanic moon-landscape. They serve a very creative, ever changing seasonal menu so you wont get a paper-menu, just read off the chalk board. All food is a generous portion and costs between 7-10€ for a dish or 15€ for the big sample platter.
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• Three different home-baked bread samples and Aioli as a free starter.
• Sample Platter 15€ – to share for two, six small dishes aesthetically served on a wooden board. (we got an extra sample of Hummus)
• Burger with fried potatoes 10€.
• Water Kefir Mojito 3.50€ – we chose without rum.
• Bottle of still water 1.50€.

ECO BRUNCH & CAFÉ

A vegeterian eco café where the menu is vegan based but you can choose vegetarian add-ons like cheese and eggs. They have a changing seasonal menu and are situated right in the heart of Los Cristianos, actually right next to the Food Court Mercado La Pepa where another vegan restaurant is by the name K Vegan. We had a couple of breakfast options that were served very pretty but didn’t taste any better than you would make at home. So, unfortunately nothing special for the price. The setting is very beautiful and cozy though. No starter was served.
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• Stuffed champignon with toast and spinach 5.50€ – didn’t come on toast though
• Avocado toast with cilantro 5.50€
• Mushrooms on toast on Avocado 5.50€
• two coffee, one with soy milk 1.50€, 1.80€

LA PEPA – K VEGAN AND OTHER OPTIONS

Inside the modern market inspired food court of La Pepa, on the third floor, is K Vegan. They have home brewn Kombucha and serve simple vegan dishes. Prices for Wraps, Burgers, Falafel is 6€, hEarty Stir Frys and Stews based on rice, quinoa or kale go for around 8€, Hummus, Falafel, Samosas, Croquettes for around 5€. The food is OK, just don’t expect any flavor explosion in your mouth. Next to K Vegan is an Asian stall with some vegan options (Pad Thai with Tofu and other for 8€, Miso Soup, Tofu Avocado Ginger Salad, Dumplings 4.50-5€), and also a salad bar with fresh pressed juices. There is also a tea and coffee shop, a bar, Mexican, Canarian etc stalls, confectionery and so on. All food venues display their meals and you just go and order anywhere and anything you like, choose any table and enjoy the views. There is a playground for the kids as well.
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OLIVE GARDEN

Situated on the second floor of La Pepa is Olive Garden Deli, a British bakery bistro confectionery (I cant really put my finger on it), and they serve a vegetarian British style breakfast in different sizes. Totally enough is the smallest one for 3.95€ but there are also the X-Treme 4.95€ and Mega X-Treme 5.95. The vegetarian sausage (made with cheese) and eggs can be exchanged to anything else. You can choose between fresh tomatoes or canned plum ones, white toast or wholemeal (baked in house), butter or margarine… Good price and you’ll probably love this if you had a tough night out but don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll feel light and gracious after! We all know the Brits like to fry everything and anything.
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BUENAVIDA

Inside the C.C. Fanabe, this lovely place offers some simple but ravishing dishes like salads, burgers, Hot Dogs and bowls but they also make your mouth water with some artistically composed platters, sides, mains, cakes and more. Overall, they have a really high standard, serve beautifully made homemade plant-based wholefood dishes just like Samelo Veg. Unfortunately we havnt’t eaten there ourselves yet but I’ve run by to enjoy a soy-latte or a huge peace of chocolate cake on the go! Dished rage from 4.50€ – 10€
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ANY SUPERMARKET

All fruit and vegetables are a fast on-the-go food. You can also find ready made Hummus, couscous salads, bottled smoothies or why no pressing your own fresh orange juice right in the fruit and veggie section of the supermarket. But the one product I love the most is Gazpacho. The Andalusian cold, hearty, raw vegetable soup that you can find anywhere in Spain. You find one liter for 2-4€, get yourself a nice peace of wholemeal bread, find a cozy green spot and enjoy the perfect pick-nick.

FINCA LA CALDERA

This is not a restaurant but a huge local farm. You can go to their farm-shop for seasonal fresh veggies and fruit or, if you plan to stay a little longer at the island and have access to a kitchen, you can order their huge veggie-boxes and get them delivered for free right to your door. A huge box for one to two persons is 10€, an even bigger box for two to three people is 15€. To order, contact them via Whats App +34 669 88 64 45
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AGROMERCADO ADEJE

Also not a restaurant but a fresh produce food hall where local farmers sell their produce. Mostly veggies ans fruit but also egg, honey and cakes. Open Wednesdays between 3-7PM, Saturday & Sunday 8 AM-1:30 PM.
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LOCAL FRUTERIA

There are quite a few Fruterias or fruit and vegetable shops in Spain and they are really a delight to visit! Fresh seasonal produce from the islands and even really exotic fruits and veggies, fresh herbs for a few cents, even locally produced wines, dried herbs and seasoning as well as mushrooms, decorative flower blossoms, sprouts, fresh ginger and turmeric roots, nuts and seeds, figs and dates, bread and legumes… Fruteria Los Agave, next to the main bus station in Las Americas, is definitely my favorite. Open Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-8:30 PM, Saturday 8:30 AM-3 PM, Sunday closed. Next to it is an Indian/Asian shop where they sell mock-meats if you are into that. They actually have a whole shelf with vegan stuff even though the quality is questionable. Its not organic certified in any way. But you find rice noodles and rice paper to make fresh spring rolls – my favorite dish.
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I hope this guide helps! Enjoy your meal. And don`t forget to say Hi to me on Instagram.