In my opinion the picturesque Charco de San Ginés, generally known as Charco san Gines, area of Arrecife is hard to beat for dining out in Lanzarote, it has a plethora of restaurants and a great vibe.
This seawater lagoon in the centre of the capital city is littered with tapas bars & restaurants around it’s circumference. It’s got a relaxed atmosphere in the daytime and a buzzy vibe in the evening, particularly on Friday & Saturday nights.
For a fine dining experience in this location, we’d suggest eating at one of these three restaurants:
La Puntilla – Chef José Rodríguez
La Puntilla was one of the original restaurants in this location, before the area was revamped and became the popular gastronomy area that it is today. Unfortunately it is situated on the shady side of the Charco, and their terrace can be cool with the prevailing north wind. Favoured for fresh and seasonal produce, the menu changes every couple of weeks.
Naia – Chef Mikel Otaegui
Naia is the first restaurant for Chef Mikel Otaegui who trained in San Sebastian and gained his experience in professional kitchens on the mainland of Spain, before moving to Lanzarote to realise his dream. Naia was born from the desire to share authentic and unique flavours in a magical atmosphere.
Cala – Chef Luis Leon
Cala is the third restaurant in Lanzarote for chef Luis Leon, his other two (El Toro & Arena) are based in the Puerto del Carmen area of the island. This is one of the newest additions to the restaurant choice in Charco de San Ginés, their modern decor and sharing dishes have proved to be popular so far. Read our review.
For tapas at Charco de San Ginés we’d recommend these establishments, but with tapas you don’t have to limit yourself to one place, you could order a tapa and a drink at a few places, instead of one meal in a single restaurant:
Papa Miguel
Papa Miguel has a tapas menu as well as sandwiches and typical Canarian dishes, it’s cheap and friendly, catering for a variety of tastes. We particularly love their fish bocadillo and house fries, it’s simple food, but hits the spot every time.
Tasca La Raspa
Tasca La Raspa have some different dishes on their tapas menu. We tried the duck canelones on our last visit which was excellent, the fried green tomatoes sounded interesting, and the crab croquettes. We also enjoyed a craft beer called Gara brewed in the Canaries. The service is fast and friendly plus we liked their stripy t-shirt and jeans uniform.
Kenewa
This one offers street food / fusion cuisine with a Japanese bias, and saved in fabulous tapas style portions. It’s our current favourite.
La Miñoca
La Miñoca has a reputation for good portion sizes and great value food, it’s a popular choice with locals. Serving tapas, nachos, burgers and arepas.
If you’ve had your fill of tapas and typical Canarian dishes, there are 2 more restaurants worth mentioning:
Divina Italia
This is a fantastic Italian restaurant in Charco de San Ginés, they have a second restaurant in Pueblo Marinero, Costa Teguise. We love their spicy pizza Vesubio and impressive house salad, Ensalada Divina. Read our review.
We haven’t exhausted all options around the Charco de San Ginés, you may also want to stop by…..
El Rincón Granaino del Charco
Hamburgueseria y pizzeria Capricho el Charco
La Casa del Miedo
Cerveceria la Estrella del Charco
La Caja de Tapas
Malecón
El Leito de Proa
Tapas Bar El Jolatero
Lemon Tasca
For dessert, we tend to stop by Antiu Xixona for an ice cream on our way back to the car park!
Also on Monday & Thursday evenings, there is a film shown in original version at the Multicine Atlántida cinema in this area, we publish the details weekly in our what’s on.
