The quality of the restaurants on the south coast of Gran Canaria does not need mentioning as most guests have found their favourites and, as long they are not disappointed, they will keep coming back.

The local tapas restaurants on Gran Canaria are in a class of their own and they do not serve roast, large dishes or a fish that was caught several days ago. They have an assortment of traditional tapas – a lot of small dishes – at affordable prices. You are able to locate these fantastic dining experiences in Aguineguin however, the closer you get to Las Palmas, the more tapas restaurants you will find. If you are wondering whether or not you have come to the right place, you should take a look inside and study the guests and notice if they are enjoying themselves. If they are, they are most likely talking about football and you have come to the right place.

In addition, you can take a drive through the industrial areas where you will find a lot of good, as well as cheap, restaurants as employees do not take a packed lunch to work due to the heat. Thus, several restaurants are located within industrial areas and, as the wage level in Spain is rather low, the food is cheap – so take a drive through an industrial area if you are hungry.

If you do visit a restaurant within the industrial areas, you have to remember that workers have their lunch break from 13.00 to 15.00, so the restaurants are packed during these hours.

"Papas Arrugadas con Mojo" (Papas Arrugadas with Mojo (Small Potatoes Boiled in Their Jackets))
Ingredients: 1 Kg. of small potatoes, 2 handfuls (1/4 Kg) of salt, 3 o 4 glasses of water.
1. Wash out carefully the potatoes without peeling them but making sure that all the soil is removed from their jackets.
2. Place the potatoes in a pot along with the salt and add water until you cover the potatoes but without surpassing them.
Once they are cooked, take out the water and place the pot with the potatoes again on to heat, moving them until they dry up (approximately two minutes).
3. Remove the pot from the heat and leave it some minutes wrapped in a cloth.
4. To end with, serve them in a tray and spread mojo on top.

"Mojo Rojo o Picón" (Red or Spicy Mojo)
Ingredients: 1 bulb of garlic, 2 hot peppers, 1 teaspoon of cumin grains.
1 teaspoon of paprika, 4 spoons of vinegar, 15 spoons of olive oil and cooking salt to taste.
1. Peel and chop up the garlic cloves. Grind them in a mortar along with the cumin grains, the peppers without any seed, and the cooking salt until they bind in a soft paste.
2. Add the paprika and add slowly the oil and vinegar while you stir it all making a thick paste.
3. This paste can be liquidized to taste by using a small cup of water.
This sauce can be kept in good conditions during months in the fridge.
You can make a milder sauce not so spicy by using sweet peppers instead of hot peppers

"Ropa Vieja"
Ingredients: 1/2 Kg. of chickpeas, 1/2 Kg. of beef, 1/2 Kg. of chicken, 1 Kg. of potatoes, 3 garlic cloves, 1 pepper, 1 onion, 1 tomatoe, 1 small cup of white wine, 1 small cup of water or broth, paprika, black pepper, thyme, cloves, bay leaf, salt and oil.
1. Leave the chickpeas to soak overnight to tenderize them.
2. Wash them on the next day and place them in a pot along with the meat, salt to taste and water.
3. Once cooked, drain everything off and shred the meat. Next fry the meat and the chickpeas until they get crispy and set them aside.
4. Apart make a frying base by first chopping up the onion, the pepper, the peeled tomatoe and the garlic cloves. Fry it all with the oil adding too the black pepper and the cloves.
5. Once this base is ready, introduce the paprika, the wine, the thyme, the bay leaf and a small cup of water or broth.
6. Next add the meat and the chickpeas and then leave it some minutes on the heat.
7. Finally, fry the diced potatoes and mix all the ingredients. You can also add to this dish certain vegetables like carrots or green beans.

"Carajacas"
Ingredients: 1 Kg. of filleted liver, 1 bulb of garlic, 1 green pepper, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 2 sprigs of parsley, a teaspoon of powdered cumin, 1 glass of vinegar, olive oil, oregano and salt to taste.
1. Grind the garlic, the pepper, the cumin, the parsley and the salt.
Next add the oil, the vinegar, the paprika, the oregano and mix it all carefully.
2. Marinade the liver with this paste and leave it to macerate between 4 to 5 hours.
3. Later on fry the liver filets with the same marinade, not using any oil and place them in a clay pot.
Cover it with the remaining marinade and boil it for several minutes.
Serve this dish with boiled potatoes or papas arrugadas.