Shore leave Tenerife: Market Day & Tapas

May 6th, 2018 | on the road

Take a little break! A walk. A market visit. A lunch. A few errands. A very “normal”, small shore leave. Three hours with the captain ashore in Santa Cruz de Tenerife:

“From the terminal you always follow the friendly displayed line to the” Centro Ciudad / City Center “. You cross the multi-lane road on a pedestrian bridge and you are already in the middle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. At the Plaza de España, keep right and follow Tenerife’s shopping mile for a few minutes. Turn left onto Calle de Valentin Sanz and go straight to the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África.

The market is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 to 2.30 am. There is a rich selection of fruits, vegetables, fish and meat for sale. But herbs and spices and even living canaries and rabbits could be bought there, if you wanted it. Enjoy the colorful variety and the lively atmosphere in this market hall. In the cool basement you will find the fish market and some very good small tapas bars. Personally, I prefer the tiny bars around the market hall for lunch, where you can eat good, simple Spanish dishes while standing or eating in a few chairs by the street.

I want to mention one outstanding address, the Gastrobar El Gusto por el Vino (booths 12 & 13). A modern, very small, open to the street bar with good wine selection offers upscale “tapas, pinchos and platillos”. If you manage to get a table on the street, you can try a variety of delicacies with a good glass of wine. The food is offered “a compartir” (for sharing), served one after the other, and you can decide for yourself whether you want to order another course or return on board.

 

Recommended are the “Montaditos” (canapés), especially with fried goose liver and caramelized onions. They are absolutely delicious. No matter what else we tried there, whether ceviche, suckling pig, tuna, mussels, pulpo, brandade de bacalao (a typical puree of fish and other ingredients such as potatoes and vegetables), croquettes – everything was first class in taste and very appealing. There is – fortunately – no German or English menu available. Either you speak Spanish or you have to be a bit experimental. You cannot go wrong in El Gusto por el Vino.

The Gastrobar is closed on Mondays, otherwise it opens from 11 to 4 am. Please do not confuse it with the Vinoteca of the same name in the Avenida de San Sebastián nearby. This is a pure wine or spirits business. There is also an adjoining restaurant, the San Sebastián 57, but we’ll visit that on our next trip ashore.

If you still fancy a stroll through El Corte Inglés, Spain’s most famous department store, just walk a few steps from the roundabout onto José Hernandez Alfonso Street until the next roundabout. From the foodie department to clothing to perfume and all things of everyday life, this department store leaves nothing to be desired. Back to the ship, you can stroll through the main shopping street.

Enjoy the little tour of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. “