Mesón El Drago

Mesón El Drago is probably the most iconic of all restaurants in Tenerife. It is a restaurant founded by who is considered by many the first great Chef cuisine of the Canarian kitchen, Mr. Carlos Gamonal.  Nowadays the restaurant is run by his sons.

This magnificent Tenerife restaurant  is situated in the neighborhood of El Socorro surrounded by the countryside of the municipality of Tegueste in North Tenerife, and besides the beauty of the old house of traditional Canarian style in which it is located, one can notice at first sight the attention to detail that has been displayed in almost every single elements and that warns us about the details that is always put in its famous gastronomic selection.

There are many nuances that make this a special place, a renowned gastronomic temple.

Undoubtedly, one of them is their lovely courtyard where the very spectacular open kitchen of the restaurant is located; always full of spice jars, furnaces and boilers.

Another is the huge collection of ancient artifacts linked to good eating, food and natural products given by the close terrain and agricultural work in general. Mesón el Drago is partly a large museum dedicated to the culinary tradition of Tenerife and its rural areas, constituting to some extent a kind of ethnographic museum of Tenerife.

After choosing where to start the banquet, which may be inside or outside, but inside is  usually my choice, we find a very friendly atmosphere and attentive service, eager to please, never intrusive but always pending.

The large living room, lavishly decorated and full of history and details, with that magnificent terracotta floor, invites to long conversations and entertaining after meals. In this sense, this is an ideal restaurant as it is all meant to provide the right atmosphere and waiters are always generous with time, granting customers with extensive evenings enhanced with a warm good brandy.

The not too extensive but complete wine list, its characterized for its very affordable prices, as if intentionally the restaurant managers wanted theirs clients to focus in food and at the same time gave their clients the chance of  pairing to delight the most suitable wine with their chosen dishes. This fact is definitely a first very pleasant surprise once one has seated.

Finally, from the usual dishes, the "cabrito embarrado" (goatling cooked in a clay pot) is simply a must, although there are many more interesting suggestions, especially among the desserts and entrees.

Therefore, this magnificent Tenerife restaurant occupies a place of honor among the extensive gastronomic offer of the island.