Gran Canaria has five Michelin-starred restaurants in the 2026 guide, and where they are tells you how to plan your meals. Three are in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and two are on the south-west coast, at Patalavaca and Puerto de Mogán; none is in the Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés strip where most visitors stay. For a serious dinner, plan a trip; for good everyday eating, head to the harbours and order fish.
Where are Gran Canaria's Michelin-starred restaurants?
All five hold one Michelin star in the 2026 guide. This list changes every year, so treat it as the 2026 edition.
| Restaurant | Where | Chef |
|---|---|---|
| Poemas by Hermanos Padrón | Santa Catalina hotel, Las Palmas | Padrón brothers' kitchen |
| Muxgo | Santa Catalina hotel, Las Palmas | Borja Marrero |
| Tabaiba | Guanarteme, Las Palmas | Abraham Ortega |
| La Aquarela | Patalavaca, Mogán | Desiré Cabrera |
| Los Guayres | Cordial Mogán Playa, Puerto de Mogán | Alexis Álvarez |
Two of the five sit inside one building, the Santa Catalina hotel in Las Palmas, and two more are in the south-west, a short drive from each other. That means a food-focused stay can reach every star from either Las Palmas or the Mogán coast.
Las Palmas: three stars and a city built for eating
The capital is where Gran Canaria eats best, and not only at the top end.
Poemas by Hermanos Padrón and Muxgo are both inside Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, next to Doramas Park. Poemas is the Gran Canaria restaurant of the Padrón brothers, whose El Rincón de Juan Carlos in Tenerife holds two stars. Muxgo, led by the Canarian chef Borja Marrero, also holds a Michelin Green Star for sustainable cooking. Our best hotels in Gran Canaria guide covers the hotel itself.
Tabaiba, on Calle Portugal in the Guanarteme district, is a few minutes from Las Canteras beach. Chef Abraham Ortega cooks a personal, modern take on Canarian food, served only as two tasting menus of 12 and 15 courses.
Beyond the stars, Las Palmas has far more everyday restaurants and tapas bars than any resort. Our things to do in Las Palmas guide covers the old town of Vegueta and the promenade at Las Canteras, where many of the city's everyday restaurants are.
The south-west: two stars near the resorts
For visitors staying in the south, the two south-west stars are the realistic choice.
La Aquarela in Patalavaca, near Arguineguín, sits in an unlikely spot inside an apartment complex. Chef Desiré Cabrera cooks modern Canarian food built on local produce, served as three set menus, including a vegetable menu. From Maspalomas or Puerto Rico, it is the closest starred dinner.
Los Guayres is inside the Cordial Mogán Playa hotel in Puerto de Mogán. Chef Alexis Álvarez, a native of Gran Canaria, mixes traditional Canarian cooking with contemporary influences, served as a choice of tasting menus. Pair it with an afternoon in the harbour village; our things to do in Puerto de Mogán guide covers the rest of the day.
Where to eat well in Maspalomas and Meloneras
None of the stars is here, but a good beach meal is. El Senador Restaurant & Beach House sits on the Paseo del Faro in Meloneras, right on the beach near the Maspalomas lighthouse, and is one of the most-reviewed restaurants in the south.
The menu leans on Canarian seafood, rice dishes and red tuna, with homemade desserts and a wine list of local and international bottles. Reviewers single out the red tuna tacos and the paellas, and the terrace and sea views are much of the point. Book a table for sunset.
For where to stay nearby, see our best hotels in Maspalomas guide.
Fish by the harbour: Puerto de las Nieves and Puerto de Mogán
The best everyday eating on Gran Canaria is often the simplest: fresh fish at a harbour restaurant. Two harbours stand out.
Puerto de las Nieves, Agaete's harbour village on the north-west coast, is known for its fish restaurants along the waterfront, and it combines well with the natural pools at Las Salinas. Our Teror, Arucas and Agaete guide covers the day.
Puerto de Mogán, in the south-west, has fish restaurants around its marina and a small beach, and is an easy evening from the southern resorts. Order the catch of the day grilled, with wrinkled potatoes and mojo.
What should you order in Gran Canaria?
A handful of dishes and products define eating on the island:
- Papas arrugadas con mojo: small potatoes boiled in very salty water until the skins wrinkle, served with mojo rojo, garlicky with a mild kick, or mojo verde, herby and fresh
- Queso de flor de Guía: a protected-origin cheese from Gran Canaria, mostly sheep's milk, set with rennet from the flower of a local thistle
- Sancocho canario: salted fish, usually cherne, with potatoes, sweet potato, mojo and gofio
- Gofio: toasted grain flour, a Canarian staple stirred into dishes and desserts
- Bienmesabe: an almond sweet made with egg, palm honey and lemon, most associated with Tejeda, the island's almond town
Near a harbour, ask for the fish of the day and have it grilled; it is usually the best thing on the menu.
FAQ – restaurants in Gran Canaria
Five, each with one star, in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Poemas by Hermanos Padrón, Muxgo and Tabaiba are in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with Poemas and Muxgo both inside the Santa Catalina hotel. La Aquarela in Patalavaca and Los Guayres in Puerto de Mogán are on the south-west coast. Muxgo also holds a Michelin Green Star.
Not in Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés themselves. The nearest are on the south-west coast: La Aquarela in Patalavaca, near Arguineguín, and Los Guayres in the Cordial Mogán Playa hotel in Puerto de Mogán, both holding one Michelin star in the 2026 guide. The other three starred restaurants on Gran Canaria are in Las Palmas.
Las Palmas has three Michelin-starred restaurants in the 2026 guide. Tabaiba, in the Guanarteme district near Las Canteras beach, serves chef Abraham Ortega's modern Canarian tasting menus of 12 and 15 courses. Poemas by Hermanos Padrón and Muxgo, led by Borja Marrero and also holding a Green Star, are both inside the Santa Catalina hotel.
El Senador Restaurant & Beach House is on the beach on the Paseo del Faro in Meloneras, near the Maspalomas lighthouse, and is one of the best-known beach restaurants in southern Gran Canaria. Its menu features Canarian seafood, rice dishes and red tuna, and reviewers often recommend the red tuna tacos and the paellas. Booking ahead for sunset is sensible.
Papas arrugadas, small salt-crusted potatoes served with red or green mojo sauce, are the island's signature dish. Gran Canaria is also known for queso de flor de Guía, a protected-origin cheese made with thistle-flower rennet, sancocho canario of salted fish with potatoes and gofio, and bienmesabe, an almond sweet associated with the mountain town of Tejeda.
Harbour villages are the best places for fresh fish. Puerto de las Nieves, Agaete's harbour on the north-west coast, is known for its waterfront fish restaurants, and Puerto de Mogán in the south-west has fish restaurants around its marina. Order the catch of the day grilled, with papas arrugadas and mojo.
Featured image: Gerda Arendt / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
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