Gran Canaria: where sustainability is tasted in every dish
22 October, 2025At the heart of the Atlantic, Gran Canaria has been strengthening its commitment to sustainability for years. Obtaining the Biosphere Certified seal accredits a tourism model that not only protects the landscape, but also inspires new ways of travelling and enjoying gastronomy. Today, the island is presented as a destination where diversity does not end with the landscape: it also reaches our plates, with a vegan and vegetarian offering that grows every season and opens up new possibilities for customers with different lifestyles.
A diverse island committed to fresh produce
More than 40% of the island's territory is protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which guarantees the conservation of ecosystems and traditional agricultural practices, many of them ancestral, such as the transhumance of cattle herds. This foundation translates into quality ingredients – tropical fruits, vegetables from the island's midlands, honeys, artisan cheeses, volcanic wines – which the restaurants reinterpret with the utmost creativity. For those who prefer a plant-based diet, this reality translates into fresh, tasty options full of local identity.
The farm to fork concept is increasingly present on the island: many chefs work directly with local producers and adapt their menus to vegetarian or vegan offerings. In Gran Canaria you can enjoy a healthy breakfast by the sea, a lunch among coffee plantations or a signature dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant, always with the guarantee that the produce originated just a few miles from your table.
Five restaurants, five styles, one philosophy
The variety of the gastronomic offering based on the flavours of the land in Gran Canaria is reflected in a wide range of restaurants with very diverse options, making it possible to design a tailor-made itinerary for each visitor, combining coast, city and land.
For example, in the island's capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, you will find the restaurant Llévame al Huerto, an ideal stop for breakfast or brunch. Their fresh dishes – from toast with avocado and grilled vegetables to smoothies made using seasonal fruits – provide a light and energetic start to the day, so you can spend the rest of the day discovering the treasures of Gran Canaria with energy and vitality.
Also in the capital, haute cuisine is opening up to sustainability. Muxgo, awarded the only Michelin Green Star in the Canary Islands, interprets the island landscape in a contemporary way and can adapt entire menus for vegetarians with prior reservation. It is a signature experience that combines environmental discourse and gastronomic excellence, perfect for clients who value exclusive dining in the city.
Just a few steps away, Tabaiba joins the island's new culinary wave. With dishes that evoke the microclimates and contrasts of the territory, the restaurant offers tasting menus to suit those who follow a plant-based diet, always on request. Their approach turns each dish into a journey through local geography and culture.
In the north, in the Agaete Valley, Casa Romántica is directly linked to the farm to fork philosophy. Their menus incorporate locally grown fruit and vegetables, served in a natural setting that adds value to the experience. Here, dining is combined with visits to coffee plantations – the only ones in Europe – citrus groves and trails through ravines and mountains, at the foot of the centuries-old pine forests of the Tamadaba Nature Park.
In the south of the island, next to the Meloneras boulevard, Bevir offers creative dishes that combine seasonal ingredients and local produce. Their elegant and contemporary cuisine also includes options adapted to vegetarian or vegan diets on request, making it a very attractive alternative for those wishing to enjoy fine dining in Gran Canaria's main tourist area.
Markets and urban experiences
Beyond the restaurants, the markets are a perfect showcase for the vitality of plant-based diets in Gran Canaria. The Mercado del Puerto, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, combines iron architecture designed by Eiffel with gastronomic bars serving fresh salads, hummus, vegetable arepas or artisan cheeses accompanied by local honey. For mixed groups, this offers a flexible and dynamic solution: each traveller finds what they are looking for, from vegan tapas to volcanic wines.
This approach is complemented by initiatives such as the Km.0 Gran Canaria Fairs and the agricultural and food markets held in different parts of the island, which bring local produce to residents and visitors alike. These events represent a unique opportunity for cultural experiences that combine gastronomy, territory and sustainability, aligned with the motivations of the conscious tourist.
The added value of Gran Canaria
With more than 300 days of sunshine a year and average temperatures of 20 degrees in winter, the island can be enjoyed all year round. In addition to this privileged climate, the gastronomy is evolving towards sustainability and inclusion, with dishes to surprise both those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet and those who are simply looking for a lighter and healthier way of eating during their holidays.
Gran Canaria proves that eating well is another way of travelling consciously. From a smoothie by the Atlantic to a creative dinner among volcanic mountains, each dish connects the traveller with the essence of the island and with a community that understands sustainability not as a passing fad, but as a real commitment to its territory.
The Official Gran Canaria Tourist Website: grancanaria.com