Guachinche Miguel is a working guachinche in Icod de los Vinos, on Tenerife’s north coast: a wine grower’s own kitchen, serving their own wine with a short menu of home cooking. It is also close enough to the apartment to walk to, which is unusual. own kitchen, serving their own wine with a short menu of home cooking, and close enough to walk to.
Why walking distance matters here
Guachinches are tied to vineyards, and vineyards are not usually next to where anyone is staying. Most visitors who want the experience end up driving — which is awkward, because the whole point is drinking the wine.
This one sits along the highway. That sounds like a poor location and it is not a beautiful setting, but it means you can walk down, eat, drink properly, and walk home. Of everything in this guide, that combination is the hardest to find.
What a guachinche is, briefly
A legal category rather than a style: under Canary Islands rules the wine must be the operator’s own, from their registered vineyards, the menu is restricted to traditional dishes, and opening is limited to around four months a year or until the wine runs out.
We have written a fuller explanation, because it is the single most misunderstood thing about eating on this island — and the reason a guachinche can simply not exist in June.
Practicalities
Check it is open before you set off; the season is short and the hours are the operator’s own business. Take cash. Expect long shared tables, a handwritten board rather than a menu, and meat.
Our hosts describe it as a must for meat and wine enthusiasts, and that is a fair description of both the appeal and the limits — this is not the place for a vegetarian dinner.