Mesón El Monasterio

El Mesón El Monasterio is a classic among the restaurants in the north of Tenerife. As its name indicates, it was originally the monastery of a Dominican friar. The building dates from the 18th century, and was built by a Friar Antonio el Gomero, who is said to have rode a donkey around the island collecting alms that the growers gave him. Mounted on his mule, equipped with barrels, he went from winery to winery. With these means he managed to fill his cellar with good wines which he sold at good prices to his trusted parishioners, who sold the wine to the island of Lanzarote and on their return they paid the friar with money and fruits from there that were easy to barter here. Fray Antonio died in 1811. Due to having lived there for so many years, this religious saying is that this site is now known by the name of "Montaña del Fraile" or Friar’s Mountain. In the year 1990 it was restored and opened as a restaurant. It is very well maintained and has been visited by celebrities all around the world, including USA President Bill Clinton. The menu is made up of all typical Canarian dishes and its specialties are grilled meats and wines. I recommend not forgetting to try traditional Canarian sweet blood sausage and the sirloin with avocado. The surroundings of each of the dining rooms are spectacular, and the back, accessible to customers, is full of birds, especially ducks and roosters that run freely through the gardens and fountains.