Restaurant & Cocktail Bar El Gran Sol — Restaurant in Adeje

Came here for an evening meal after being impressed with the appearance of the restaurant (should have read the reviews first on TripAdvisor). Snagged off the street by a waiter, shown to our table and promised that the kids would be served quickly. Sure enough our entire order was taken within 5 minutes and the kids were eating their dinner within 10 minutes of arrival. But this is where the good ended.

We were meant to be eating prawn cocktail starters with the kids main meal, but they did not come out. We could see them in the kitchen on the side, so told a waiter, who told another waiter in a white shirt - who was going from table to table taking payments. He came over and asked why we had not received our starters... I mean really? Surely that's his job to know, not me. We then watched him go and collect the starters from the kitchen side and bring them out to us. In total, they were sat there for 47 minutes on the counter. So I refused them.

This is when things took a proper turn! The 'head waiter' came over. Didn't get his name, but he wears glasses and has a poorly eye. Asked why I had refused them, so I told him. He argued the point with me stood at the table and told me I should be happy with them and that they were just too busy.

For the record; the table behind and adjacent to us had arrived after us, ordered both starters and mains and had been served both courses before our starters were bought out - so clearly they had forgotten. Which is fine, it happens. But the way they dealt with it was something else.

I stood my ground and refused the starters, and he then told me he would bring our mains, but I told him it's too late, the kids finished their dinner 20 minutes ago and now our 2 year old is getting bored (and we all know how fun that is trying to entertain someone who just wants to leave). So we asked for the bill and call it quits.

He comes back with the bill and had charged for the starters, which I refused to pay for.

He did none other than shout at the top of his voice in Spanish, clearly insulting us and calling us names. Showed us to the exit - after charging me - and cussed us out the door in Spanish.

Honest to god... this place looks amazing, but the service, and the food is completely something else, do not waste your time or your holiday...

I had a disappointing experience at this restaurant:

I ordered a smoothie, but what I received was extremely sweet and had the texture of thick yogurt.

The “Kinder Bueno milkshake” had a strong caramel taste and was topped with a generic vanilla wafer stick, not Kinder at all.

Most concerning: I clearly ordered only one seafood/fish platter, specifying multiple times that it was for one person only. They brought two. When I pointed it out, the waiter casually poured one plate into the other and served it as if that fixed the problem.

Even though he later admitted the mistake, he also implied that we ate both portions and therefore shouldn't complain, which felt unfair and inappropriate.

During the discussion, staff began speaking in Arabic amongst themselves in front of us, which came across as dismissive and unprofessional.

In the end, after a long back and forth, the waiter adjusted the POS and we were ultimately charged for only one portion — but the whole situation was unnecessarily awkward and stressful.

The way this situation was handled shows a complete lack of respect for the customer. It’s clear they were hoping we wouldn’t notice or speak up. I strongly recommend avoiding this place! they rely on confusion and poor service rather than honesty and quality.

Edit – in response to the owner's reply:

Just to clarify: the menu clearly says “1 pax – €26.5 / 2 pax – €49.” Pax means per person. So no, I didn’t get it wrong — I asked for the one-person portion that’s printed right there.

If you’re now saying there’s only one size, then the menu is misleading. It shouldn’t offer a per-person price if the dish doesn’t actually change.

And honestly, pouring two plates together in front of a customer after a clear mistake isn’t a fix, it just makes things more awkward.

Telling me there’s “no reason” for my complaint kind of proves my point. You’re not listening, you’re just trying to shut it down.

2nd edit:, sure you can say I ate a "platter", but I clearly ordered the casserole "1 PAX", as in the photo attached, pointed my finger at it 3 times when I ordered. Then, what you are saying is that they brought me a different item😂 Maybe admit it was a mistake and apologise, as any other respectable...

We visited this restaurant multiple times during our holiday—sometimes for a full meal, other times just to enjoy drinks during the day. Every visit was memorable thanks to the incredibly friendly and welcoming staff. They really make the experience special, often laughing and dancing during dinner service. It’s great to see a team that clearly gets along and enjoys what they do—it creates a fun, relaxed atmosphere that makes it a lovely place to dine.

The prices are very fair and reflect the quality of the food and drinks. When we had a full meal, we typically spent around €70 for the two of us, which included two starters, two mains, and 4–5 drinks. Considering the food and service, we felt that was excellent value.

The location is fantastic—right on the strip with beautiful views of the beach and stunning sunsets in the evening. It’s perfect for photos if that’s your thing.

One highlight was the Piña Colada—my partner said it was the best he had on the island and couldn't find a better one anywhere else.

That said, there was one downside that put a bit of a damper on our last visit. Street vendors and beggars regularly enter the restaurant and approach every table, which we had experienced before, so we were used to it. However, on this occasion, an older man in dirty clothes, wearing a captain’s hat and smelling strongly of weed and alcohol, tried to sell us a rose. When we politely declined multiple times, he became aggressive and eventually told me that I should die alone and poor simply because I didn’t want to buy a flower while trying to enjoy my meal. It was incredibly upsetting and definitely soured what had otherwise been a very positive experience. I mean no one wants to be told to die while eating dinner.

I understand that this issue may be out of the staff’s control, but it’s something that could impact the restaurant’s reputation if not addressed. No one wants to be verbally abused while dining.

Overall, we had a great time here and would still recommend it for the food, drinks, staff, and atmosphere—just be aware of the occasional unwelcome...