Gilda - Casa de Pinchos y Tapas — Restaurant in La Oliva

Our hotel was closer to the water park in Corralejo but once we started venturing into the old town that was where we ate most evenings. It had surprised me how busy all the restaurants in the old town were during our out of holiday stay in March 2024 but were were also there during the Canarian Carnival which may have also been a factor.

When you look at various travel apps for restaurant recommendations on holiday, Gilda Casa de Pinchos y Tapas was a place that popped up quite regularly with good reviews. I decided to book a table for our final night on the island and popped along the previous day on the way home from a boat trip to book a table. I’m so glad we did. Laura has said a few times since this was her favourite meal on the holiday and we did go to some good places.

We were given two seats by the bar looking at all the bottle of Vermouth/Vermut which I may have posed for a photograph. The staff could have been more helpful, they also embraced the fancy dress night of that nights carnival hence why there is a Smurf in the background of one photo.

They brought over the menu and asked if we wanted a drink. We wanted to try the local wines and after a recommendation ended up with a Tenerifian Rose which was delicious. We also asked for food recommendations and were given a few (meat and fish bearing in mind I don’t eat seafood). I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t take photos of the wine or food.

What I will say is, we ordered far too much food but that was my fault wanting to try as much as we could, the food is quite filling. From memory these are a few of what we ordered; Octopus Gallega (highly recommend), Hot peppers in tempura, vegetable cigars, 2 types of gyoza (highly recommend), grilled goats cheese and jams, goats cheese and onion montaditos and likely some more including croquettes. As I say we ordered too much but thoroughly...

We came here Tuesday after seeing all the rave reviews and it didn't disappoint! We got there for 6:15 & were allocated a table outside. We were given the menu on a huge board which was slightly overwhelming when you want to order everything on it 😅 We ordered 6 things but the waitress made us aware the portions are fairly big so to start smaller and order more if we wanted it- we loved the fact she told us this as it's so easy to get carried away. We ordered: Bread Rolls- This wasn't something we ordered but was offered to us. Very nice warm bread with Aioli. This cost a couple of euros so not complimentary as we thought but we were happy to pay for it.

Garlic Prawns- a classic and they came sizzling hot. Always a firm favourite.

Chicken fingers- Like chicken nuggets. Came with a mayonnaise sauce. They were very nice and crispy. Can't go wrong with breaded chicken! Probably wouldn't have these again as I think there is alot more on the menus I'd like to try.

Goats cheese with jam - Served with a fig jam & a tomato jam. Local to the island the cheese was served grilled and was cooked to perfection. Abit like halloumi in texture. The jams were also delicious too.

'Montaditos' Which are open sandwiches. We ordered the 'goats cheese, black pudding and caramelised onion' and the 'brie, ham & fig jam' Both so delicious, portions were way bigger than we anticipated!

My partner then ordered the mussels and he said they were lovely.

Our bill came to around 60 euros which we thought was 100% worth it. Can't wait to visit again to sample more of the incredible menu. You won't regret taking...

Booked on the back of previous reviews - arrived a few minutes after 7pm for a 7pm booking and when the waiter in charge of bookings (Alex) eventually came outside to meet us he said that our booking was for 6pm. I knew this was incorrect as I'd seen it written in the book the previous day for a specific table. When he checked the book he confirmed that it was 7pm, however our table was already occupied so he sat us at the corner of the bar. While we were waiting to order, the other waiter tried to bring one lot of drinks and two lots of food that weren't intended for us, so we were getting a bit concerned! After a while Alex introduced himself as our waiter, he was very nice and welcoming and we asked him to recommend some dishes as we're not fussy eaters and like to try new things. He asked if we liked fish and meat, we said both, and on that basis we felt he didn't choose the dishes particularly well e.g. fried goats cheese, green peppers, meatballs - all tasty enough but based on previous reviews I don't think it was the best of their tapas. Red wine (Rioja) was particularly good at €3.50 for a large glass and we enjoyed the evening, but weren't blown away by the food as we had hoped to be. That said, the gildas from which the restaurant takes its name were gorgeous and probably the highlight! Lastly just to note that from a Covid perspective, it's the only restaurant we've been in over the course of two weeks where almost all masks (front of house and kitchen staff) were worn as...