Restaurante El Líbano — Restaurant in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

El Líbano

We visited the Libano restaurant today. In particular, we chose the restaurant because of the very good reviews. From the outside, it makes a good impression and there is also a lot of public traffic and the online orders are completed there every minute.

We weren't that hungry, so we ordered a few snacks. These included tomato soup, onion soup, falafel and an eggplant and tahini paste.

Now to the tomato soup: The tomato soup was a thin pizza sauce, without much flavor, without fresh herbs and without any other highlight in taste or appearance. The tomato soup was also not a decorative highlight, with half a tomato in the sponge for decoration. When I asked the waiter what was typically Lebanese about this soup, he replied: "the tomato". Ah yes!

Now to the onion soup: The onion soup was our personal vacation disappointment. To offer something like this is almost outrageous. The soup was a roux that had been deglazed with water and then a few strips of onion were added. Neither the onions were sweaty nor did the broth have any flavor. To summarize: the onion soup was a watery disaster with onions in it. We also asked the waiter what was typically Lebanese here. His, at least honest, answer was a shrug of the shoulders and a questioning look.

Now to the falafel: crispy on the outside, the falafel were very greasy and the deep fryer had definitely seen other ingredients before. On the whole, okay, but still indistinguishable from convenience products and nothing special.

Now for the eggplant puree: This dish definitely seemed to be homemade, had a very smoky flavor, which probably comes from properly roasted eggplants. The tahini mixed with it had a good flavor, overall a matter of taste, but otherwise quite good. It was served with flatbreads. These could have been homemade, but were no different from the cheap flatbreads you get in any supermarket. The bread was chewy, cold and, if it was homemade, had definitely been on the shelf for a while.

General feedback on the restaurant and the staff:

The restaurant was full, the waiters were eager, but less open to our comments and questions.

Our criticism of the soups was smiled away and the four full plates, which we had unfortunately left, were cleared away without any feedback to the kitchen or any question to us as to whether it had tasted good. The crockery as a whole could be replaced, as it had a few chips and clear signs of wear, as did the cloth napkins, which were not starched and were washed out.

All in all, our personal downfall on this vacation, as we are used to a top Lebanese restaurant in Vienna (Restaurant Elissar) where the food is, at least in our opinion, much more authentic and definitely much tastier and more lovingly prepared.

We can't understand the many good comments, we definitely wouldn't go there a second time and wouldn't recommend it to any tourist with a clear conscience. What a pity - for us, not a tribute to...

I came to Tenerife to visit a friend/mentor who lives here. She suggested we meet at restaurante El Líbano. So pleased! Tasty dishes, good service, not expensive. I recommend/we ordered the hummus (Hommos), cauliflower (Arambit - coliflor frita con salsa de sésamo), eggplant & chickpeas (Emsaha - berenjena al horno con garbanzos y cebolla) and empañadas (Fatayer Esbeneg/Blahem - they come in orders of two, but they allowed us to have one spinach for me, one meat for my friend). Four dishes and four small cervezas for €42.00. Very tasty and not expensive. I'll go back if time allows for it! Muy rico y no es caro. muy rico y no es caro. Volveré si el tiempo me...

Y hubo que cenar 🍽️

🌿 En Santa Cruz de Tenerife, El Líbano lleva más de cuatro décadas ofreciendo una cocina que es, ante todo, un acto de memoria. Fundado por la familia Mahmoud en 1981, este restaurante se ha convertido en un clásico de la capital tinerfeña gracias a su propuesta honesta, su servicio atento y una carta que reivindica los sabores auténticos del Levante mediterráneo.

🥙 Su cocina es un viaje sensorial a través de las recetas tradicionales libanesas: hummus cremoso, falafel crujiente, tabulé aromático, kafta especiada o el sabroso shawarma de cordero. Cada plato llega bien ejecutado, con producto fresco, elaboraciones cuidadas y una presentación sencilla, sin adornos innecesarios. Aquí lo importante es el sabor, y lo saben.

🫓 Las bandejas degustación permiten explorar distintas texturas y contrastes, y los postres —como la baklava, el yogur con miel y pistacho o la sémola con agua de azahar— rematan la experiencia con dulzor y delicadeza. Todo acompañado por limonadas naturales, cervezas libanesas o vino canario bien elegido.

🌟 El servicio es parte de la experiencia: cercano, familiar, rápido y bien coordinado. El propio Ali Mahmoud suele estar presente, atento a los detalles. El comedor, de estética clásica, conserva ese aire de casa de comidas internacional, con una atmósfera tranquila que invita a sentarse sin prisas y compartir mesa.

🇱🇧 Un libanés auténtico, con precios ajustados y sabores que se quedan en la memoria. Una parada obligada en la isla.

El Líbano 🗺️ Santiago Cuadrado, 36 38007 Santa Cruz de Tenerife ☎️ 922 28 59 14 🌐 www.restauranteellibano.com 📸 @rest.libano

#HabráQueComer #LaCucharaDeAlfonso #Foodie #FoodPorn #FoodLovers #TenerifeGastronómica #CocinaLibanesa #SaborDeOriente #RestaurantesConEncanto #SaboresDelMundo #ElLíbano #SantaCruzDeTenerife #Tenerife #Canarias #SaboreandoCanarias #CanariasLatitudDeVida...