Benzonia, Tegueste: A Delightful Surprise in a Former Consul’s Country House
Getting to Benzonia is an adventure in its own right. Technically the restaurant is located in Tegueste, but if you come from the highway, you’ll travel via Portezulo and find yourself on an unexpected road trip meandering through narrow roads and farmland. To reach the parking lot and restaurant you will, quite literally, go to the end of the road.
Upon reaching the property you´ll find a rustic parking area shaded by several large eucalyptus trees. The yellow country house is smack dab on top of a hill where visitors can take in expansive scenic views of the surrounding valleys and mountains.
The restaurant is housed in a historic home once inhabited by the French consul to Tenerife. In the 19th century it was used for diplomatic and social gatherings. Considering this was before the first cars arrived in Tenerife, it must have been a mighty journey for a dinner party, but an excellently isolated area for private talks.
The restaurant’s decor, both inside and on the terrace, is simple, but sweet. Interior dining rooms are decorated with a few key heritage items which cohesively vibe with the historic property, without attempting to force the vintage look. The house’s historic architectural traits (wooden ceilings, wooden windows and thick walls) speak for themselves.
The outdoor terrace, bright and informal, reminds you of the pleasure of simple things done well. Simple flower tablecloths, mismatching wooden chairs and cushions on bench seats all add to the charm.
Our visit started at 2:20pm, and with the kitchen in a full lunch time rush. We were attended to quickly, but waited close to an hour for the first dishes to appear. Considering the appetizers were croquetas and a potato salad, it was clear that the kitchen was backed up. That said, when the food did arrive, it was delicious.
The compact menu highlights Spanish and Canarian dishes. You can expect classics such as roasted pork slices (pata asada), slow cooked shredded beef (ropa vieja), and twists on well known dishes such as pan fried cheese in filo dough with a mango and almond chutney (queso asado en hojaldre con chutney de mango y almendra) and local Canarian black pig meatballs with almagrote cheese sauce (albondigas de cochino negro en salsa de almagrote). The menu is just right: not too large, and not too small, and while there are very few items for strict vegetarians, we were impressed to find a vegetarian version of ropa vieja.
The service was friendly and although we can only assume the team may have felt stressed by the kitchen backup, staff appeared calm and collected. Other restaurant goers seemed unphased. Either they had a shorter wait, or they had no qualms about an extended lunch in the cozy atmosphere
If you dine on terrace/patio space, you will occasionally hear planes flying by, due to its proximity to Tenerife´s northern airport. We found this quickly became background noise and not something that interrupted our stay. The volume in general on the terrace can be louder than we´d like, but this wasn’t a deal breaker.
Our two suggestions: first, streamline the kitchen. No one should wait an hour to start off with croquetas. And secondly, the lovely plants along the walkway leading up to the restaurants could use some love.
A suggestion for the restaurant goer as well: reserve ahead of time for meals on Friday/Saturday and Sunday.
Overall, we would absolutely go again, especially as we weren´t able to try everything on the menu. Value for money in terms of food and ambiance was excellent. Next time, however, we will avoid the Sunday rush.
Benzonia
Location and Menu
€20–30
Spanish restaurant
