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Bars, Restaurants and Nightlife
The nightlife of Gran Canaria is whatever you want it to be. There are all night clubs, foam parties, karaoke, casinos and cabarets. The island has one of the liveliest gay scenes in the whole of Europe.or you can dine under the stars in a traditional Canarian fishing village, far from the madding crowd. |
 The hottest nightspot on the island is Playa del Ingles in the south. Head for the Kasbah to take your pick of hundreds of bars, disco pubs and nightclubs. There are gay bars and clubs, cocktail bars, Irish bars, sports bars, café bars with live music and almost every other kind of bar imaginable.
Entrance to most nightclubs is free but you pay over the odds for your drinks. The bigger clubs don't get going until about 1am but then the party keeps going till dawn (so it's a good idea to copy the locals and take an afternoon siesta!). Two of the most popular clubs in town are Joy, for pop and commercial music, and Cream, for more hardcore dance music.
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Harley Rock, near the Kasbah and Maspalomas Plaza, is a favourite haunt with international visitors. It's an American-style diner with "Tex-Mex" food (burgers, ribs, apple pie etc served till 3am), rock music and live shows. Entrance is free and there's a happy hour from midnight till 1am.
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Nearby Sunset Boulevard, in Plaza Maspalomas, has entertainment and live music every night with DJs playing the latest music - good for pasta dishes, pizzas and freshly grilled meat.
If you're into R&B, soul, blues, reggae and rock n' roll you'd be hard pushed to find better live music than at Alabama's next to the Hippodrome.
If you're staying in Puerto Rico, Snoopy's Bar is one of liveliest nightspots - a late night party pub frequented by the young and trendy. Barbacoa Puerto Rico, with seating for 300, puts on three free shows a night - everything from international vocalists and Elvis and Cher soundalikes to crude comedians.
Gamblers can try their luck at one of the island's three casinos, in San Agustin, Meloneras and Las Palmas.
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When it comes to eating out, you'll be spoilt for choice. You'll find everything from British bangers and mash to international flavours from Russia, Argentina, India, China, Italy, the Middle East
If you prefer to sample the local fare, there are many excellent restaurants serving traditional Canarian food - |
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from cheap and cheerful cafes to the most upmarket venues. Fresh fish specialties include the locally caught "sama" and small fried fish served with lemon called "longorones". Baby goat stew and Canarian new potatoes with spicy sauce are among other common local dishes.
Check with the local tourist information office to see if there any local fiestas or festivals taking place during your visit.
Information from: www.indigoguide.com
During your visit at Gran Canaria you have to try the "most famous dishes"
Papas arrugadas con salsa mojo
Canarian wrinkly potatoes (Spanish: Papas arrugadas) is a traditional dish eaten in the Canary Islands.
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The dish is made from small new potatoes which are cleaned (but not peeled), then boiled in water (originally in seawater, but it is more usual that salt is added to the water in the boiling process) and then baked in their skins until they become shrivelled. Alternatively, in some recipes, after cooking in salted water most of the water is discarded and the small amount that remains is boiled away until the potatoes become dry. This leaves them with a characteristic dry salt crust on their skins.
The potatoes have to be the smallest the cook can find; if not, the potatoes will miss their supposed flavor and they will not absorb all the sauce.
They are considered one of the most unusual dishes in all Spanish cuisine, and a very exotic (and usually delicious) dish, especially for tourists or even Spaniards who aren't born in the Canary Islands.
The papas arrugadas are considered the "main dish" or the "star dish" of the Canary Islands cuisine and are usually served with a pepper sauce, called Mojo, or as an accompaniment to meat dishes.
"Mojo" is the name, or abbreviated name, of several types of hot sauce that originated in the Canary Islands. It is predominantly either a red (most common) or green sauce. The basic recipe consists of olive oil, large amounts of garlic, paprika or chili powder, and cumin. Flavorings such as vinegar, lemon, orange or lime juice may be added. Mojo is also commonly served with fresh bread rolls at the beginning of a meal.
Source: wikipedia |
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