The spirit of fire, island character and craftsmanship

Far from Spain’s established fine dining capitals such as Madrid and the Basque Country, Char Fuego y Brasas has created something deeply compelling on the island of Tenerife - a restaurant where the traditions of the Spanish grill are expressed with confidence, seriousness and a strong sense of place. Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of the Atlantic and the island’s volcanic landscapes, it stands as a reminder that great fire cooking is not bound to the mainland, but can flourish wherever craftsmanship, product and conviction are brought into alignment.

At the centre of this vision is Chef Babacar Fall, a figure whose relationship with fire is shaped by both instinct and discipline. His cooking draws on the traditions of Spain’s great asadores, from Galicia to Euskadi, yet avoids imitation. Instead, he has developed a style that feels distinctly personal - rooted in Spanish heritage, but given new expression through the atmosphere, ingredients and identity of Tenerife itself. There is boldness in the concept, but also control, and it is this balance that gives the restaurant its particular authority.

The journey begins long before the grill is lit. Through its own butchery, Meat Boutique, the restaurant exercises close control over the selection and maturation of its beef, working with meat from Spain, including Spanish and Japanese Wagyu, and mainly dry-ageing it in-house to deepen flavour and refine texture. This level of oversight gives Char real substance, ensuring that the quality of the product is not merely claimed, but built carefully from the ground up. Craft here starts with respect for the raw ingredient, and that respect is visible at every stage.

Fire is the essential language of the kitchen. Using both a charcoal oven and an open fire grill, the restaurant handles heat with precision and purpose, drawing out structure, depth and natural sweetness without overwhelming the meat itself. This is not flame for spectacle, but flame as a disciplined tool - one that shapes texture, intensifies flavour and allows each cut to express its character with clarity. The result is food that feels powerful yet composed, demonstrating how much nuance can emerge when simplicity is backed by knowledge and control.

The atmosphere mirrors that same philosophy. The glow of the kitchen forms the emotional centre of the room, inviting guests into the process without turning it into performance. Warm materials, tactile surfaces and an understated design language create a setting that feels intimate, natural and entirely in keeping with the island around it. There is sophistication here, but never stiffness. Service, too, is delivered at a high level - attentive, professional and warm, with the kind of generosity that allows the experience to feel polished without losing sincerity.

What makes Char Fuego y Brasas especially interesting is the way it expands the map of serious Spanish fire cooking. It proves that excellence in this field does not belong exclusively to the traditional strongholds of the peninsula. Under Babacar Fall’s direction, the restaurant has become a destination in its own right - one that brings together butchery, provenance, fire and hospitality in a way that feels both grounded and ambitious.

Char Fuego y Brasas deserves its place in the ranking for showing how Spanish grilling traditions can find convincing new life on Tenerife - shaped by craftsmanship, guided by fire and expressed with a clear and confident identity. It is no longer a hidden gem, but it remains very much a restaurant worth making the detour to the Canary Islands for.