Tenerife's El Risco or Eco Bar is unique
The bar up on a mountain
El Risco, or the Eco Bar, as it is also known, is surrounded by forests and mountains at the top of a hill in the village of San José de los Llanos in Tenerife north. Hidden away, and off the beaten track as it may be, it is a very popular bar and the haunt of many a local musician.
El Risco also serves some truly wonderful Canary Islands food, which can be washed down with a range of beers, wines and spirits, or tea, coffee or soft drinks. Their Verduras Gratinadas (casserole of mixed vegetables covered in grated cheese) comes very highly recommended and the homemade bread is some of the best Tenerife Islander has ever had.
Photos of El Risco
Real live music
Besides its amazing location, another reason El Risco is so popular is because of the bands, singers and musicians that perform there. "Live Music" on Tenerife often consists of just some singer doing covers over backing tracks but not at the Eco Bar.
In warm weather, performances take place at the end of the beer garden and when it's raining or cold the stage area is at the end of the bar-room. Rock bands, folk singers, blues performers and reggae acts have all performed at El Risco, and the venue usually has a lot of people dancing to the music.
Covers of rock, folk and pop songs in English, as well as Spanish numbers, are sung and played at El Risco. The bar attracts a lot of hippies and music fans, who enjoy both the unique country location and the excellent music.
In many ways the Eco Bar, which is made from wood and local volcanic rocks feels like a cabin in a mountain forest.
There are pine woods and miles and miles of mountainside all around El Risco making it an excellent place to start or finish a country ramble.
To get to San José de los Llanos you need the road that runs from Puerto de Erjos opposite the ponds there and is signposted for Los Llanos and La Montañeta, or you can get the road from Icod de los Vinos to La Vega and onward to the village. TITSA buses run from Icod to Puerto de Erjos and back and travel through Los Llanos where you can get off. The Eco Bar is at the top of a road going uphill at the end of the village.
There are always late afternoon music sessions at El Risco on Sundays but bear in mind it is up the mountains so t-shirts and shorts are not a good idea unless the weather for the island is exceptionally warm.
There really is nowhere else quite like it. El Risco is where to go for a taste of the real alternative side of Tenerife.
Ramón Domínguez al revés.avi (at El Risco)
El Risco links
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