Forget supermarkets. Tenerife's markets — mercadillos del agricultor — are the best place to understand what Canarians really eat. Local producers sell directly: Tenerife's black tomatoes (sweeter than anything you've ever tasted), goat cheeses aged in mountain caves, tajinaste honey harvested above 1,500 meters, and Canarian bananas so small and fragrant they'll ruin supermarket bananas for life.
The Mercadillo del Agricultor de Tacoronte (Saturday 8am-2:30pm, Sunday 8am-2pm) is the king: the largest, most varied, most authentic in the north. Fruits, vegetables, fish, cheeses, bulk wine, honey, homemade jams, flowers. Arrive at 9am to have choices — by 1pm the best stalls are empty. The Mercadillo de La Orotava (Saturday 8am-1:30pm) is smaller but its selection of local cheeses and wines is excellent — the queso ahumado (smoked cheese) stand at the back left is worth the trip. The Mercadillo de Tegueste (Saturday and Sunday mornings) is the favorite of locals in the northeast — village atmosphere, fewer crowds, same products.
The Rastro is the oldest flea market in the Canaries — since 1979. Every Sunday from 9am to 3pm, Avenida Marítima (new location since 2025) transforms into a bazaar: antiques, vintage clothing, Canarian crafts, vinyl records, secondhand goods, and street food. It's the Sunday morning meeting spot in Santa Cruz — families stroll with a barraquito, bargain hunters dig through crates, and the vibe is laid-back. Arrive early: the best finds are gone before 11am.