Playa Quemada Beach, Lanzarote
The verdict
- Best for: Travellers who treat a beach as part of a long lunch, wanting a quiet working village over a resort scene.
- Best spot: A table on the seafront at Restaurante Playa Quemada or Salmarina after a swim in the sheltered cove below.
- Know this: This is a tiny village with black sand and a handful of fish restaurants, not sunbeds, watersports or nightlife.
Published 20 March 2026. Last reviewed 6 May 2026
Playa Quemada is the south coast as it used to be, a low huddle of white houses around a working harbour, black sand coves below and the open Atlantic in front. There are no sunbed rows, no jet skis, no thumping bars. What there is, and what brings me back, is a slow lived in rhythm, a few fishing boats pulled up on the dark sand, and the smell of grilled fish drifting along the front by one o clock. The village has resisted the development that swallowed so much of this coast, and it is all the better for it.
The honest read is that you do not come here for the beach alone. The coves are small and the sand is dark and coarse rather than golden, more a place to cool off than to spread out for the day. The water, though, is the calmest thing about the south coast here, sheltered and usually gentle, which is why Lanzarote families slip down for a quiet swim. Come for the swim, then come for the lunch, and treat the two as one long unhurried afternoon.
That lunch is the real reason to drive out. Three small restaurants sit by the water, drawing fish from the Puerto del Carmen market just along the coast, and the order writes itself, grilled local catch, octopus, tender limpets, a rice dish, a carafe of cold Malvasia from the volcanic vineyards inland. Eat slowly, watch the boats, and you understand what a beach day means on this side of the island. Then walk the coastal path to the next cove, or push on to Puerto Calero, the Timanfaya volcanoes or the wineries of La Geria, all within easy reach.
Tables on this beach
Playa Quemada is a fishing village, not a club beach, so the life is at the seafront restaurants. Compare the island's beach bars in our Lanzarote directory.
Restaurante Playa Quemada
A simple, long running fish restaurant right on the front, with a terrace over the water and the daily catch from Puerto del Carmen at its heart. This is a table for a slow seafood lunch rather than a daybed club, and any minimum spend is to be confirmed.
Salmarina Playa Quemada
A second seafront kitchen looking straight out at the beach, serving Lanzarote cooking and fresh fish with the same easy village pace. Expect grilled catch, rice and local wine rather than sunbeds and service, and confirm any details on the day.
Playa Quemada lies on the south coast just below Puerto Calero, in the municipality of Yaiza. A short signed side road drops down to the village from the main coast road, and by car it is around 20 minutes from Puerto del Carmen, 25 from the airport and a little more from Playa Blanca. There is no bus right into the village, so a car makes the day far easier.
Park free on the street and walk down to the coves, bringing water, sun cover and your own shade as there is little on the sand. Build the day around a swim and a long lunch at the seafront restaurants, then add the marina at Puerto Calero, the volcanoes of Timanfaya or the wineries of La Geria, all within half an hour inland.
Reserve a day near Playa Quemada
Tell us the date and party and we will match you to a table or beach bar near Playa Quemada and the south coast and pass on your request. No charge to enquire.
Common questions
Can you swim at Playa Quemada in Lanzarote?
Yes, on most days this is one of the calmer corners of the south coast. The little bays sit in a sheltered stretch below the village, the dark sand shelves gently and the water is usually quiet, which is why local families come here to swim. There is no lifeguard, conditions are typical rather than guaranteed, so read the sea on the day and keep small children within reach.
Where do you eat at Playa Quemada?
Eating is the whole point of a Playa Quemada day. Three small restaurants sit by the water, among them Restaurante Playa Quemada and Salmarina, serving fish landed at the Puerto del Carmen market, grilled octopus, limpets and rice dishes with a cold Malvasia wine. Tables are simple and the view does the rest, so settle in for a long lunch after a swim.
Is Playa Quemada worth visiting?
If you want a quiet, lived in fishing village rather than a resort, very much so. Playa Quemada has resisted development and kept its working character, with black sand coves, calm water and honest seafood lunches. It is not a place for sunbeds, watersports or nightlife, so come for the slow rhythm and the food, not for a polished beach club scene.
How do you get to Playa Quemada and is there parking?
Playa Quemada sits just south of Puerto Calero in the municipality of Yaiza, reached by a short side road off the main coast road, around 20 minutes from Puerto del Carmen and 25 from the airport. Parking is free on the street in the village and easy outside peak lunch hours, though the few spaces near the water fill at weekends.
What else is there to do near Playa Quemada?
The village pairs well with a wider south coast day. Puerto Calero marina is minutes away for a smarter drink, the resort beaches of Puerto del Carmen are close for services, and the coastal path from the village makes a fine walk to the next cove. Inland you reach the Timanfaya volcanoes and the wineries of La Geria within half an hour.
