MADRID EATS: Where to Eat in Madrid, Spain
Mezze Menu of the Day. Le Chef. Gemmayzeh. Beirut, Lebanon. Photo by Deets on Eats
Dear Foodie Fam,
Madrid is one of my hubby and my happiest times eating together!
Here’s 3 eateries we say you MUST ENJOY in Madrid!:
Sobrino de Botín
Chocolatería San Ginés
Mercado de San Miguel
If you have any to add, comment below!
Sobrino de Botín
Calle de los Cuchilleros 17, 28005 Madrid, Spain • 913664217
Average price of a main course dish: 18€. • Average price of a 3-course meal: 40 €.
The Guinness Book of World Records calls Sobrino de Botín the Oldest Restaurant in the world. They specialize in Castillian cuisine - namely, the slow-roasted lamb and suckling pig. Several times a week, the restaurant receives pigs straight from Segovia and lambs from Spain’s Sepúlveda-Aranda-Riaza (the renowned "magic triangle").
In 1725, French cook Jean Botín opened Casa Botín inn. Here, guests brought their own ingredients to be cooked in the facility. The cast iron wood oven (which today’s owners vow never to extinguish) and a slab at the entrance to the building date back to 1725. The tavern later got the name Sobrino de Botin (“Botin’s Nephew”). Since then, generations of Spanish locals, politicians and royalty have enjoyed the restaurant. It was said to be one of Ernest Hemingway’s haunts and faves. In fact, he mentions the cochinillo (roast suckling pig) in The Sun Also Rises. Francisco de Goya supposedly even waited tables here before being accepted into the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Today, the restaurant has four gorgeous floors. The ground floor - which was once the wine cellars - has gorgeous arching brick walls. The dining room ceilings are wood-beamed and the floors are tiled. No matter what floor you eat on, make sure to take a quick visit to the basement of the restaurant which dates back to 1590 (when the building was first raised). It’s damp, cold and the air smells of history. It happens to be the perfect place to store the restaurant wines.
In the 20th century, after the Spanish Civil War the González family took over the business. The third generation González brothers (Antonio and José) run the show, today.
It might sound very cliché, but our meal at Sobrino de Botín was better than I had hoped - especially in ambiance and service. It was really worth trying to get a reservation (I HIGHLY suggest ensuring you have a reservation. It’s close to impossible to secure a seat on the spot. I don’t know why we had tried to visit with out a reservation. I’m so happy we got one!)
We got to eat on the bottom floor at a seat right beside the old wine cellar. It was a little damp and cold but the lively, romantic buzz of locals and travelers was warm. There was even a live “tuna” (musical group in traditional dress) playing. My only regret was I didn’t feel like ordering the suckling pig. I could have experienced a bit of history!
Video Below - Source: Travelcast
Video Below - Source: Devour Tours Madrid
Video Below - Source: Food Insider
Chocolatería San Ginés. Madrid, Spain. Photo by Deets on Eats
Churros con chocolate. Chocolatería San Ginés. Madrid, Spain. Photo by Deets on Eats
Chocolatería San Ginés
Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5, 28013 · Madrid · España
Hot chocolate 2,70 E • Hot chocolate and 6 churros or 4 porras 4,50 E
Churros con chocolate is one of the most popular forms of breakfast in Spain! Since 1894, it’s been served beautifully at Madrid’s most famous chocolatería, San Ginés.
The 19th century café is gorgeous. It’s wood paneled and has huge mirrors. It’s also covered with newspaper articles about celebrity visits. Waiters navigate the sparkling marble space holding trays stacked with churros and porras. The treats lay on dishes stacked on hot chocolate mugs stacked on saucers stacked on more hot mugs!
The churros and chocolate are like nothing I’ve ever had in the states. So simple, satisfying and comforting. The porras were my favorite treat! …I shamelessly drank the remaining thick hot chocolate at the end of every sitting (you aren’t supposed to)!
If churros con chocolate isn’t your thing, you can grab other pastries, cake or ice-cream. You can also grab coffee and tea. The fact that San Ginés is open 24/7 all year round makes this an easy spot to cross off your to-visit list when in Madrid. To miss the crowd, skip the traditional breakfast (10am-11am) and opt for a local-centric late night drop-in snack.
Since the food was so delicious, so reasonably priced, so close to our Air B&B and had such reasonable hours… we visited San Gines multiple times!
WARNING: The below Telemadrid video is in Spanish but it may still make you drool!
Mercado de San Miguel
P laza de San Miguel, 28005 • Madrid · España
MON-WED, SUN: 10AM-12AM. • THUR-SAT: 10AM-2AM
The Mercado de San Miguel might look like a tourist trap but it’s actually very reasonably priced and a wildly popular place for locals seeking a celebratory tapas or dinner experience. It’s not a grocery market, it’s a type of tapas market… a tapas wonderland, in my opinion!
You can spot the beautiful Mercado de San Miguel near the Plaza mayor, the Puerta del Sol and the Royal Palace The beautiful iron structure is unique and dates to 1916. It’s one of Madrid’s first and now only covered markets.
This market is easily one of the most magical eating experiences my hubby and I’ve ever had. This is a gastronomic heaven featuring deliciously fresh high-quality fare from all over Spain. Foodies can eat their hearts out and drool for hours at over 30 different booths. You can taste traditional foods from Galician, Castilian, Basque, Asturian cuisine. There’s gourmet ham, cheese, fruit, fresh seafood, veggies, olives, baked goods, beer and wine. Some booths even stunningly highlighted the dozens of ways that a single style of tapas can be made (like one we kept visiting that specialized in cod).
It was so much fun wandering wide-eyed with wine in hand… every booth seemed to glow with culinary gems… We were giddy, gleefully picking out tapas dishes, stealing open spaces at communal tables and enjoying our culinary treasures!
If I ever return to Madrid, I know we would visit the Mercat de San Miguel as often as we could.
Video Below - Source: Spain Revealed
Video Below - Source: The Laughing Lion
Video Below - Source: Telemadrid
BONUS: TAPAS CRAWL AT CAVA BAJA
The place that all the locals go for a tapas crawl is Cava Baja. It’s a wildly popular street lined with many different kinds of tapas bars (and vibes). There’s always small groups of locals walking happily down the street from one bar to the next. It gets pretty lively and is a fun way to check out the local night life!
Spain Revealed was a killer resource for me when I was researching Spain. James Blick is very detailed and respectful to local culture. Blick has loads of experience through living in Spain with his native Spanish wife and touring with Devour Tours.
Spain Revealed videos made me SO excited to get to Spain and did not disappoint when I got there. I visited some places suggested and was over the moon! Their culture and language videos were beyond helpful to me, too. His Madrid videos are especially helpful because Madrid is where he lives.
Video Below- Source: Spain Revealed
“Local”
Video Below- Source: Spain Revealed
Ultimate
Video Below- Source: Spain Revealed
MORE COOL PLACES
Video Below- Source: Spain Revealed