Discover great gastronomic market that is located in the heart of Madrid. If you are going to visit the capital, this beautiful market is one of the obligatory stops, where you can also try all kinds of dishes and tapas. Gastronomy lovers will agree that it is a new market concept that is also spreading to other cities.
El Mercado de San Miguel offers more than thirty stalls where you can try all kinds of recipes and flavors. In addition, it is located in a beautiful building and will be close to places such as the Plaza Mayor. It is an obligatory stopping point to regain strength when visiting Madrid.
Market history
This was already a market area in medieval times, but it was the typical open market where the guilds sold their artisan products in different stalls. In the XNUMXth century it was still an open-air market dedicated mainly to the sale of fish. The start of the closed market did not start until early XNUMXth century by architect Alfonso Dubé y Díez. It was inspired by other European markets with materials such as iron, in the style of the Halles de Paris. It was inaugurated on May 13, 1916.
As the activity as a market was declining due to the arrival of supermarkets and shopping centers, it was decided to turn the activity around. This is how it became a gastronomic space that began to attract hundreds of tourists each year in search of new experiences for their palate.
The market building
This building was remodeled in 2009 to give rise to this new concept, inspired by markets such as La Boquería in Barcelona. Inside it is possible to see the original iron structure along with Fernandino style lamps and Arabic tiles. The area is glazed to insulate the interior and they also have a novel underfloor heating system for the winter and water vaporization for the summer, something that improves the experience of those who visit this market at any time.
What the Mercado de San Miguel offers us
The new concept went through renovating the positions that were within the market to offer something different. It was required that each position offered only one specialty the only one that could not be repeated in the market, so that each one was different from the previous one. Only one of the positions that had previously remained the same, a greengrocer.
If we go to this market we can find stalls with drinks, food, trolleys, take-out stalls and candy stalls. This is how I know divide the various specialties what's in the market.
Within drinks stalls We find references such as 'La Hora del Vermut', where they offer us vermouths from different areas. At 'Pinkleton & Wine' you can taste varieties of wines. 'Black coffee' is the coffee shop with excellent coffees.
The carts are small stalls where they offer us delicious tapas and food to take away. 'El Señor Martín' has quality Andalusian fritters. 'Tonda' serves authentic artisan Italian pizzas. 'Mozzarella Bar' is dedicated to artisan Italian cheese and 'Arzábal croquetería' serves the richest croquettes.
The food stalls are without a doubt the most abundant, with a great deal. 'Mozheart' creates tapas with rich Italian mozzarella. 'Daniel Sorlut' is an oyster shop, 'Amaiketako' offers artisan products and tapas of Basque origin. 'Felixia' has rich and fresh fruits and vegetables that are complemented with tropical fruits and organic products. In 'La Casa del Bacalao' you can taste high quality canned food, such as the rich anchovies from Santoña.
No tasting is complete without desserts and sweets. In the 'Horno de San Onofre' it is a reference in Madrid and serves delicious artisanal or modern desserts. 'Rocambolesc' is the artisan ice cream shop where there are also chocolates, chocolates or pastries. In 'La Yogurtería' you can try ice cream with a fresh milk base.
How to visit it
The San Miguel Market it is located in the neighborhood of La Latina, in the direction of Plaza de San Miguel s / n, near the Plaza Mayor. The hours it has is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 10:00 to 24:00 hours. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 to 02:00 in the morning. Of course, it is recommended to go hungry at a time when we want to taste the wide variety of dishes, desserts and drinks that they have. Several forays are even recommended to go for vermouth, in the morning or at night for dinner, since the atmosphere may be different.
It should be noted that to further improve the market offer they have included several chefs with Michelin Stars. Names like Jordi Roca, Rodrigo de la Calle, Ricardo Sanz or Roberto Ruíz offer their elaborate dishes so that tourists can taste only the best in this famous and historic Madrid market.