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Traditional markets in Madrid II: San Miguel Market

28 octubre, 2014

: cuisine Spain | gastronomy tour Madrid | San Miguel Market | tapas Madrid | tourism Madrid | traditional markets Madrid

In the centre of Madrid, just a few metres away from Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, we can see the San Miguel Market, a must-visit place in the capital where tradition and modern tendencies meet in a very particular space.
This is not a place which passes unnoticed as San Miguel Market gets the attraction at first sight: it is a structure built in iron and window panes, elegant, which seems to shine from its inside inviting us to discover it.
Once we get into it, everything seems familiar: the smells, the colours, the textures we can feel without need to touch, the murmur, the comings and goings of people. San Miguel Market is all that: it is a real market, as many other markets where people usually do the shopping for the week. This is the ‘daily nature’ which seeks to offer first quality traditional products for everybody to find what they are looking for, for a couple doing the weekly shopping but also for a professional chef needing from supply for his restaurant.
Besides these traditional products we can also find other less commonly known products which are making their way on the Spanish cuisine, as biologic products and some other raw materials and recipes from all over the world. For example, we will find spices, Japanese ‘makis’, sweets and French ‘macarons’. Everything is close at hand in the stands of this wonderful market.
When the products in a market are so appealing we lick our lips just from looking at them in the stands, disposed on the trays behind the glass, set in perfect pyramids, contained in tastefully sealed pots or in perfectly aligned bottles. We can barely wait for coming home and enjoying our purchases. Fortunately in San Miguel Market not only you can buy the products but you can also taste them right there: having a beer with some ‘pinchos’ for those more traditional, a cup of Spanish wine or a plate made with edible flowers for those more daring.
And this is not over: San Miguel Market gets renovated everyday and it is constantly in contact with the cultural news and agenda of the cuisine’s world. That is why it has a space for events where they organize some little exhibitions, concerts or talks.
Address and access:
Plaza de San Miguel, s/n.
Metro: Ópera, Puerta del Sol.
Bus: líneas 3, 31, 50, 65, N16.
Opening hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 10 am to 12 pm.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 2 am.

Here is the ideal planning for your holidays: an apartment in Madrid with Genteel Home and a stop at San Miguel Market when walking through the city.