The Mercado de San Miguel is a Great Place to Enjoy Tapas in Madrid:
On our first evening in Madrid we visited the the Mercado de San Miguel and here I felt that I was in seventh heaven. After two weeks of hotel buffet dinners in Turkey, the Mercado de San Miguel was a welcome change in cuisine. Seafood is what we love and this Madrid market is full of stalls selling seafood tapas or pinchos (small snacks of bread topped with all kinds of seafood). Of course, being Spain, there’s plenty of meat tapas as well.
The Mercado de San Miguel is in Plaza de San Miguel, just off the Plaza Mayor in Old Madrid. Housed in a 19th century building with wrought-iron framed columns, the Mercado de San Miguel is the first covered market built in Madrid.
Tapas at the Mercado San Miguel
Madrid is one of the three Spanish cities that is famous for tapas and the Mercado de San Miguel is a great place to begin your tapas or pinchos experience. Apart from the wonderful range of tapas or pinchos, the place is atmospheric.
It is a Sunday evening and the market is quite crowded with locals and tourists. There are numerous stalls selling seafood tapas, some selling beverage and food, delicious cheeses, fruit juice, chocolates, ice cream and more. You will also find some stalls selling hats, t-shirts, souvenirs, etc.
Enjoying Tapas in Madrid
At the Mercado de San Miguel, it’s common to see individuals, equipped with a glass of wine in hand, strolling from stall to stall, and trying the pinchos from the various vendors. Others like us prefer to order a plate of different pinchos and park ourselves at one of the bench tables to enjoy the tapas. If you’re lucky, it is possible to secure a table with stools, so you can sit and enjoy your food. We like the pinchos from the Bacalau stall and Tony likes the wines from Bodega.
We enjoyed the Mercado so much that we came back the next evening. To enjoy tapas in Madrid, the Mercado de San Miguel is definitely a place to visit. See our Mercado San Miguel photos Here.
Getting to Mercado de San Miguel from Plaza Mayor:
In the centre of Plaza Mayor is the equestrian statue of Felipe III. If you stand facing the statue front-on, the archway to exit from the square is the one to your right. Go down the flight of steps and hang a right. Walk past the Meson Tapas Bar and the Mercado de San Miguel is just straight ahead.
Address:
Mercado de San Miguel
Plaza San Miguel, S/N 28013 Madrid, Spain
Map of Madrid:
28013 Madrid, Spain
Things to do in Madrid
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