Delicatessen in Madrid

A chickpea stew with meat and vegetables, served in three courses: soup first, then chickpeas and meat.

Fried squid rings in a crusty baguette, the classic quick lunch around the Plaza Mayor.

Fried dough sticks dipped in thick hot chocolate, for breakfast, merienda or after a night out.

The thicker, softer cousin of the churro, usually dunked in coffee or chocolate.

A hearty tripe stew with chorizo and blood sausage in a paprika sauce; a winter tapas bar classic.

Fried eggs broken over fried potatoes with ham: simple, filling and made to share.

Fried potato chunks with a spicy tomato sauce, the tapas order you will see on every bar counter.

Fried lamb tripe, a street-food tradition of old Madrid, for adventurous eaters.

Violet-flavoured sweets and candied violets, a Madrid souvenir since the 19th century.

🛍️ Find it at: La Violeta (violet sweets)

Ring-shaped doughnuts for San Isidro (15 May): the "silly" plain ones and the "clever" ones with a sugar glaze.

🛍️ Find it at: El Riojano (pastry shop), Antigua Pastelería del Pozo

Bread soaked in milk or wine, fried and dusted with cinnamon sugar, an Easter treat.

🛍️ Find it at: Antigua Pastelería del Pozo, Horno de San Onofre

Thin rolled wafers, once sold on the street from tin drums by barquilleros.

Battered fried cod sticks wrapped in a red pepper strip, a Madrid tapa.

Sweet red vermouth served from the tap with an orange slice and an olive, the classic Sunday aperitif.

Cured ham from black Iberian pigs, hand-cut thin and eaten with bread.

A firm sheep's milk cheese from La Mancha, nutty and tangy, eaten in wedges with bread or quince paste.

Small fried pastry triangles filled with custard, a Madrid sweet since the 17th century.

🛍️ Find it at: El Riojano (pastry shop), Horno de San Onofre

Almond nougat, in soft (Jijona) and hard (Alicante) versions, a Christmas staple sold in Madrid all year.

🛍️ Find it at: Casa Mira (turrón)

Madrid's turrón shop since 1855, with almond nougat, marzipan and glazed fruit made to old recipes.

• 💡 Tip: Try the classic Jijona (soft) and Alicante (hard) turrón. Daily 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00; closed July and August, no Sundays in June and September.
• 📍 Address: Carrera de San Jerónimo 30, 28014 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Barrio de las Letras (Huertas): 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk

A tiny 1915 shop famous for its violet-flavoured sweets and candied violets, a Madrid souvenir.

• 💡 Tip: Buy the candied violets (violetas escarchadas) or the tin of classic sweets. Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00.
• 📍 Address: Plaza de Canalejas 6, 28014 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk

A pastry shop of 1855 with a 19th-century tea-room, known for roscón, rosquillas and anguilas de mazapán.

• 💡 Tip: Ask for the seasonal speciality: rosquillas for San Isidro in May, torrijas at Easter. Daily 09:00–21:00.
• 📍 Address: Calle Mayor 10, 28013 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Plaza Mayor: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk

A family pastry shop since 1830 near Puerta del Sol, loved for its hojaldre de crema, torrijas and roscón.

• 💡 Tip: Order the cream puff pastry in the morning, before it sells out. Tue–Sat 09:30–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, Sun 09:30–14:00, closed Mon.
• 📍 Address: Calle del Pozo 8, 28012 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Puerta del Sol (Kilometre Zero, Bear and Strawberry Tree): 🚶 0.2 km · 3 min walk

A non-profit olive-oil shop with about 270 oils from all Spanish regions, with tastings and talks.

• 💡 Tip: Ask for a tasting of two or three oils by variety (picual, arbequina, cornicabra). Mon–Fri 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00; Saturdays and August 10:00–14:00.
• 📍 Address: Calle de Mejía Lequerica 1, 28004 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Museum of Romanticism: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk

A bakery of 1972 in Malasaña, known for its bread, torrijas and bartolillos.

• 💡 Tip: Pick up bread or a pastry for a picnic in the Retiro. Mon–Sat 09:00–21:30, Sun 09:00–21:00.
• 📍 Address: Calle de San Onofre 3, 28004 Madrid
• MapWebsite
• 🚶 Near Gran Vía: 🚶 0.3 km · 4 min walk