Madrid is well known as
the city that never sleeps or was that NYC? I guess so, but it also is true for
Madrid. The city is nearly as large as London and Berlin and as the capital of
Spain it happens to sit right in the centre of it.
During the hottest day
in June the young Madrileña
Isabella tells me that she has got two jobs. Her ”real one” is the badly paid
position of a social worker. The job that gives her enough money to have a life
is that of a shop assistant on Gran Via the boulevard in the centre of Madrid.
The European Central Bank says that the situation in Spain is getting better,
but for Isabella the financial crisis is still in full swing. Wages are so low,
that most of her friends need to have two jobs to get by. That is if they are
lucky, many others are unemployed. To her it feels like it might take years
before the job market will be back to its pre-crisis status.
What is a great place to
see consumer behaviour of Madrilenians? Exactly right, I have to visit a few
markets to better understand what is going on. Since I love to visit markets
for their food when travelling, I can kill two birds with one stone … (not that
I would ever literally want to kill a living creature).
You want to see Madrid for foodies? Come with me and visit the Mercado San Miguel, the Mercado Barcelo, the Mercado de San Idelfonso and the Mercado de la Cebada. This is going to be a delicious trip around town.
You want to see Madrid for foodies? Come with me and visit the Mercado San Miguel, the Mercado Barcelo, the Mercado de San Idelfonso and the Mercado de la Cebada. This is going to be a delicious trip around town.
Mercado San Miguel - San Miguel Market in Old Madrid
This is the obvious
choice for most visitors and also Madrilenos, and understandably though. The
roughly 100 year’s old market hall is a very short walk from Plaza Mayor and it
has got a lot of opportunities to sit down and eat. You can buy fruit and veg
but it is not a farmers market in the true sense of the word. Get yourself a
drink and eat your way through the massive choices of stuffed olives. This is a
place where people meet friends and tell each other about their lives. You can
even encounter little dramas in the midst of the busy crowd.
Boy: ”You know I only
sleep with her, nothing more, in reality I can’t stand her, and it is so much
fun to pretend to fancy her, and to see that she doesn’t get it.”
Lady friend: ”Oh yes,
sure, totally get that. Makes sense. She has always been a rather ignorant girl.”
Boy: ”Well, well, well
she is so clueless.”
Out of a sudden the lady
friend raises her hand and strokes the guys’ head. ”You have very curly hair.”
Guy gets slightly uncomfortable. Girl moves very close to that lad and kisses
him. I sit directly opposite these guys, and can’t help but witness this very
short and tense kiss. His eyes are wide open, I see his twitching mouth and the
ever so slight roll of his eyes.
Boy: ”You know what? We
better go, I am about to meet a couple of friends in a bit.”
They left straight away,
and I buy a cup of Gazpacho and later end my visit with a coffee and churros
with chocolate. While I am in chocolate heaven I get to speak to the guy
standing next to me, we talk about this and that and I grab a heart and ask
whether he feels that Mercado San Miguel is affordable for Spaniards. He tells
me that it is on the more expensive side but he loves to visit to
have something to nibble and to soak in the atmosphere.
Where. Mercado San Miguel. Plaza de San Miguel.
Where. Mercado San Miguel. Plaza de San Miguel.
Mercado Barceló - Barceló Market in Justicia
In 1937 a covered food
market opened in this place but that structure has been demolished and replaced
by a very futuristic one. The new Mercado Barceló opened its doors in 2014 and
is still a place where people buy groceries of all sorts. It fills my heart
with joy to see that Madrid invests into the food and market scene, that way the
city remains a lively place. This is a fully functioning farmers market. Have a
browse and talk to the stallholders, ask them about their products, it is so
very informative. When you tasted enough delicacies head upstairs to drink a
cup of coffee and eat a few tapas at one of the tiny bars.
Mercado de San Idelfonso in Malasaña
The motto of this trendy street market that opened in mid-2014
is Taste and Smile. It runs over three levels and has lots of seating inside
and even outdoors. Everything in this industrial-styled market is about food
and drink, and the stallholders are entrepreneurs who truly believe in their
products. Talk to them to experience their knowledge about food and their love
for this place.
If you are hungry and are in the Malasaña, Chueca and Tribunal
area just stop by and you will most certainly have the best time ever. It is
not overly crowded during the week but on the weekends there is lots of
jostling. Foodies are balancing their full plates and glasses to find a free
space ... somehow that adds to the atmosphere. The music plays loudly and there
are lots of smiling faces all around you.
While speaking with a few locals I find out they all feel
this to be a tad too expensive but love to visit every once in a while to
simply catch up with friends. Most often they would pop in for drinks and snacks
before they move on to another bar to eat.
The entry on the ground
floor looks slightly boring really, just be brave and walk through to the stair
case to let the fun begin.
Mercado de la Cebada in La Latina
At the beginning of the 20th century this
market built in 1875 became one of the most important ones of Madrid. In the
fifties the old market has been demolished and rebuilt, and as it happened too
often (everywhere) people decided to buy at supermarkets.
In present days the two-storey market does look sort of neglected but that doesn’t mean that there are bad products on sale, not at all. The food you get here is of excellent quality and the vendors are welcoming and friendly. This is that type of place where you drink wine from plastic cups. The surroundings have been turned into an open-air art space for the time being. Let us cross fingers that this place will be restored in its old glory.
In present days the two-storey market does look sort of neglected but that doesn’t mean that there are bad products on sale, not at all. The food you get here is of excellent quality and the vendors are welcoming and friendly. This is that type of place where you drink wine from plastic cups. The surroundings have been turned into an open-air art space for the time being. Let us cross fingers that this place will be restored in its old glory.
Where is your favourite food market? I love to visit markets whenever I have the opportunity. Let us swap
experiences. Do you inform yourself about the economic situation of a country
before you travel there? And I mean not only so that you can get the cheapest
deal. So very much looking forward to hear from you.
From Berlin with love