OFF HOUR NIBBLING
Part of the reason you’re bringing your family to Madrid is to engage in the Spanish lifestyle. This looks great on paper, but in practice families can have difficulty negotiating the timing of that lifestyle. Nap Times, jet lag and children’s squirreliness can all lead to your day not matching up with the city around you. A 10:00 pm dinner time or late night tapas are challenging propositions. Fear not. There are a handful of alternate ways to enjoy the cuisine of Madrid at non-obvious times of day that put you in a position to take in the scene – without making a ‘scene’ of your own.
Mercados
Traditionally part marketplace, part bar, part restaurant and part cafe, the mercados can be a proper distillation of all the tasty things Madrid has to offer. Adjacent to Plaza Mayor, stands the glass-enclosed jewel box of a landmark, Mercado de San Miguel. It is in such a conspicuous location that first time visitors to the city often stumble upon it without even trying, “whoa, it’s right there!” Peer within and you’ll see that its location is also its downfall; it’s almost always bustling. Perhaps inevitable, but there are no longer market vendors and most of the food is ready-to-eat. As irresistible as Mercado de San Miguel may appear, there are other mercados to consider. For less crowds, less glitz and less damage to your pocketbook, visit the nearby Mercado de San Fernando. A little further afield, and home to the fantastic tapas spot, Casa Dani, is Mercado de la Paz. For a variety of food genres that go beyond Spanish, consider Mercado de Vallehermoso. No two mercados are alike, but all can provide a quick snack or supply goods for an impromptu picnic.
The Paseo
It looks like a city, but Madrid is really a single (albeit giant) village. After work and after school (around 7:00 pm) the entire town sets off on foot, meeting up with friends or family with the intent of hanging out. This is when you’ll see old men strolling together, hands clasped behind their back; you’ll notice women walking arm in arm. This is our favorite time of day, one we spin into a pre-dinner snack time. We like to paseo with purpose and target a tiny pocket plaza, such as Plaza San Andrés in La Latina or Plaza Juan Pujol in Malasaña. Any plaza will work, but the smaller nook plazas provide an air of intimacy. Next we find a table to sit and order drinks. The quality of the bar’s food is irrelevant at this point of the night, because we’re just snacking. Spy a place that is serving potato chips alongside drinks and our kids are in heaven. This is a time to let the kids loose a little, orbiting the table for a snack. Because it’s too early for your table to be valuable dining real estate you won’t be getting eye daggers from staff nor would-be patrons.
Bocadillo de Jamón
Put the word bocadillo in your Google translator and it’ll come back with a sandwich. But, a bocadillo is so much simpler than a sandwich we’ve come to know back home with options for toppings, fixings and ‘the works.’ In Madrid, it’s just the thing (in this case jamón) on the bread with no frills. It showcases how outstanding that one thing can be. It is also a Spaniard’s secret weapon against going hungry. Case in point, we’ve attended Real Madrid football matches in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium which is kind of a no frills proposition, with few concession stands (yet seemingly plenty of betting stands). The messaging is clear, you’re only there to watch the match (and bet on it). As the teams headed into the tunnels at halftime, everybody – and I mean everybody – in the stands pulled out bocadillos de jamón. Jamón legs are ubiquitous, but our favorite is the Viandas Hacienda Zorita de Salamanca (two locations between Puerta de Sol and Gran Vía). Stock up in the morning and you’ve got lunch squared away for whatever location suits you: the side of a fountain, a park bench, a metro platform, a playground or halftime of a soccer match.
