Mercado de San Miguel

Part market, part bar, part restaurant and part cafe, the Mercado de San Miguel is a distillation of all the tasty things Madrid has to offer, adjacent to Plaza Mayor.

Mercado de San Miguel is almost always bustling. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon are the lowest daily ebbs in activity (the only times we didn’t have to fold up and stash the stroller). There are three basic strategies to Mercado San Miguel.

1) Stake out a table at one of the finite seating areas and have somebody bring delectable items back to the family.

2) Sidle up to a single restaurant (Arzábal is a standout) and partake in its tapas

3) Build a take away picnic from the jamon, queso, vino and postre purveyors.