Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, tourist trap or not? »

Hi Spain Lovers! Are you planning to visit the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid? In this post I give you my opinion, tell you if it’s worth visiting and if it’s a tourist trap or not.

Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid,
tourist trap or not?

Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid

The Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid is a covered market offering Spanish food and delicacies in an elegant ambiance. There are about 33 stands. It’s just about eating and drinking. Millions of people visit the market each year to taste the local food and delicacies including vermouth, olives, cheese, bacalao, fried fish, pintxos, paella and gelato.

Once inside the Mercado de San Miguel….

there’s so much choice! I started my tapas journey with cheese. I’m a cheese lover and I was lucky enough to try all kinds of cheese at the Mercado de San Miguel. There’s a cheese market where you can try different cheeses. Goat cheese, blue cheese, manchego, cabral, roncal or torta de casar, all from Spain. A large cheese plate with 20 cheese tapas costs around € 28,00, with 10 cheese tapas around € 14,40, and with 6 cheese tapas around € 9,00. Per piece you pay € 1,80. The slices are big and delicious.

After the cheese, I stopped by at la casa del Bacalao. This stand serves small tapas that are easy to eat. I had some with salmon, smoked sardines, and vegetables. They cost between € 1,00 and € 3,00.

There’s also a stand (Arzabal) where you can eat cooked tapas like patatas bravas (potatoes), gambon (ham) or gambas.

Another stand specializes in authentic paella, hmmm yammie! You can choose the paella with black rice or yellow rice. Prices vary between € 10,00 and € 20,00 a plate.

When you are more in the mood for a small bite, you can visit the stand Pintxos. This stand serves tapas from the north of Spain that are easy to serve and to eat on a run. Think about lots of different delicious things on top of bread like anchovies, tuna, asparagus, mussels, duck and loin.

Of course there are also plenty of stands serving desserts. There’s El Horno de San Onofre, a pastry/bakery shop that serves typical products like marrons, empinados and tartas. Another option is Rocamboles, a gelateria/ice cream shop that serves ice cream in cones or cups.

Is the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid a tourist trap?

Yes and no. It’s not a traditional market where locals buy their groceries. No, it’s a food hall where you can explore Spanish food and delicacies in an elegant ambiance. The food hall is located right by the Plaza del Mayor and in the centre of madrid. So, yes it’s touristic and a bit more expensive, but it’s still a great place to explore different types of Spanish food. Is it worth visiting? I think if it’s your first time then yes. But go when it’s quieter, and know that sometimes the prices are expensive.

The busiest times to visit the Mercado de San Miguel are between 7.30am – 10.30am and 12.00pm – 15.00pm.

Location and opening times

Madrid de San Miguel is located in the centre of Madrid, right behind Plaza de Mayor. It takes a two minutes walk from Plaza de Mayor to the market. The market opens daily at 10.00am.