The Market of San Miguel, situated in San Miguel Square facing the Plaza del Conde de Miranda and the Cava de San Miguel de Madrid, next to la Plaza Mayor, has been converted after its refurbishment into one of the most fashionable gastronomic attractions in the capital and at the same time into an example of how to recuperate an old city market whilst preserving its essence and adapting it to the latest culinary offers and tastes. Its success is surprising the Madrileños themselves as well as the hundreds of national and international tourists that visit it every day in search of a gastronomic surprise in the temple of the product.
old market san miguel
The Market of San Miguel is the only ironwork market that exists nowadays in Madrid, now that other unique examples of this style such as La Cebada and Los Mostenses have disappeared. It is considered to be an asset of cultural interest (BIC) categorized as a monument. Originally it was an open air market until in 1835 the architect, Joaquín Henri, carried out a first study to cover it with some doorways that would eliminate the bad impression that the vendors’ disparate crates gave to the Square. In 1911 the definitive project was given to Alfonso Dubé y Díez who gave it a ground floor with a metal structure on cast iron supports and a basement for the warehouses. This new structure was finished in 1916.
A historic and monumental place full of literary reminiscences.
Its history is dotted with important moments and full
of literary reminiscences which have turned it into a
historical and monumental place.
The current renovation carried out by the city council has been respectful of its structure and modernised its installations without losing any of its idiosyncrasy and particularities. After two years of building works it has once again given Madrileños the opportunity ever since the summer of 2009 to do more than purchase a market’s typical products such as fruit, vegetables, bread, cold meats, wines and flowers. In the 27 stalls it possesses at the present time you can eat and sample tapas and typical dishes from local cuisine such as Madrileño stew, snails, chickpea stew, croquettes, tortillitas, vermouth, sherry or wine from the barrel, Apple strudel or Sacher Torta cake from Viennese confectionary, coffee from Brasil or sample Russian caviar or vodka itself.
The market’s 27 stalls and the seven carts of croquettes which offer many delicacies and original spaces such as the sushi market or other stalls devoted to vodka and caviar. There are also specialised stalls such as la Casa del bacalao which offers more than 15 varieties of pinchos and tapas based on this variety of fish (tarrinas mohajanan, cod foie, cod forrarriero and brandade or cream of cod, among others); the olives stall with 40 combinations of olives with fish, cheese or seafood; the chance to buy fresh fish so that it can be prepared instantly according to the customer’s taste; to buy a bottle of wine to go with the cheese or freshly sliced ham. And to finish up the gastronomic tour there is the corner of chocolate and cakes such as el Quindi, patalee de Belén with cream from Portugal, Torres Vedrás paste or Vonzela cake.
Javier Fajardo Gerez, the enthusiastic manager, gastronomic director and the chef at El Pescado, points out some of his creations in the fish and seafood stall: squid with mushrooms, shrimp tortillita, chickpea stew, Santoña anchovies with crystal bread or oxtail rice. Ernesto Soriano from Más Gourmets carefully slices more than 30 hams every day in his stall where diners and shoppers come in search of a tapa of hand cut ham. The same thing occurs with the range of plates of different cheeses or the half bottles of Rioja or Ribera del Duero that go from stall to stall accompanying the tapas.
It is a temple of the product where the consumer turns into the owner, chef and master of her menu.
It is a temple of the product where the consumer turns into the owner, chef and master of her menu.
It is sufficiently exclusive and extraordinarily free to allow one's imagination free rein with regard to the gastronomic delights that one may sense and never dared to try, combine or ask for at a bar. Proof that this wager on quality and the avant-garde is well-founded is that prestigious restaurants such as Lhardy have their own luxury tapas stall in this market of traditional - and at the same time - experimental culinary values.
The market opens Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 10 AM to midnight and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 AM all year round and frequently organises activities related to gastronomy.
The market opens Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 10 AM to midnight and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 AM all year round and frequently organises activities related to gastronomy.
This highly successful concept could serve as a model for the Old Market in Ibiza and sa Peixateria
The concept behind this unique market is based on a series of points:
To be a community of business people, experts in their field and enthusiasts of their product.
To be the temple of fresh products where the main element is not the chef but rather the produce.
To recover 'the seasonal aspect' in what markets offer and the central role of seasonal changes.
To be a grocery store on a large scale with informal tasting and food.
To have long opening hours that are in accordance with the activities and requirements of consumers.
To have the human, technical and industrial means to carry out sensory analysis, gastronomic sampling and judgements that emphasise not only the information given to the consumer but also their education at the same time as being a reflection of Spain’s gastronomic plurality with the constant presence of the gastronomic culture of Spain.
To be a community of business people, experts in their field and enthusiasts of their product.
To be the temple of fresh products where the main element is not the chef but rather the produce.
To recover 'the seasonal aspect' in what markets offer and the central role of seasonal changes.
To be a grocery store on a large scale with informal tasting and food.
To have long opening hours that are in accordance with the activities and requirements of consumers.
To have the human, technical and industrial means to carry out sensory analysis, gastronomic sampling and judgements that emphasise not only the information given to the consumer but also their education at the same time as being a reflection of Spain’s gastronomic plurality with the constant presence of the gastronomic culture of Spain.
© 2012 PITIUSA MEDIA GROUP S.L.U.
