- 1916 iron-and-glass structure, restored 2009
- Thirty-odd counters: jamón, oysters, vermouth, croquettes
- Open daily 10h to midnight
- Plaza de San Miguel s/n, behind Plaza Mayor
Not a market in the produce sense any longer — the 1916 iron-and-glass structure behind Plaza Mayor was restored in 2009 as a counter-and-tasting hall, and it is now the most efficient single-stop tour of Madrid's eating habits available to a visitor with two hours and an appetite. Jamón Joselito at one counter, oysters at another, vermouth at the bar by the entrance, croquettes from La Casa del Bacalao.
Go between 12h and 14h or after 22h to avoid the cruise-ship crowd that fills the central aisle at the obvious hours. Two glasses of vermouth, one plate of jamón, walk on. The cocido at Lhardy after, if the appetite holds.
Book nothing, walk in for the vermouth.
