Mercado San Antón — Attraction in Madrid

A fantastic option for family lunch in Chueca. This is on top of Mercado San Antón, has a lovely de-structured terraza with the kind of furniture that would have been given for charity not so long ago, and with Spanish cuisine that seems to be focused on cerdo ibérico. So, you can have plenty of ham and presa ibérica here, in a way that might remind one of the 5Jotas chain.

Of course, at Mercado San Antòn, atmosphere here is much less casposa, even if on weekends you might find some full family packs, including slowly-walking grandparents of the kind that usually broke my nerves in hangover mornings years ago.

Apart from the open air terraza, which is not so large after all, there's an in-door dining room and a covered terraza (where we have booked -through internet- today). Decoration seems to be a highlight here, quite on the wave you would expect in the area.

We are assigned a round table that is quite comfortable and from which we can easily review the place. Definitely, weekend public is more on the zafio side than this place deserves, maybe a collateral damage from being at the Mercado...

For starters we have croquetas de la abuela (even if they're not bad at all, I expected the abuela to do somewhat better), ensalada de judias verdes y espinacas (which is very nice and crispy) and a small empanadilla criolla that is not bad but also not that special (chimichurri on the side is really wonderful though).

Mains include beautiful chicken fingers for the children, tacos de merluza rebozada for my partner and hamburguesa de presa ibérica for me. All's good, with some potential improvements (e.g. the fried spinach that comes with the hake is a bit too tasty, maybe a bit too dry, and the zucchini slices that come with the croquetas are cold and unnecessary).

We skip dessert because we are visiting Mistura (a new ice cream shop in Augusto Figueroa) afterwards.

All this comes at about €28 / head (not free at all, but not bad). Including three dobles of lovely Mahou Clásica, that is

Deserves more visits. Maybe nights or working days have a more distinguished crowd. Furniture is lovely and...

It is a three-story market with gourmet and everyday food items, food stalls and a terrace bar, located in Chueca, in the barrio Justicia, belonging to the district Centro, outside the metro station. Although it dates back to the 19th century, after it was demolished, it was rebuilt in 2011 to create a modern market with places to buy food and restaurants. In 2021 it was renovated, refreshing its image and incorporating new dining and commercial areas, some of which are hugely successful. The market spans three floors: The first floor is dedicated to the sale of goods, as well as some areas for tapas. The second floor consists of ten kiosks for cooking / take away, where you can enjoy the most traditional cuisine, along with oriental and Italian proposals. On the third floor is a restaurant that serves dishes with clear influences from the Atlantic ocean and the best ingredients. The Mercado de San Antón also represents a new model of sustainable market, in which the central skylight acts as a huge solar collector and the floor is made of recycled material. There is also a collection system that reduces the volume of organic...

This Market should be a stop for anyone in the Chueca area of Madrid and nearby. I am not sure where to start but the second floor food court is an excellent place to try several delicious food options for any one meal! Grab a beer or great glass of wine and you have an opportunity to enjoy anything from a orzo salad to octopus to burgers to sushi to pasta. It's all there and it's all delicious! Depending on time it can get very crowded so try to avoid peak meal periods and slightly before or after for a much better experience! There are sit down restaurant possibilities as well. The first floor is a gourmet type fresh market with some fantastic choices for spices and seasonings. There's also a good bake shop with super good macaroons and pastries. The basement has a regular supermarket where you can also pick up any of your...