Eating Your Way Through Madrid
Written By Ryan Noshay
Let it be known - Madrid is amazing. It is extraordinary, laid back, and it is truly a place of wonders for individuals obsessed with food. I ventured here to the land of food, drinking, green space, and deep breaths with a friend of mine who was indeed obsessed with all things food.
We set off on our venture with the sole purpose of eating everything that we set eyes upon. The pre-planning consisted of $200 worth of food tours before even touching down on the ground. I would usually classify this as grossly unnecessary, yet would learn a mere 48 hours later that it was by far the best decision we would make in this magical world they call Madrid.
Tapas & Hostels
Touching down in Madrid on Friday night our sights were set on tapas, tapas, and more tapas. For those of you that might not know, tapas are basically appetizers, or small dishes of something you can eat. After a delayed flight, a missed reservation, and the streets surrounding our respective hostels (Ok hostel, and Way hostel), we headed to El Sur, which was rated as the best and cheapest tapas in the area. True to form, we walked right on in, ordered 5-6 plates and a drink. The atmosphere was vibrant, the space was packed, and the drinks were flowing. The food consisted of Jamon, garlic shrimp, mushroom croquettes, and more. It was tasty beyond imagination - the lack of eating from our long flight in must have added to the extraordinary experience. After our wonderful tapas our day ended, and our dreams of more food and our seven restaurant food crawl the following day consumed our thoughts.
Devour Tour #1
Waking up and taking to the streets to truly see all that Madrid had to offer was an awesome choice. A few miles roaming the city before shoveling even more food improved my appetite and perspective of where we were. The Devour tour led by our guide, Eduardo, included me and seven other lucky individuals. Starting in the Plaza de Mayor, we meandered around the community, entering restaurants and enjoying the sights surrounding our original meeting spot. Stopping in locales such as bakeries funded by the Queen herself, we gobbled Jamon delicacies paired with wine, personal cider with tortillas, fried calamari sandwiches, and dessert to round it all off. My favorite by far was the Jamon and liquid chocolate. With but a fraction of the day complete, we had already checked off half a dozen restaurants, foods, and sights throughout Madrid, and we were feeling pretty good about it.
Wandering Madrid
To continue the productivity, we ventured towards the palace, past the basilica, and onwards towards the sprawling green spaces. We walked a loop along the touristy boulevard onto even more green space with a massive lake (Retiro Park Lake). Here we found rowboats, endless amounts of people, sprawling statues, and a restaurant or two to lounge nearby. My friend and I being on vacation decidedly bought the most enormous sangria drinks I had ever seen and took part in Spain's most loved pastime: people watching. The lake to our backs, the sun in our face, and locals and tourists alike strolling by, we soaked up the languages, styles, and breeze across our face, feeling better with each and every drink.
With the time standing still, with the sun still high in the sky and numerous hours left before sunset, we sought out a local friend at the glass palace a short walk away. If you are in Madrid and have just had a very large sangria, quite a bit of sun, and don't actually know your final destination, your walk can take on a life of its own. However, with a short detour, we made it. The grandiose "palace" was okay, the drummer outside enthralling. We awaited my friend on the grass, relaxing our legs and backs after a long day of walking.
Rooftop Bars
Although a nice day in Madrid on a Friday may seem like the best time for rooftop experience, you’ll have to be willing to wait in a hour-long line on the off chance the people enjoying the view get sick of it before you get sick of standing in line. It led us to a plaza, a very sugary mojito, and a dinner of more exceptional tapas in a different part of town. With all the tapas, and the now the most sugary caprini drink in front of us, we dutifully strategized the night’s festivities. Five bars later, a handful of drinks, and a place where we were served a tapas along with our drink, we finally called it quits for day one and wandered back to our beds.
With a definitive 10 am wake up call and meet up for breakfast, my friend and I shared a large tortilla and a jamon sandwich with some good ole fresh squeezed orange juice. The day began with an endless flea market: Rastro flea market. A few streets away, it stretched aimlessly far off into the distance, down alleys, around businesses, and it consisted of everything from keychains to axes, to pornography, to comics, to that gift you were dying to get your sweetheart before flying home. Both of us not caring for the material trinkets, we instead enjoyed the environment, the chaos, and all of the people streaming past.
Walking, walking, we turned eventually into a neighborhood where much less was happening. The shops were quiet, and the mountains loomed in the distance - a reminder that Madrid truly does have a lot to offer. The idea of visiting the Manzanares River was enticing, and as we made our way through the city, our thoughts of a grandiose flowing river increased, only to be met with a swampy trickle of water instead. A good place for a nap, but not the best for a swim. We passed a few hours sleeping in the wet grass, watching the dogs and families pass by.
Food Markets & More
Although Mercado San Miguel is extremely touristy and overpriced, there are a lot of options in one building, and if you choose wisely the food you get can also be extremely tasty. My choices were not the best, although my friend managed just fine with a few decisive food choices including an arrangement of cheeses, papaya, and a fruit tart to treat the sweet tooth. Going on our respective ways, our second Devour tour would begin in a few hours and sleep was needed before continuing our day and night which would go into the morning hours unbeknownst to us.
Devour Food Tour #2
Devour Tour number 2 was led by Caroline. This time we were surrounded by a much different crowd: a couple and a group of friends from San Francisco. Our food tasting included cod creaminess, garlic shrimp, lamb lymph nodes, eggplant, chorizo, calamari, and much, much more. The tour only took a few hours and the night was still young, so Caroline led us to a favorite blues bar of hers a stone's throw away. The charismatic tour guide that she was, a majority of us followed along as if the tour was just getting started. The bar was packed, the music filling the small space with incredible sounds, beats, rhythms, and vibes. We came for a drink and stayed for five. Hours passed in the blink of an eye. The night continued after a member of our group graciously paid for the drinks, and our night of nights continued on. The club was awaiting. I danced ‘till I couldn't dance anymore. I managed to wander home before the sun rose, my head hitting the pillow a little bit before 6 am.
Michelin Star Restaurants
Sleep be damned - there was no time to waste and a lot more to see, eat, and experience. 12:00 pm was the latest we gave ourselves to recuperate from the night before. Up and at it again, we decided to be bold and check out Street XO, a restaurant created by Michelin chefs, a unique blend of street food, artistry, master chef, and no-nonsense ordering. The waiters wore straight jackets, and the restaurant overlooked the entirety of Madrid located on the 4th floor. The food was as delectable as it was beautiful. As we awaited for the restaurant to open, we were graciously served a drink resembling a smoky iced tea with a whole lot of alcohol. It became a true experience as the drink was served upon a platter with a shrimp upon a stick.
Directions for drinking cocktail:
Suck the meat out of the head of the shrimp
Stir the rest upon the stick like a lollipop within the drink, and consume
Drink the drink
We ordered an array of perfectly prepared food courses, and with it another drink. One drink had pop rocks and chocolate; the other was martini with cheese whiz. Very odd tastes indeed. The bill definitely resembled the experience we had.
A flamenco show was still on the docket, and once again off we went. The leisurely stroll revolved around the food, the tastes, and talk of true Michelin star restaurants that would be attended in the near future.
Flamenco Show
Flamenco = WOW. Flamenco is a Spanish art form made up of guitar, singing, and dancing. The way their feet move in a flurry, this way and that, their expressive dresses, stoic facial expressions, intense musical backdrop, and the ambiance, just wow. I came in open-minded, thinking a show in the middle of the day would be mediocre at best, I walked out with a true appreciation of this traditional dance. The dancers and band alike were talented beyond imagination, and the experience was one that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
With the trip coming to an end, one last meal with my friend awaited. We ate at a Mexican themed restaurant recommended by locals, and although almost nothing could top our previous food extravaganzas, the food was pretty good, and the presentation of my drink inside an egg inside a chest with smoke pouring out was a lot. The presentation was unfortunately much better than the drink itself. And at last farewells were said, hugs were given, and we passed into one last night's sleep in the dream world of Madrid.
Madrid is amazing, incredible, magical, and full of smiles, green space, and most importantly food. So if you are someone who bases your trip around food and fun, make sure to take a good look at this specific destination. This trip, although very different from my usual travel experiences, was one of the best trips I have been on. It was entirely revolved around food, and my taste buds were still content weeks later. Make sure to not pass this locale up! Enjoy and I hope to hear about your amazing experiences in Spain in the near future.
Ryan is from Wisconsin, but is a true world traveler. His global experiences include living in Israel, traveling through Africa and Europe, making his way around Central America, and more.
When he’s not teaching you can find Ryan biking, hiking, writing, or spending time with his friends. You can check out more of Ryan’s work at his website below!