Churros and Chocolate in Madrid
Breakfast in Spain's Chocolatería San Ginés
Whether you've been to bed or not, breakfast at Chocolatería San Ginés in Madrid is a luxurious treat.
If your hotel offers breakfast on your next visit to Madrid - refuse! Instead, take a walk to the city’s most famous chocolateria, the Chocolatería San Ginés, for the classic Madrid breakfast and a humble star of Spanish cuisine: churros and chocolate.
Chocolate and Churros for Over 100 Years
Since 1894, this two-level cafe has been serving up sweet breakfasts (and late night treats) to Madrilenos, and visitors who take the trouble to find this out of the way gem. Located just off the Calle de Arenal and tucked behind San Ginés church, it can go unnoticed - pity the poor tourist who just discovers it the day before leaving the city.
Step inside the green door, and you’re in chocolate heaven. The smell alone is a weight watcher’s nightmare - but who diets while travelling in Spain? The first thing you'll see is a long row of cups lined up along the counter, waiting to be filled with chocolatey goodness. A waitress at the counter takes what seems a pittance for what is to come. Around $5 gets you a ticket, which you hand to the waiter after taking your place at a table in the high-ceilinged upper floor, or downstairs in the long salon that oddly resembles a train compartment.
Sticks of Heaven
The suspense is almost overwhelming, but luckily the service is fast. In no time, the waiter is back with an alarming stack of cups filled with chocolate, and an even more eye-popping row of plates, all overflowing with long, slim, golden sticks of heaven. These are the churros, made of a sweetish batter extruded in a long coil, then fried and cut into foot-long lengths.
The waiter doles them out along with cups of rich hot chocolate, so thick that drinking it straight seems impossible. And that’s where the churros come in. Thin, fried to a golden crisp and ridged all along, they were made for dunking. The first few are manna from heaven, but be warned: churros burnout is a definite possibility, given the generous pile heaped upon each plate. It’s best to take your time: sit and take in the sights and smells before rushing out into the thronging streets of Madrid. Just remember to wipe the chocolate from your chin before you do!
Details
Chocolatería San Ginés is at Pasadizo San Ginés 5, Madrid - closest Metro Station is Sol. Open 4am to 10am, then 5 pm to 10pm. Closed Mondays.
