Hello lovelies,

It is no secret that Spain is a foodie destination. What a better place than Madrid then to try a food tour? I was thrilled to collaborate with Devour Spain for this post and taste the best of Madrid.

We met our tour guide Sanne, a lovely Dutch woman full of energy and very knowledgeable and passionate about Spanish culinary arts. She also has a lovely story where she followed her passion for History and food to Rome, to end up charmed by a Spaniard partner living in Madrid.

We chose the “Huertas Neighborhood Food & Market Tour”. We started from Plaza Ana, strolling our way through Huertas neighbourhood.

Huertas is the bohemian area, where artists and philosophers used to live. It was known back then as “Barrio de las Letras” (letters neighbourhood).  There are a lot of old Flamenco bars and the big hotel in Plaza Santa Ana, was mostly booked by torreadores (hanging out with flamenco dancers). We started the tour on a cultural note. It is still a very vibrant area, I loved it.

We loved the fact that Devour Spain works with family businesses only. Most of them are very old shops that are seriously threatened by worldwide companies ans supermarkets. Here are my favorite spots during the tour:

Churros con chocolate

First foodie stop was in a Chocolateria. We ate huge churros that we dipped in a thick hot chocolate. It was lighter than expected and oh so delicious, churros are very airy and crunchy #TotallyWorthTheCalories

Olive oil, jam and honey tasting

Spain is a major olive oil producer, but unfortunately they are not as good marketers as their counterparts in Italy! The varieties we tasted were very flavoured and delicate. The shop where we had the tasting is classified as city heritage.

Cheese tasting

I never imagined that Spain was a producer of fine cheeses. I was pleasantly surprised. Whether you like it delicate or strong tasting, you will probably find your fit.

Anton Martin market

Sanne introduced us to her olive guy, her favorite Italian tapas place, her ham guy and her butcher guy. Needless to say it was fresh and delicious, and the shop owners were very kind and welcoming. Yes, grocery shopping is still warm and traditional in Madrid and we love that!

Los Gatos bar

Last stop in Los Gatos Bar. The true habitants of Madrid are called Gatos, you can only earn this name if your family lived there for more than three generations. We ended our tour chatting around local drinks and tapas.

We skipped lunch and dinner that day…. haha!

Beautiful soul Sanne glowing inside and out!

I really recommend this tour as an alternative and uncommon way to discover the true spirit of Madrid. Thanks again to Sanne who was very generous and bonded with each and every one of us, I love meeting people that are truly passionate by what they do.

Love,

Dalal

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