A pair of classics in their respective cities (2 of 2)…read more - - - - - I'm not surprised there are a lot of reviews. Then, I've had this bookmarked for an eternity based on the reviews of a Yelp friend (acquaintance) from the Yelp Talk chapter who did quite a bit of traveling. I had seen Chocolateria San Gines before but did not go in. I don't know why. This time, I did go in. They have two salons across the street from each other. I prefer the one on the east side of the street, which has the taller ceilings and more glass and mirrors. There will be a line around the side, but it will move quickly. I knew they had chocolate based on their name, but I didn't understand how they factored it into the equation. I sort of assumed that one could get chocolate churros. After all, there are now chocolate cannoli shells and, in some cases, cannoli can also have chocolate filling. The lady at the counter very quickly gave me an education. One gets the standard churros, but they come with a chocolate sauce that you dip them into. This all made for an interesting snack. This is not a place intended for a meal. The churro have a nice bland sort of crunchiness and the chocolate sauce is one heck of a counterpoint. The combination is great. I also had a hot drink. Upon asking, they immediately provided me with a small glass of cold water - seen at many adjacent tables - probably to counter the effects of the richness of this snack. Be it at the counter or at the table, the staff was very well mannered and helpful, which was commendable for how busy they were. The interior is very clean and has a lot of history on its wall. The pricing was to my liking, so coming to Chocolateria San Gines is a "no brainer." Everything is there and the intersection of its history and visitors from the world over take this one to 5 stars. A friend of mine who once lived in Madrid laughed upon learning it was on my list. I mentioned I had already been to Mallorquina, which is a few blocks away on Plaza del Sol. The story was that Mallorquina is where Madrid's version of chatty magpies might go to do the dessert and coffee thing with their friends in the afternoon. It closes in the evening. Instead, Chocolateria San Gines is open all the time and might be the last stop of the evening or night before Madrilenos turn in from a night on the town. It is also very easy to reach, only a few blocks from either the Sol or Opera Metro stations, from which you can also take in fascinating nearby Plaza Mayor.

The churros here are a must try in Madrid, Spain…read more The chocolate sauce is divine and great for dipping the churros. There's a dining area to sit inside and outside. The service is relatively quick. The churros are crispy and not oily. If you're in Madrid go here!

Wow, the selection is one of the best i have seen anywhere in the world. I had the pistachio…read morecroissant and it was amazing. More dense than a regular croissant of course but in the GF world it was the best i have had. I will definitely take some empanadas to go for later. Nice vibe cafe, the playlist was incredible i could have stayed for hours.

In need of a cafe and in a time crunch, I came to this place. Short walk from the hotel. Friendly…read morestaff. Had a cafe americano which hit the spot. The chocolate pastry was good. Nice spot for a quick bite.

The ice cream was great! I came with family and friends and…read morethe ice cream crepes was delicious Coming back again

I always look for a place where I can feel the bread before I buy because I don't like cold bread…read moreand dry pastries. I happened to arrive on Sunday afternoon.. Worst time to be hungry as most restaurants are closed between 4 pm and 8 pm. I bought some croissants, plain, custard (very thin) and chocolate filled. All less than €1 (about €0.60-0.80) for a big size. They looked similar to ones at most super market.. Nothing special but omg.. It tastes so good. All taste like ones I could get freshly in the morning. I was so happy to find this pastry/bakery. I will definitely go back whenever I want fresh bread or pastries. Highly recommend.

Our last morning in Madrid and we walked a few blocks from the hotel. The best croissants and the…read morecappuccino was actually good because I am not a coffee person! Fantastic spot. I'm sure they all are in this town.

Do yourself a favor and stop here for torrija. I would recommend taking it to go or seeing if you…read morecan snag a spot upstairs. This place gets busy and packed and was hectic when we stopped in. The torrija was one of, if not the best one we had while in Madrid. The service was quick and friendly at the to go counter for me.

La Mallorquina came as a recommendation from our hotel when I asked for a local bakery with coffee…read more I'd had a long list of places I wanted to try but always like to ask as well. We happened upon it and I was so pleasantly surprised. I think we went three times during our time in Madrid. I loved the counter experience, I'd definitely recommend that option. I wasn't looking to sit down and do all of that upstairs so my review is solely based on counters on the first floor. The locals love this spot and that is quite obvious. I was told in advance that they do and coming here was very enjoyable. The pastries and coffee are very yummy, you won't be disappointed. Makes for the perfect spot if you really want to get your day started but want to grab a quick bite before doing so.

Food Service and great quiet atmosphere at ould go again. Staff very helpful and pleasantread more

Very good coffee and great variety of pastries. Cute and cozy place. The service was quick.read more

Very welcoming staff on a hot and humid evening. Tried half the flavors, but loved the pistachio…read morecheese cake so much I stopped there. The cheese cake crust in the ice-cream was crunchy and not soggy. The passion fruit was delicious too, especially if you love passion fruit, you can mix that with the natural yogurt. I think I'll be having that tomorrow. Must visit!

So affordable and great quality gelato. The gelato is light, fluffy and flavorful. It's a bit on…read morethe sweeter side though so be prepared for that. It's located right near the soccer stadium and the shop is super cute and spacious but it might be hard to find a spot to sit inside because a lot of people come visit. There's also outdoor seating though! They take card and the waiters speak English. This must be a local favorite though because I saw a lot of locals visiting this gelato shop.

Sadly, Real Cake did not provide the comfortable shelter (from rain) or delicious egg tarts I went…read morethere looking for. While searching for a place to sit and kill time before dinner, we found this place on Yelp and were lured in by the egg tarts. Three seats at a counter on uncomfortable stools did not really fit the bill. I actually could not find a stable position on the wobbly stools. The shop itself is quite small, and the pastries were not super buttery. If you liken it to a Chinese egg custard tart, I would say this crust was thinner, crisper/crunchier/harder, the pastry itself was quite greasy, and the custard itself is less creamy and tastes a little too strongly of cinnamon.