I stopped into this small but bright pastry, cake, and ice cream shop on a night stroll through the…read morePlaza Major. They are located on the east side of the plaza, more north than south. There were so many goodies to choose from, I wasn't sure what to try. I settled on a small scoop of Pantera Rosa ice cream and 3 small pastries called mantecados.
After taking a bite of a mantecado, I realized that I know this cookie well. It's basically the same as a Filipino polveron. Confitería Santa Lucía's mantecados are crumbly, sweet, and topped with a fine glaze of sugar. Every day in Spain has been an interesting history lesson in the origin of the familiar foodstuffs of my childhood.
There was only one person working and the people in front of me were ordering lots of pastries for a party, so it was a bit of a wait. The counter person was a bit gruff. And the ice cream was nothing to write home about. Thus the 4-star review. But would I come back here to try their other delicious desserts? Absolutamente.