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.

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!

What a great little gelato spot. However, not just gelato but pastries and other sweet treats too…read more The flavors are plentiful and delicious. Also, the staff is extremely nice and welcoming. This is our new favorite gelato spot in Madrid. Enjoy!

One of the best ice cream places in Madrid, authentic italian artigian gelato, with real italian…read morecoffee and amazing sweets!!! They change the tastes of ice cream depending on the season and all of them are amazing (their fruit gelato options are unbelievable fresh). I don't tolerate milk very well but this is the only ice cream which never makes me feel sick or heavy after eating. the place is small in the first floor but they have several tables downstairs and also some in the street. Don't miss the affogato (coffee with ice cream) and... nutella crepes :).

Amazing gelatos and flavors, but the crepes were underwhelming. Just come for the ice cream on a…read morecone!

Since the two heladerías near us were closed, but we really wanted helado my roommate and I walked…read morea mile and a half to get to this place at 11:15 on a Monday night. Totally worth the walk, even though the place had already put away most of its helado options, therefore giving us few options to choose from, what we got was delicious. A little more pricey than other heladerías in the area, but the perfect level fo creaminess and sweetness.

Known for their Russian Cake, Panettone and other seasonal sweets Pasteleria Ascaso dates to 1890,…read moreand though the storefront at Calle de Zurbano 25 appears modern the traditions inside date back decades while still forging forward with modern items and techniques. Born in Huesca, and now the sort of upscale Cafe where well-heeled ladies linger over Tea, it was on the recommendation of a local gourmand that the flourless Russian Cake was skipped in favor of its Lemon-tinged cousin, the Citrus Porcion a bitter but tangy cloud seemingly build of little more than Meringue, Cocoa and Citrus. Not about to forego Mil Hojas, Ascaso's version shattering beneath Pastry Cream around a layer of Custard, even the Palmier outpaces others in Spain's Capitol thanks to exquisite lamination that is best eaten sitting down to avoid making a mess of buttery crumbs and Sugar.

Delicious. Tried the lengua de nata (light chocolate layered pastry with cream filling that had a…read moresmall chocolate buried within...probably one one of the best desserts I have ever tasted), as well as a small slice of marzipan cake (also wonderful), and their glazed apple palmera (think as light and flaky as strudel, but shaped like a pretzel). Will be back to try their turron soon (of which they had many artesianal choices). Posh, modern and very clean for eat in or take away. We took our to go along with a couple bottles of nice riojas wine. A must stop in Madrid for high end sweets and gift baskets.

We swung by for dessert. I got the toffee cheese cake in a cup, my daughter the carrot cake. The…read morecarrot cake was dry and underwhelming but the toffee cheese cake cup what excellent. I could not eat the. Whole cup so my daughter who was unhappy with her dry carrot cake ate the other half of my cup. I will say we went in at 7pm... so I'm sure the cake was out all day and may have been better earlier in the day. I guess moral of this story, if you want cake, get it early in the day otherwise choose something else.

This is a must stop if you're gf. We only picked up baked goods but they were delicious. The apple…read morepie is really good and the lemon bread was a little dry but paired really well with tea (and I'm sure coffee). We got a couple other things but I can't remember what they were called and they too were yummy. Definitely recommend.

When in Madrid on a lazy Sunday afternoon, grab your BFF and go to this quiet corner of Madrid in…read morethe Chamberi section of town, for a heart to heart chat over pie and cupcakes. Decor is shabby chic meets Martha Stewart. We had the lemon pie, which was delicious; attentive service...

Wicked sweet has a variety of cakes sold whole or by the slice, cookies, brownies, cake pops,…read morecupcakes and hot and cold drinks. I've tried mostly all of the cakes (minus the cheesecake) and they are average. They rarely ever change the type of cakes they sell. The carrot cake has good flavor and good cream cheese frosting, however, most of the cakes sit in the case for a while. Living very close to it, I walk past the bakery every day and can see the same cakes day after day.. So.. cake by the slice is rarely ever going to be fresh, causing them to be dry when you get it. The cookies and brownies are the same. They sell "milkshakes" that I was really excited to try. However, after ordering a chocolate and Oreo milkshake, I was super disappointed to realize it was literally just cold milk mixed with flavored powders. No ice cream, thin as milk (because it was) I give this two stars because the place is adorable, the staff is so kind, the effort is there, unfortunately I think the lack of change with the products and flavors and the amount of time they allow the sweets to sit in the case really brings down the quality of the bakery.

We needed something sweet after a long day and this hit the spot. Apple pie with the pecan topping…read morewas a delightful surprise, along with the brownie. Cinnamon roll was good also.

Really enjoyed Mercado de San Miguel, even if it's the more touristy food market in Madrid. Came…read morelater in the evening. Must gets include - jamón ibérico from Puesto Carrasco Ibéricos - olives and vermut from The Hour of the Vermouth - wine from Pinkleton & Wine - codfish from La Casa del Bacalao There's also a Spanish omelet vendor but it was okay. Great energy in the market. Can be difficult to find a seat at a table but there's plenty of standing counters along the perimeter.

So this was one of the places everyone recommended we had to stop at while we were in Madrid for a…read morecouple days on our way to Portugal, and one of the most disappointing. Don't get me wrong - they do indeed have a whole bunch of food vendors that all looked extremely good. Some of them were tourist-priced (ok, a majority of them were tourist-priced), but none of them looked *bad*, just not *necessarily* worth the price, when you could go any number of places nearby and get food as good, for cheaper. But there were definitely some hidden gems, including one absolutely wonderful tapas place that we ordered a bunch of little tostas from, of all different sorts, that we were absolutely impressed by and happy with all of. And of course, the vendor I had originally been most excited about, La Hora del Vermut, which does indeed offer both very inexpensive, great "house" vermouth, and very affordable fancy vermouths. I would've loved to hang out at a bar like that... if I could do so and also *move*. See, the thing is... this market is absolutely not big enough for all its accolades. As Yogi Berra may or may not have ever said, "No one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded." At least I probably wouldn't ever go back there... we could barely hear to order tapas at the tapas place, and good luck finding a place to eat if you're not taking it to go. Good luck actually making it to one of the vendors further away from the entrance, either. It was an absolute madhouse, so we ordered a bunch of tostas at once, I braved the insanity to get a couple glasses of vermouth and met my wife outside the actual market to eat them on the steps. And that was the *off* season - if it's like that in January, I could only imagine it in May! Great vendors, but as a market, they really need better crowd management / foot traffic control.

Food was amazing with avocado toast and pancakes. Coffee was delicious! Service was fantastic:)read more

Food was soooo good. I ordered the salon, cream cheese, avocado on a bagel and a chai latte. It was…read moresooo delicious. If in the area, would definitely recommend you stop by and get some coffee. You will not regret it!