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Chocolatería San GinésFrom: Madrid, Spain
For fighting off
hunger pangs in the long hours before a 10 or 11 pm. dinner, it's hard to beat
the Madrileños' classic combo of hot chocolate with churros (a light,
crisp Spanish doughnut that is often imitated but seldom matched by Mexican
restaurants and fast-food chains). And for what may be the best hot chocolate
and churros in Madrid, the place to go is the
Chocolatería San Ginés,
which is just off the Calle Arenal's pedestrian zone west of the Puerta del Sol.
The
Chocolatería San Ginés has been around since 1894, and it looks about the same
as it must have appeared on its opening day more than a century ago. Pretty
young waitresses serve cups of thick, sweet chocolate at the marble bar or at
small tables amid the green wood paneling and mirrors of the 19th Century café.
Churros arrive through a kitchen portal as long spirals of extruded and
quickly-fried dough that the waitresses cut to length with scissors before
serving. If chocolate and churros don't float your barco,
you can fall back on coffee and cake--but you could have those at a pastry shop
such as La
Mallorquina (not far away at the Puerta del Sol). So put your faith in San
Ginés, whose church is just around the corner, and go with the real deal. Also,
if you're on a budget, don't let the café's upscale look put you off: At the
bar, I paid only a few euros for a big cup of hot chocolate and a plateful of
ready-to-dunk churros during a recent visit.
How
to get there: The Chocolatería San Ginés is at Pasadizo de San Gines 5 in
the city center.
From the pedestrian zone of the Calle Arenal, look for a
secondhand-book stall next to the San Ginés church, turn into the side street,
and the chocolatería will be just ahead.
From the Calle Mayor, look for
the Pasadizo de San Ginés right across the street from the Plaza Mayor's
underground garage entrance.
When
to come: The Chocolatería San Ginés is open in the afternoon and at night.
If you enjoyed your late-afternoon snack, you can return after an evening of tapas and tippling for another round of chocolate and churros or just for a
coffee on the way back to your hotel. Back to:
Madrid Restaurants
About the author:
Durant Imboden
is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European
cities and transportation.
After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and
Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors in
2001. The
site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The
Washington Post.
For more information, see
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Churros photo copyright © Fundación Destino
Madrid.
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