I’ve found one of my new favorite things in life– aperitivos. Specifically, aperitivos from Mercado de San Fernando in Madrid.
It’s really everything I like all at once: sitting around gossiping talking with a bunch of friends, trying a bunch of new foods, and drinking. I don’t know how I didn’t know about this before.
Aperitivos is kind of like a Spanish-style brunch. You can technically do it any day of the week, but it’s most popular on the weekends.
And while you can find aperitivos spots all over town, and I have tried several, my favorite was Mercado de San Fernando. That was where it felt the most authentic, as it was (very) crowded with locals. We even toured another market during my walking food tour of Madrid, but that one was more aimed at tourists, in my opinion.
Mercado de San Fernando is centrally located in Madrid’s Lavapiés neighborhood. In addition to selling food, the market also sells crafts, and there are multiple bookstores– one even sells books by their weight!
While in Madrid, don’t miss out on activities that will help immerse yourself with the city (hurry while they’re hot!):
- Madrid Tapas Night Walking Tour
- Full Day Tour Ávila and Segovia from Madrid with Tickets to Monuments Included
- Flamenco Show at Corral de la Morería in Madrid with Optional Dinner
The Best Aperitivos at Mercado De San Fernando
So here’s how aperitivos works- during the week, the market sells typical items that you expect– fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, etc. But on the weekends, it becomes more of an eating market.
You and your friends come in, choose a bar to grab drinks at, and secure your spot.
You then order small plates from the bar you’re at, or even better, send a few friends out to gather food for the group.
It’s better not to order everything from one place, as each vendor has its own specialty.
You might grab the croquettes from one stall,
but the blood sausage over fries with an egg from a different one.
The stall around the corner had the best-looking octopus (pulpo a la gallega)
but the stand nearest the entrance had meatballs I couldn’t pass up.
You couldn’t come all the way to Spain and not enjoy jamón Iberico (ham). But, if you’re going to have ham, you’ll probably have to find some cheese as well.
Eventually, your table will look something like this:
And as you sit around drinking, chatting, and snacking, you may end up staying long enough that you need a second round. Then, your table ends up looking something like this:
Sitting around, catching up with old friends, making new ones, snacking on delicious fresh local specialty foods, and washing it all down with beer, wine, or sangria.
I don’t know why it took me so long to discover aperitivos, but now that I know about it, I hope to make it a part of my weekend ritual whenever possible.
Practical Information: Mercado de San Fernando (San Fernando Market) is located at Calle Embajadores 41 in Madrid, Spain. Several metro lines service the area, but the nearest stop from most directions is the Lavapiés line.
Don’t expect to find menus in English, but many of the stall owners speak at least some English. Worst case scenario, you can do what I did and dust off your rusty high school Spanish (and when that fails, point). Because each stall seems to specialize in one thing, you can also just point at what everyone else seems to be ordering or walking away with.
No one seemed to know the exact hours of the market, but when the business started dwindling around 5, stall owners began shutting down. I would plan to arrive in plenty of time for a 5-5:30 finish time.
There is a website in Spanish you can check here for more information.
Your photos and delious descriptions make me pretty jealous of your edible adventures. I’m supposed tó be vegetraian, but i’d be tempted!
Oh hello Aperitivos! This totally appeals to me. Little plates of tasty morsels to share, with drinks! The perfect way to have a lazy long lunch. Love the look of all the dishes, but oh hello octopus.
I’m not sure I’d be game to try the blood sausage! The food looks amazing though, I bet the smell throughout the market is divine.
OMG you are making me miss Spanish food so much! I did visit Madrid, but the most exciting food I had there was the paella negra; I indulged a bit because I found 130 eu on the street during our walking tour (I saw the folded money on the street the same time that another tourist did, but being vertically challenged, I was faster in picking it up wahahaha). Definitely next time!
I love aperitivo in Italy, where it is generally free if you buy a drink but has a strict protocol attached to it about how much food you can eat. I’ve never come across it in Spain – it looks a little different and I’m guessing you pay? How much do the items cost?
You reminded me of all the amazing food options in Spain. Think small bites and Spain is what comes to mind. Each of the pictures here are so tempting.
Everything looks delicious except the blood sausage, just can’t get myself to enjoy that! We were in Madrid for a week in April and enjoyed eating our way around the city. And now I’m craving croquettes…
We do have aperitivo in Italy as well! It’s also very popular! Ours are mostly done in bars, but I wouldn’t mind trying also markets, after all your photos made me hungry!!
Food markets are the best places, The food looks super tasty and oh the cheese, love! Wish I knew about this place when I was in Madrid.
This sounds like so much fun and an awesome way spend your weekend! Such a great idea to send people to different stalls to grab different kinds of specialities! Thanks for sharing!
I love aperitivos and your photos and descriptions are making me very hungry! Sitting around with friends and eating delicious local food sounds ideal! Polly
Wow, this would be a heavenly food market! Never been to one in Spain!
I’ve been missing Spain lately, and aperitivos sound like just the reason to get me back there. They all look amazing!
That sounds like a great way to spend a weekend day/afternoon catching up with friends. The food looks delicious and i would love to try the black sausage. But too much fried food…………. then need some exercise 🙂
Reading this post at 2.30 am really is not fun! I’m now hungry and missing Madrid too (and Spain as well in general!) I didn’t get to explore much of outside Madrid city centre but I’d be on the lookout for this market the next time I’m in town! *off to get some snacks*
Food looks really interesting. I would give it a whirl lol.
OMG! This post makes me so hungry and I just finished eating! Can’t wait to do some food exploring with you sometime. Great photos by the way!
Is this something specific to Madrid? We have been to Catalonia and Andalusia, but never saw anything like this!
i love this idea! food is such a great wat to soak in the local culture when travelling!
Oh my! What a tasty weekend it turned out to be. Those croquettes and meatballs…nom. Thanks for sharing and making me hungry. 🙂
Those meatballs look incredible! I love the idea of a market which turns into a brunch spot on the weekends – what a great spot for aperitivos! Thanks for the tip on Mercado de San Fernando, will definitely visit when in Madrid. I love that it’s crowded with locals, I love discovering authentic gems 🙂