CHOCOLATERÍA SAN GINÉS: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HOT CHOCOLATE AND CHURROS AT THIS LONG-STANDING CAFÉ IN MADRID
The Cost -$6
The Atmosphere – Located not far from Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s main square, you’ll find Chocolatería San Ginés, a café that has been serving up its famous hot chocolate and churros, a Spanish staple, since 1894. The café has expanded over the years and now occupies multiple spaces all right next to each other. It is extremely common to have to wait for a table despite the fact that it is now much larger and is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. There are unsurprisingly no reservations accepted. While the menu is quite basic, Chololaterá San Ginés does serve a bit more than the hot chocolate and churros - with coffees, teas, and other sweets available for purchase.
Grouped in with other storied eateries in Madrid such as Bodega La Ardosa, Casa Alberto and Café Gijón, Chocolatería San Ginés is one of the most iconic food spots in Madrid. No trip to Spain would be complete without having a typical hot chocolate and churro meal or snack and San Ginés is famous for just that.
The Order – Chocolate with 6 Churros
The Great – The Chocolate with 6 Churros is a wonderful breakfast, lunch, or snack. Heck, you could even have it as dinner if you’d like; there’s honestly no wrong time to have the thick, milk-based hot chocolate from San Ginés along with its airy fried churros. Now Spanish churros are different than the typical Mexican churros, which are much denser and sweeter than the Spanish variety so don’t expect a cakey dough with cinnamon and sugar. Instead, expect to be dipping the plainer, lighter churros into the hot chocolate to give it the sweetness and chocolatey-ness that your heart desires. While an order of six churros is large for one person, I’d recommend purchasing the six churros and hot chocolate and adding another hot chocolate to split between two people.
The Verdict – We can’t say that Chocolatería San Ginés serves the best hot chocolate and churros in Madrid or Spain, but they seem to produce over a thousand satisfied customers daily. And what’s more is that when you visit this famous eatery, you get a taste of history as well. So, whether it is late in the morning after sleeping in or whether it is early in the morning after going out until the sun rises to the city’s bars and clubs, head over to Chocolatería San Ginés and treat yourself to an order of typical Spanish hot chocolate and churros.