San Miguel Market, tapas in a historic site in the center of Madrid

When you go to visit madrid, one of the most recommended stages that you can cover on your travel route near the Plaza Mayor is the Mercado de San Miguel.

After the remodeling carried out in 2009, the objectives of restoring the historic iron structure building were met, trying to respect the original elements, and changing the commercial concept of the market.

The current Mercado de San Miguel follows the fashion of other historic markets, such as Boqueria in Barcelona, Or the Saluhall of the Nordic countries, and has become a prominent center of attraction for tourists visiting Madrid.

This current trend has also transformed other Madrid markets, such as San Anton.

But this trend is also being imposed in other Spanish and European cities, with the recovery of traditional markets or the appearance of new establishments that are already born as gastronomy centers where to go to eat from the offer of various stalls.

Curiosities about the history of the San Miguel Market

Located between the Cava de San Miguel and the small St. Michael's Square, the building has an undoubted historical value, because it is the last iron-built market that still remains in Madrid.

El Mercado de San Miguel was originally Built in 1916, in a space that since the 13th century was occupied by a church, that of Saint Michael of the Octoes, which was destroyed by fire in 1790.

From then on, that space began to be used for a perishable food market, with a great popular atmosphere and an accumulation of stalls.

Years later, at the end of the 19th century, within the framework of the city's urban reorganization plans, the disappearance of the stalls and their replacement by a covered market was proposed.

In fact in Madrid several had already been built markets with iron structures, following the architectural trends of the moment.

This was the case, for example, in the markets of Mostenses and Barley, from 1875, the last of these characteristics that were demolished (except for San Miguel) at the end of the last century.

Design Mercado de San Miguel was commissioned to the architect Alfonso Dubé y Díez, and its construction was completed in 1916.

The important remodeling that has been carried out recently, and which has kept the market closed for ten years, has had as its objective respect as much as possible the original structure of the building, given its cultural interest.

The result is the current gastronomic center which combines the sale of quality perishable products with the offer of gastronomic tastings.

This is the experience of visiting the San Miguel Market

Currently, inside there are up to 75 commercial positions whose facades maintain the design of the historic market, including its numbering.

In your visit to the San Miguel Market You can see the special conditioning that has been carried out inside it.

The interior ceiling combines the metal structure with traditional Arabic tiles, and lighting is facilitated by means of style lamps fernandino.

Next to the traditional façade with iron columns, a large glazing has been installed that allows the interior environment to be isolated.

Faced with the lack that the old one had in this regard Mercado de San Miguel, the new installation incorporates a heating system deployed on the floor and another water vaporization system to attenuate the ambient temperature during the summer.

El change of market concept It meant that each of the positions began to show a specialized offer.

In this way, currently in the market you find a single meat stall, another fish stall, and so on, covering the different food specialties.

As a curiosity, only one stall remains that existed in the previous stage of the market, specifically, a fruit shop.

Go for tapas at Mercado San Miguel

But, also, along with the aforementioned traditional food stalls, in the new Mercado de San Miguel de Madrid you will find numerous drinks and food stalls whose purpose is to promote el tapeo.

Thus, the Mercado de San Miguel has become a reference place in Madrid where you can go for tapas to taste a good part of its cuisine,

For this, in the center of the market, a multipurpose space with tables and high chairs where you can consume the products purchased at the different stands.

In short, the great attraction that you will appreciate of the new Mercado de San Miguel is to have become an original place for tapas of quality products, where you can also attend gastronomic events.

Hours of the San Miguel Market in Madrid

To address this challenge, the opening hours to the public It is more typical of a restaurant than a market for perishable products.

Specifically, from Sunday to Thursday it runs from 10 in the morning to 12 at night, and Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of holidays, from 10 in the morning to 1 in the morning.

Map: where it is and how to get to the San Miguel Market

El Mercado de San Miguel is in the St. Michael's Square, Together with the Plaza Mayor Madrid.