minamax10

Greetings!

During our last trip to Barcelona, we spent about 40min (and would have happily spent more!) at the La Boqueria Market. We also loved shopping at the market in Budapest. During our upcoming trip, we’ll be in Malaga, Seville, and Madrid. I know there are markets in each city.

I was planning to pick up some gourmet gifts etc to take back during our last day (dedicated to shopping ) in Madrid at the Mercado de San Miguel.

At the beginning of our Andalucía trip in Malaga, I’m planning a 30-40min walk through the Mercado Central Atarazanas --to pick up some fruit and snacks for the bus ride to Granada. I don’t know if we should try buying some gifts, as we’ll be changing hotels three times and not having good refrigerators.

I was not planning to do a market stop in Seville –the one underneath the Metropol Parasole. But now I wonder if we are missing something really great?

Would you try to do all three of these markets? Or having enough time set aside for Madrid’s market would be enough? Is the market in Seville really worth visiting?

kimhe

The Atarazanas market in Málaga is in my view a must. Perhaps also stop for a quick bite in one of the fabulous tapas bars in here. https://eastofmalaga.net/2014/07/25/...ry-perception/
Café Bar Mercado Atarazanas, July 2016 updated review by Azahar who really knows what she's talking about: http://azahar-spain.com/azahartapas/...do-atarazanas/

If you buy some Jamón Ibérico here, they vacuum it for you. Also excellent prepacked jamón, but I always like to taste the jamón I'm buying, and then I ask them to make 3-4 packages at about 100 grams, last for months.

The Mercado de la Encarnación has undergone some major renovations, and I'm curious to see how it has turned out next time in Sevilla: http://partaste.com/restaurants-mark...seville-spain/

The Mercado San Miguel in Madrid is excellent given the concept of gastromarket with dozens of stalls selling all kinds of goodies to eat or drink there and then, but it is now a totally different type of market than Boquería in Barcelona, Atarazanas in Málaga or other traditional food markets. People come to Mercado San Miguel to eat and drink and to a very little degree to buy food as in Boquería and Atarazanas etc. etc. http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/en/puestos/

minamax10

Thank you Kimhe! Sounds like Malaga's market would have been the best place to shop for reasonably priced gourmet gifts AND to get a few delicious bites. This is the first time I am regretting having a hotel room with breakfast! I doubt we'll be able to partake in any more nibbles after a full breakfast an hour or so before.

As for gifts to get at Malaga's market, feeling a bit heartbroken seeing that we'll be on the road for 8 more days. Even vacuum packed jamon needs to be refrigerated I assume? What about olives--especially the ones not packaged in jars? Do they keep well out of refrigerator (say in a suitcase)? I've read somewhere that Malaga's market place you can buy "it is the only table olive in Spain with a Designation of Origin." Sounds like it could be a nice gift. https://www.spainfoodsherpas.com/and...ickled-olives/
https://www.spainfoodsherpas.com/ten...-surprise-you/
http://devourmalagafoodtours.com/5-f...-surprise-you/

I'm disappointed to hear that the market in Madrid is more of a "restaurant" destination rather than an actual market. We have 1 free day before departure back home (sans any real sightseeing w/guides etc) which I thought we'd spend on getting souvenirs and shopping. It does not help that it's a Sunday too.

kimhe

Olive oil is of course an excellnt gift item, but the vacuum packed jamón will do fine traveling in a suitcase for some days, put it in the occasional fridge, and no problem at all.

When it comes to breakfast, it's of course convenient with a hotel breakfast. But breakfast in a local bar anywhere in Spain is a fabulous way to start the day. The smell of coffee, fresh bakery, newspapers, the laid-back energy, the routine of the everyday clients... ahhh, one of the things I miss most about Spain when away. Try at least to have one breakfast in a local bar close to your hotel, you know the place when you see it: the long steel counter with room for huge piles of coffee cups, the fresh juice squeezer, the simple plancha grill, the no frills tables and chairs. And of course usually one third the price of a hotel breakfast.

Just to give you an idea, Cafeteria Oliver is my favourite breakfast place in Málaga. Navia is my favourite in Barcelona (but hundreds of these places around, these two just happen to be next door to where we use to stay and always deliver a fabulous start of the day.)
Cafeteria Oliver: http://www.visitcostadelsol.com/food...feteria-p51961
Restaurante Navia: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...Catalonia.html

And Sunday at lunchtime is boiling in Madrid, especially in the Latina quarter just off Plaza Mayor. Here you have the famous Rastro market every Sunday morning, and thousands of madrileños, friends and families out in the streets and in the bars having some tapas and a vermouth, this is the "hora del vermú": http://www.saveur.com/how-day-drink-spaniard

And do visit the San Miguel market, a feast for the senses anyhow.

minamax10

Kimhe, makes my mouth water just reading your descriptions I'm torn between what I want to do more in Spain -- see things or just spend my whole time there at the table

Good to hear that jamon can be transported without constant refrigeration. Is there a particular stall you frequent at the Malaga market? Or a particual jamon that we should ask for (brand / maker?)?

kimhe

I think the best jamónes come from Jabugo or Guijuelo, but I haven't bought ham in Atarazanaz, just had some delicious tapas, so I cant't point at any particular stall. Several stalls with excellent jamónes, and all should be able to vacuum it for you. I have one steady stall since the early 1990's, but that is Charcutería Maribel in the San Martín market in San Sebestián ;-)
http://www.msanmartin.es/msanmartin/...=2714&sesion=1

About Jamón de Jabugo:
http://www.maximilianojabugo.com/es/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...happy-pig.html

About Jamón de Guiejuelo:
http://www.jamonesencinasdesalamanca.com/
http://www.restlessforkblog.com/behi...h-ham-country/

minamax10

too bad we are not heading for San Sebastian (yet!). But if I'm ever in that area, I'll check Charcutería Maribel .

Thank you for the links to info about Jamon!

kimhe

Yes, you should come back one day to San Sebastián and the almost magical Basque Country: http://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/

Revulgo

Another market in Madrid
http://www.esmadrid.com/en/shopping/...o-de-san-anton

Jamón in Madrid
http://www.jamonesenmadrid.com/es/productos/jamones/

kimhe

Great links Revulgo, and the "Jotas" quality mark in the jamón page stands for J's as in Jabugo, the town in the Huelva province just west of Sevilla. https://www.cincojotas.com/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabugo

kalnalcl

I got back from Seville recently and we took a cooking class at the market underneath the Metropol Parasole and it was fantastic. I think it's worth a stop. There are also ruins that were interesting. If you're interested there are some pictures here: pix.sfly.com/pB7fsTYe

minamax10

Thank you Revulgo. If I am not mistaken, mercado-de-san-anton market is in the area this is famous for leather goods shops as well , is it not? Lather items (shoes, gloves, bags) is something that we'd be invested in checking out. As long as the shops are open on Sundays.

Kalnalcl, if I were on my own, I would probably jump at the opportunity to join a cooking class! I couldn't open the link to your photos unfortunately. It says "private album" *_*

kalnalcl

Sorry about that! This one should work. pix.sfly.com/pB7fsTYe now.

Christina

I am not aware that the area around Mercado San Anton is noted for leather shops. The best shops are in Salamanca (like Loewes, it has a couple other branches, one on Gran Via). There is an artisan leather shop near Mercado San Miguel, also, that you could check out http://puntera.com/Productos/Bolsos

some stores are open Sundays and some are not (Taller Puntera is not, Loewes Gran Via is).

El Corte Ingles is a decent dept store, it has about anything, they would have leather goods. It's open Sundays. Stores open late on Sundays, like around 11 am.

minamax10

Kalnalcl, thank you for the pics. Looks like you had a blast!

Christina, thank you for the link . Loewes is famous in Japan too. Prices are slightly lower in Spain I think, but it's still out of my price range

I don't mind getting non-brand items as long as they are of good quality and made in Spain. I bought ballet flats (made in Spain) a few years ago here in Tokyo. And they are amazing. Even though the inside leather lining is already pretty worn out, the outer leather still almost looks new. I hope to get something similar if possible.

I've seen this information :
for high quality leather goods -shoes, bags, gloves, I will head to barrio chueca which is north of gran via in the area around calle gusto Figueroa , calle hortaleza. This area is full of leather goods stores and is open on Sunday. There is also an outlet store in plaza chueca for leather goods - Salvador bachiller. The regular and bigger stores are in gran via and calle montera

Has anyone been to the area? Is it worth going in search of leather shoes, bags and gloves?