Since Madrid is a city with particularly relaxed schedules, one of the most prominent features of the ritual of snack is the impossibility of setting a specific time for it. However it may occur any time between five and eight p.m.

Another interesting feature of the snack ritual, among the locals, is their general tendency to prefer sweet than salty and their majority preference for coffee and chocolate, leaving aside the tea consumption for minorities proud of their difference, in a some kind of dandyism that can be found in Living in London (Santa Engracia, 4) a proper stage. This is a delicious and elegant English tea room, a few steps down the road, with a dazzling array of pies, cakes and pastries (as well as a wide selection of sandwiches inevitably evoking associations with the first scene of The Importance of Being Earnest) in which stress comes into its own carrot cake and chocolate, properly served with a dollop of cold cream served in a lovely silver jar. The décor has been occasionally described referring to an atmosphere where they are William Morris and Andy Warhol, not to mention the touch Genet that somehow gives the fit of uniforms for maids framed here and there on the wallpaper.

Top idiosyncrasies aside, the king of the snack in Madrid is undoubtedly the hot chocolate with churros and true sanctum sanctorum the legendary Chocolate San Ginés (Passage de San Ginés, 5), next to Tea Time, which is  curiously, one of the most charming shops of this area of the city. It is said that those who have not tried the thick chocolate (things clear and thick chocolate, says a Spanish proverb) of this beautiful establishment of almost 120 years old also renowned for its close relationship literature, have not tried chocolate.

We can say that San Gines is the purity that is the syncretism to The Secret Garden (Calle Conde Duque, 2), with its captivating exoticism, manifested in small corners reminiscent of different geographies and eras, and its ever-changing decor. Its list of different types of cakes and hot chocolate is overwhelmingly heady with long and short of legendary brownies, which is one of the reasons why it is not an easy task to get a table there and should be reserved if you don’t want to wait a long while until you could sit.

The affiliation that has existed between Madrid and Vienna by history and cultural reasons for the past half millennium is reflected in the world of snack, especially in Viena Capellanes cafes (www.vienacapellanes.com), a place favored by generations of locals since the opening of their first store in 1873 where you can eat the incomparable Sachertorte.

 

Paul Oilzum

Finally those who prefer an environment closer to the Parisian boho-chic aesthetics, sophisticated and informal; Café Oita (Hortaleza 30) offers the best croissants you can try in the city. Get apartments in Madrid and enjoy the city snaking.

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