Devouring Madrid

Taking the Tapas Food Tour with Devour Madrid is the perfect way to enjoy one of Spain’s most popular ways to eat and on a recent trip there it’s exactly what we did.

Our tour guide was an American who had lived in Madrid for five years. She had a great rapport with us and could look at the various sights and tell of the customs in a way that was helpful for our stay.

The food tour started at 5:30 p.m. and lasted 4 hours for a 1.7-mile walk. Each place we stopped at had a special tapas they were known for such as mushrooms, blistered peppers, and patatas bravas. We also were treated to Spanish wines and sherries along the way.

We walked through two popular squares, Plaza Mayor and Plaza Santa Ana which were lined with shops and restaurants where everyone seemed to be enjoying tapas. We also passed the street market, Mercado de San Miguel that sold food and wine to eat there or take home.

Our guide had lots of tips for us including:

• Spaniards always eat dinner late and some restaurants don’t even open till 8:00 p.m.
• The famous Spanish dish, paella, is only eaten at lunch and is not a dinner item.
• Jamon, Spanish ham, has different grades and the very best is from pigs that are raised eating acorns only. The jamon we had reminded us of prosciutto because it was cut in paper-thin slices.

Taking a tour like this can help you feel comfortable in the restaurants and out touring the sites. Our guide also made great suggestions on where to go eat and where to buy good quality souvenirs and what museums to visit and those that weren’t worth the time.