Chocolate Lover's Madrid Travel Guide

Before you go, download our PDF guide, complete with an illustrated map of the top destinations.
By Fred Plotkin
Photograph by Ana Nance
November 2008

Of all the great chocolate traditions in Europe, Spain's is the least known, yet it's the oldest and arguably the most influential. Chocolate first arrived in Europe when Columbus brought it to Spain from the Americas in 1502. It spread elsewhere in Europe whenever the Spanish monarchy conquered another nation or had a royal wedding, at which chocolate was invariably served. Today Spain's capital city is the best place to visit traditional and modern spots where chocolate is served in nearly infinite ways.
Go
Most major airlines offer nonstop flights to Madrid from the East Coast. Spain's Iberia airline serves food from star chef Sergi Arola in business class.
Picks
• ChocolaterÍa San Ginés
Madrileños have flocked here since 1894 for a bracing cup of hot chocolate that is richer, darker, and less sweet than its American or Swiss counterparts. The classic accompaniment is a plate of churros, long strips of deep-fried batter to which one adds powdered sugar.
Pasadizo de San Ginés 5; 011-34-91-365-6546
• ChocolaterÍa Valor
At this shop, one can consume hot chocolate from a mancerina, a special dish that is shaped like a scallop shell. Hot chocolate is spiked with such flavors as cinnamon, orange, or spicy hot pepper.
Calle Póstigo de San MartÍn 7; 011-34-91-448-4424; valor.es
• La Duquesita
One of Madrid's oldest sweet shops and bakeries, La Duquesita was founded in 1914 and used to sell alabaster gift boxes of chocolate candies. Owner Luis Santamaria observes, without irony, that "Spanish women and children like milk chocolate because it is soft and sweet, while Spanish men prefer dark chocolate because it is bitter and hard." Not to miss: naranjines, sliced orange peel coated in dark chocolate.
Calle de Fernando VI 2; 011-34-91-308-0231
• Cacao Sampaka
Funky flavors of flowers and spice are used in the chocolate here, with mixed results. But the hot chocolate and the ice creams made with chocolate from Grenada, Ecuador, or Venezuela are heavenly.
Calle de Orellana 4; 011-34-91-319-5840
• Paco Torreblanca
While Madrid dotes on its traditional chocolate, it has also made room for chic, modern ways to use it. Torreblanca is a baker and chocolatier favored by the current Spanish monarchy. His most famous creation is the Gianduja Real, a wedding cake containing milk chocolate for the bride and dark chocolate for the groom.
Calle de Juan Bravo 12; 011-34-91-435-8915
• Alma de Cacao
Alma de Cacao uses excellent dark chocolate to make exquisite little bars with special flavors, such as sesame, pine nut, and jasmine. Best of all is the bar made with olive oil and salt. It's both creamy and intense in a way that should please Spanish men and women.
Calle de Velázquez 41; 011-34-91-435-0057; almadecacao.com
• La PlaterÍa Bar Museo
If you take a break from visiting the Prado Museum, this nearby spot has good tapas and often serves its unforgettable tarta de chocolate con avellanas, a homey cake of ground hazelnuts and dark chocolate that is as much a work of art as anything by Velázquez.
Calle de MoratÍn 49; 011-34-91-429-1722
• Casa Mira
Casa Mira is renowned for its turrón, an almond-flavored sweet that is cut from blocks like quarried marble. Among the best is the shop's delicious chocolate-almond turrón.
Carrera de San Jerónimo 30; 011-34-91-429-6796
Stay
Fittingly, each pillow in the rooms at the NH Nacional hotel is topped with a piece of Spanish chocolate. The hotel is comfortable and well located, and offers an excellent breakfast for €19.
Paseo del Prado 48; 011-34-91-429-6629; rooms €101-€141; nh-hotels.com
Before you go, download this story with an illustrated map of the top destinations.
Keywords:
travel,
madrid,
spain,
spanish food,
chocolate


Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/11/madrid#ixzz1ZMZ8C1Z1