Chocolateria San Gines is hidden away on a very small street near the Opera metro stop in Madrid, Spain. It’s not easy to see from the main street, since the entrance is actually tucked around a corner, but fortunately there is a bright neon sign mounted on the wall so that passersby will know where they’re going, even if they can’t see the sign above the door. And I’d wager that most passersby do stop in. Chocolateria San Gines is famous for their churros con chocolate and they are hard to resist!
When we arrived – deciding to have dessert before dinner because the shop is conveniently open almost 24 hours a day – we waited in a very small line behind a couple of people and grabbed a table within 5 minutes. Our waiter didn’t need to ask us what we wanted and just brought over two mugs of chocolate and a big plate of churros. We sprinkled them with a bit of confectioners’ sugar from a communal shaker at a neighboring table. It was love at first bite.
The churros are light, crisp and eggy, not dense or overly sweet, and they go perfectly with the thick, rich chocolate sauce that they are served with. The chocolate is somewhere between hot chocolate and hot fudge in consistency, and is as great for sipping as it is for dunking churros. It also isn’t too sweet, so it is easy to get through the whole mug yourself. I also noticed that, behind the counter, they kept a fresh stream of churros and hot chocolate moving out. I doubt that anyone waited more than a minute for their food here.
This is a must-visit when you’re in Madrid, and since it’s so close to the Metro, it’s an easy ride from anywhere in the city. It is also just a few blocks away from Plaza Mayor, so it is convenient to visit it if you’re out sightseeing as well. It’s fairly inexpensive, and while I’m sure the prices change from time to time, we paid less than 8 Euros for a huge portion of churros and two hot chocolates.
That said, you can also make these at home if you’re not going to Spain anytime soon. I tried this recipe myself and it’s excellent, even if it doesn’t come with the atmosphere of the chocolateria itself!
Chocolateria San Ginés
Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5
Madrid, Spain
Mercedes
June 3, 2010Can you believe I have been living in Madrid for almost 4 years now and had never tried them? sacrilege!!! This chocolaterÃa is conveniently located at a very touristic site, so a lot of people are wanderers in the area. I am happy you enjoy them so much. Didn’t leave a message when you posted the recipe, but it brings me memories of my friends, who make them at home, and are very happy with the outcome. Lovely pictures of my country BTW!
Veronica
June 3, 2010Oh wow! I love love love the hot chocolate in Spain! Thanks for reminding me of how delicious it is!
Lauren
June 3, 2010Rick Steves went there on an episode of “Rick Steves’ Europe” and knew I HAD to go there when I went to Spain! It was so so good. We ate downstairs which was really cool and kind of cave-like. We decided if we were ever lucky enough to go back though, we’d split the hot chocolates cause man are they rich.
Steel City Flan
June 5, 2010I’ve been there!!! 🙂 Wonderful churros…my family also went to the Valor ChocolaterÃa on our last trip to Madrid, and everything was delicious. They had all sorts of cool flavors besides the standard chocolate (we tried four smaller mugs of white chocolate, milk, normal, and dark). We’ll have to go back to San Gines and Valor this year and see how they compare 😀
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan
June 7, 2010Ah, I didn’t make it there when I was in Madrid last year, but some of my travelling buddies did! Next time, next time…
Stacy
November 6, 2011This is a “no-miss” destination whenever I’m in Madrid. Two summers ago I visited with my niece. I notice in the picture above you have the EXACT same smile on your face as we did – utter foodie bliss! 🙂