MERCADO DE LA CEBADA

By Calixa Bourdon, MIM September 2015 student & Ambassador

One of the main reasons that I chose this masters is because it is located in the heart of the wonderful city that is Madrid. Whenever you feel like you want to escape the “IE bubble” for a while, you just have to walk a few minutes or make two metro stops to find yourself in a completely different atmosphere. With finals coming up next week I decided it would be a good idea to have a nice, easy Saturday activity in the city to take a small break and recharge my batteries.

Each Saturday, from 9 am to 3 pm, the “Mercado de la Cebada” becomes completely alive and offers an authentic experience. Located in the “La Latina” district, this enormous market is a very popular and typically Spanish food court where one can find all types of food to eat on the spot. Among the various options that there are I would say the must-see and try are the fish, seafood and meat stalls, but there are also a lot of other tapas meals, beverages, fruits, and pastries.

I tried the famous octopus dish (“pulpo”), along with some mussels (“mejillones”) and shrimps (“gambas”), and I must say it’s a very good value for money. This place offers a very convivial moment and I would recommend going with friends so that everyone tries and compares different dishes and stalls. Really, this place will satisfy everyone’s tastes and it’s nice to be in such a lively atmosphere and receive very pleasant service.

The only issue is that the market gets really crowded at one point and it becomes impossible to find a place to sit and enjoy your dish, that’s why I would recommend going there rather early, that is, around noon.

Overall, a great Madrilenian experience in a quite original place that has been able to adapt itself to modern times and base its popularity on being one of the most famous markets around the city.

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