We met at the Plaza de Santa Ana in front of the statue so it was very easy to find and Arantxa, our guide from Devour Tours was very knowledgable about food and the Huertas area.
This area is also known as the literary district and honors the past with quotes in the sidewalks and plaques on the walls dedicated to many famous writers and poets.
The area has a nice neighborhood feel to it with lots of artwork painted on the doors of shops and some of the taverns are painted red. In the past, these red doors helped the illiterate find places that served red wine. We passed by Casa Alberto’s, one of the oldest such taverns.
Our first food stop: Chocolat
I throughly enjoyed the warm homemade porras (made to order) and hot chocolate. It was heavenly to dip a porra into melted chocolate which is tempered and more like a rich dark melted chocolate than a drink. The porras are similar to churros, but the added ingredient of baking soda makes them fluffy.
Second stop: Moega
This bakery specializes in freshly baked Galician style sourdough bread that is naturally fermented and uses only organic flour. Our food stop included a taste of a stuffed Barra – kind of like sausage hidden in the middle of the bread. Delicious!
Third stop: Casa Gonzalez
This place is known for it’s wine and cheese so there’s no surprise that this stop consisted of a wine and cheese pairing. We tasted two types of wine and four different cheeses – both cow and sheep with a little goat thrown in.
As promised, we also stopped at a market – Mercado de Aston Martin that also serves as the community hub. In the market, we tasted a nice variety of Spanish olives at Acetanos Juanjo along with Boquerón with Madrid olive oil potato chips. The olives were divine, but I wasn’t a fan of the Boquerón (sardines) which were a bit salty.
Along the tour, we also got interesting tips and when we got to the fruit/veggie purveyor Emilio’s Fruit Stand, we were told that you really shouldn’t touch anything. You tell the seller what you would like and what’s it for, and he’ll pick the perfect item for you.
Next up was a ham tasting of Jamón Serrano, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and a smoked ham at Charcuteria Ismael. All delicious, but of course, my favorite was the Jamón Ibérico with it’s tender and nutty flavor. Some even tried the Cecina de León with Cava wine.
The last stop at the market was an extra-virgin olive oil tasting at Establecimientos Romero.
Our fourth stop, feeling very full, but still pushed on to try a selection of tostas at Los Gatos paired with our free tapas (olives) and a glass of sweet red Miró vermouth. The selection of tostas was quite varied, and I savored every bite of the tuna belly with red pepper tosta.
And our final stop Pan de Pi, a small bakery that has Galician tetilla cheesecake. This delicious creamy cheesecake was a refreshing change from the super sweet varieties that are in the US.
I highly recommend taking a food tour to orient yourself with a new neighborhood and to try some local food you might not have known about.
Cheers!
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