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There is nothing better than going behind the scenes and learning about a destination through its food.
That’s why we love taking food tours to explore a city and dive into the local specialties at the same time.
On our recent food tour in Madrid with Devour Tours we explored the hidden culinary gems in Spain’s capital city.
If you are ready to have a delicious in Madrid, keep reading our review of our Madrid food tour.
Learn what to what to expect and how to prepare. Here’s one tip, go hungry!
Madrid Food Tour Overview – The Ultimate Spanish Cuisine Tour of Madrid
Our trip to Madrid was the first time we visited Spain’s capital city. Although we have previously visited Barcelona, San Sebastian, Girona, and Valencia, Madrid was a new experience for us.
Eager to dive into Madrid’s local food culture, we signed up for a Madrid food tour with Devour Tours.
We’ve taken other Devour Food tours in Rome, Paris, and San Sebastian, and we love their focus on local culture.
Like other Devour Tours, this ultimate Spanish cuisine tour of Madrid focused on getting to know Spanish food through the eyes of a local.
For about 4-hours, in a small intimate group of 5, we ate our way through Madrid.
Stopping at about six different eateries, including a local market, we devoured delicious food, wine, and culture.
Here are some of our favorite highlights from our Devour Food tour in Madrid.
Highlights of Our Madrid Food Tour
Kicking off With Breakfast or Merienda
On this Madrid food tour, you start your day like a local with a typical Spanish breakfast.
Churros, are a popular deep-fried pastry, shaped like a stick, dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
As we sat down at an iconic Madrid café to sample this traditional treat, I was surprised to learn from our guide that it was the Spanish who introduced this tasty treat to the Americas.
At the local favorite café known for its high-quality chocolate, we were treated not to churros but to porras, which are specific to Madrid.
Porras are similar to churros but larger and thicker in size. The combination of Porras and hot chocolate is a typical Madrileños breakfast or snack before lunch.
As we dipped our porras into the thick dark chocolate, I relished the slightly savory crispy pastry bite enveloped in the rich chocolate.
This Devour Food tour in Madrid was off to a tasty start.
Visit and Tastings at Local Market
Visiting one of Madrid’s local markets was one of our favorite stops on our Madrid food tour.
On our culinary travels, we always make it a point to visit the local markets to get a sense of the seasonal produce and local specialties.
At the neighborhood Antón Martin Market, we navigated our way through the food stalls and aisles packed with traditional specialties.
It’s a market where locals shop for their daily needs for everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, to jamón, cheese, olives, Galician beef, and more.
RELATED: 7 Valencia Food Tours For Amazing Paella, Wine and Tapas
Olive Tasting – Spain’s Liquid Gold
Did you know Spain is the largest producer of olives in the world? I had always assumed it was Greece until learning about it from our guide.
At a generations-run olive stand at one of the market’s entrances, we sampled 7 different kinds of olives.
The olives were from different regions of the country and had different colors and maturity levels.
It was a lot of fun tasting the different olives as they were all distinctive in taste. As we tried each olive, we learned about Spain’s rich agricultural traditions.
After tasting the olives, we went down to the lower level of the market to sample different types of olive oil.
RELATED: 10 Best Food Tours To Take in San Sebastian, Spain for a Gastronomy Feast
Jamon Tasting The Essence of Spanish Tradition
You cannot visit Spain and not indulge in Spanish ham or jamón, the pride of Spanish cuisine.
Having previously enjoyed jamón tasting on a food tour in Girona, I was very excited about this stop.
At a family-run market stall, we stopped to sample this national treasure. We tried three different kinds of jamón.
From the everyday jamón serrano to the exquisite jamón Ibérico de bellota, from acorn-fed pigs.
While savoring each exquisite bite, we learned the differences between the ham and how to recognize it by looking at the pig’s feet.
Gourmet Spanish Cheese and Wine
On this ultimate Spanish food tour, you get to experience life as a local, away from the popular tourist areas.
For gourmet bites of Spanish cheese and wine, our guide led us to a unique bar that we would never have found on our own.
One thing I really enjoyed about the bar was the history and culture behind the place. It’s a bar that looks like a deli shop in the front, but all the action happens in a somewhat hidden back room.
While savoring four different cheeses and two exceptional Spanish wines, I enjoyed hearing fascinating stories about Spain’s history and culture.
Spanish Tapas – Croquettes & Beer
Stopping for tapas at a local bar was another one of the group’s favorite stops. At this local favorite’s bar, we sampled a variety of tasty croquettes.
Croquettes are a popular Spanish tapas eaten at restaurants, tapas bars, and at home. I was surprised to learn that tapas are typically consumed with beer, which is even more popular than wine in Spain.
Savoring Madrid’s Most Famous Sandwich for Lunch
One of the highlights of this Devour food tour in Madrid was our lunch stop for Madrid’s most famous sandwich.
The calamari sandwich, known as bocadillo de calamares, was a a surprising treat. From one of the oldest and most iconic restaurants in the city, we savored this unusual treat.
The calamari was lightly fried, very fresh, and piping hot. Stuffed inside a baguette-like bread roll and enhanced with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice,
Besides being delicious, the sandwich we learned has its history is steeped in tradition and religion.
Its origins are fascinating and once I took my first bite, it was easy to understand why it is one of the most famous Madrid foods.
Coffee and a Sweet Bite to End the Madrid Food Tour
By this time on the Madrid food tour, I was stuffed, but yet found some room for coffee and pastry.
The pastry shop, our food tour guide told us, was built by the pastry chef of Queen Isabella I of Spain.
Apparently, some of the decor in the pastry shop was said to come from the royal palace.
This regal setting was the perfect location to savor our last treats. Along with a cup of coffee, we savored a delicate almond-based pastry.
This was the perfect finale to our Madrid food tour.
Overall Impressions of the Devour Food Tour in Madrid
What We Loved
One thing we always appreciate about Devour Food Tours is their focus on local and authentic food stops away from popular tourist spots.
This was our first time in Madrid, and we loved diving into Spanish food at local and historic eateries, Some of the things we loved about this food tour are:
- Variety of stops from the local market to small eateries: In this Madrid food tour, you spend a day in the life of a Madrid local. We loved shopping like locals at the market and discovering the popular local hotspots.
- Diverse Spanish food and drink spots: Be prepared to eat a lot on this food tour. Your taste buds will be delighted with everything, including olives, jamon, cheese, croquettes, squid, wine, beer, and more.
- Small intimate group size: We enjoyed the intimacy of our small food tour.This Devour food tour takes only a maximum of 10 people, and we happen to be only five in our group. This made for a personalized and wonderful experience.
- Insights from our local guide: We loved our guide’s insights about Spain’s culture, history, and food. She shared tidbits while walking around the city making the experience much more enriching.
What Could Be Improved About This Madrid Food Tour
Overall, there was not much that could be improved about our ultimate Spanish cuisine tour of Madrid with Devour Tours.
The experience promised a “day in the life” of a local, and it delivered.
That said, there are a few things worth noting.
- Would have liked a more diverse olive oil-tasting experience. Having just tasted 7 different kinds of olives from all over the country, I was surprised that we only sampled one olive oil. It would have been nice to try at least 2 different olive oils made from the olives we had previously sampled.
- Wear your eating pants: This Devour food tour in Madrid offers enough food for breakfast and lunch. Have fun and ace yourself on the tour, there’s plenty of food to go around.
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How to Book Your Madrid Food Tour
This ultimate Spanish cuisine food tour with Devour Tours is one of the best food tours for getting to know Spanish food.
In Spain’s capital city, it helps to explore the best food and local artisans with a guide. This way you have a local experience steering clear of typical tourist spots.
Devour Tours are conducted in small groups of no more than 10 people. This tour is about 4 hours and covers different neighborhoods in the city.
If you are looking for an introduction to Spanish cuisine, this tasty Madrid food tour is a great place to start.
Other Culinary Experiences to Consider in Madrid
Madrid Tapas, Taverns & History Tour
If you want to dive deep into Spain’s traditional tapas culture, consider this Madrid tapas and taverns history tour with Devour Tours.
Discover centuries-old tapas bars while sipping local drinks and traditional tapas at four different eateries. As you devour your tapas, you’ll learn about Spain’s fascinating history and its tie to food.
Spend 4-hours on an evening Madrid tapas tour and leave well-fed and with a greater understanding of how to find and eat the best tapas in Madrid.
Madrid Tapas & Flamenco Tour
Flamenco is an icon of Spanish music and culture. This art form with music and dance is recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage.
This Madrid tapas and flamenco tour with Devour Tours takes you behind the scenes to experience this time-honored Spanish tradition.
This tour is combined with tapas tastings at three classic tapas bars and also includes an hour-long flamenco show.
The 4 hours you spend on the Madrid tapas and flamenco tour will leave you with a deeper appreciation for two of Spain’s most treasured traditions.
Madrid Cooking Class: Paella and Tapas
We took a paella cooking class in Valencia and loved it. Learning to make Spain’s most famous dish is another way to learn about Spain’s culinary traditions.
Devour Tours also offers a Madrid paella and tapas cooking class. In this class, you’ll spend 3.5 hours learning to make authentic Valencian paella.
You’ll start by visiting a local market to see the ingredients used in Paella. In the cooking studio, you’ll work alongside a professional chef and make a multi-course meal with tapas for an appetizer, Valencian paella, and dessert.
Savor another side of Spain’s gastronomy in a Madrid cooking class.
Have you ever taken a food tour in Madrid? Please let us know in the comments below.
Savor the Adventure!
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Special thanks to Devour Tours for having us on this tour. All views and opinions expressed are our own. Full bellies and happy taste buds too.
Rosemary Kimani is the co-founder and editor-in-chief at Authentic Food Quest, where she helps travelers connect with cultures through food and immersive cooking vacations. Since 2015, she and her partner, Claire, have explored the cuisine of 45 countries and 290+ food cities. Her work has been featured in Lonely Planet, Business Insider, Huffington Post, and more. A co-author of three books, including a collaboration with Costa Brava Tourism, she blends storytelling with culinary exploration. When not discovering new flavors, she’s an avid runner, having completed eleven marathons. Previously, she held senior strategy roles in advertising.