Guey, Vallehermoso Market

Visit the market 3 days in row and on each of those days you’ll see Edson, still working on the same “mole” sauce. Good things take time and he puts a lot of TLC into this mixture of chillies, chocolate (cacao), dried fruit, aniseed, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. Perfectly balanced for turkey or chicken, omelets or “frijoles,” accompanied by a tasty margarita made with fresh fruit juice, if one so wishes. Mexican-born Edson cooks the traditional food of his home country, together with Nayelly and Agatha. Although 80% of his raw ingredients are from Spain, they try to remain faithful to Mexican gastronomy by using the same varieties or types of products that would be used there. Don’t miss their “aguachile” (a spicy seafood dish) or their delicious “taco pastor” (similar to a doner kebab) with annatto sauce, pork, onions, coriander, and pineapple. Not enough? Then how about some tacos with “chapulines” or “saltamontes” (Mexican grasshoppers)?

A feature of Madrid’s Chamberí neighborhood since 1933, the Vallehermoso Market’s raison d’etre is the same as when it first opened its doors to the public: selling quality products. However, today it does so under a new business model in which customers can not only shop there, but also go out for tapas, lunch, or dinner at one of its many catering outlets.