Chocolatería San Ginés

Hidden from the obvious eyes lingering between Calle Arenal and Calle Mayor in Spain is the famous Madrileño haunt of Chocolatería San Ginés, established in 1894. The aromas of chocolate and hot fried dough waft into the passage luring in inquisitive noses. Within the café with its marble bar, green panelling, mirrored walls, and antiquated fixtures the visitor can indulge in the popular Spanish treat of chocolate con churros.

The phrasing implies hot chocolate served in a small ceramic cup nested on a saucer with a little spoon and accompanied by a ration of churros or porras and table or confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle or drown your churros in. Perhaps also a cold glass of water as well to assist the palate. The difference between a churro and a porra is that a churro is thinner with ridges that attract more chocolate while a porra is thicker, both of which balance out the intense sweetness of the chocolate. Churros or porras are made by extruding dough directly into hot oil. Thus, the place to consume chocolate con churros has been dubbed “churrería.” Preferably, the chocolate will taste slightly bitter to reveal the depth of the cacao content and the churros will not get soggy from excess oil. The chocolate is so rich and thick that you can rest your spoon upon the surface of a cold cup of chocolate and it will barely make a dent. Both the chocolate and the churros are best consumed while both are hot.


As Chocolatería San Ginés is an authentic chucherría, the server arrives at the table promptly after the patron is seated to take the order and soon after the chocolate con churros arrive. The service is efficient and attentive. At San Ginés, the chocolate is slightly sweet and the churros are guaranteed to be warm, though the porras are not. However, the chocolate con churros served at Valor, a popular Spanish chocolate confectioner and chocolatería (also in Madrid), is preferred only because the chocolate is more bitter and also comes in different varieties, such as with a touch of hot chili oil, which gives the chocolate a barely-there heat that you can feel after it passes your throat. In any case, San Ginés is the perfect place to enter the world of chocolate con churros.


The method of consumption is simple: sugar the churro, dip the churro in your It is often consumed for breakfast, as a late afternoon snack, or an evening treat. The pairing of smooth, dark chocolate and slightly salty fried dough of the churros create perfect balance for the palate.

Pasadizo de San Ginés 11