Delicooks

Antigua Pastelería del Pozo (c / Pozo, 8). Tradition has it that years ago, in the area where this bakery now stands, there was a well into which had been thrown the relics of saints. All manner of mysterious goings-on gained the area quite a reputation. These days miracles are to be found at this 100-year-old bakery. Del Pozo is best known for its pastries filled with cream or angel hair, popular with Madrid’s bourgeois over the years. Also famous are the bartolillos (cream puffs) and torrijas (french toast). They make two sizes of Roscones de Reyes all year round, which are unfilled. Other treats include turrón (nougat), of all kinds including toasted yolk, chocolate and whiskey, and even Pan de Cádiz: a marzipan cake with yolk, quince and coconut.

La Mallorquina, right in Puerta del Sol has been drawing in the crowds for over 100 years thanks to its napolitanas, filled with cream or chocolate, and rosquillas (donut-type rusks). It’s always packed, especially at Christmas. Full breakfast and snacks. They also do a great coffee.

El Riojano (Mayor, 10). Queen Isabel II’s pastry chef, a Riojan named Damaso de la Maza, set up shop here in 1855, and the bakery retains its original nineteenth century interior, where you can still enjoy its famous azucarcillos. There’s also a tea room where you can enjoy freshly baked cakes, including the roscón, 365 days a year, the renowned lemon Consejo cakes, bartolillos (cream puffs) and pestiños (a honey-coated fritter). They also continue to make traditional cakes and sweets for all kinds of religious festivals, including San Blas necklaces.

Casa Mira (Carrera de San Jerónimo, 30). In the run up to Christmas, endless queues form outside Casa Mira as Madrileños jostle to buy traditional handmade nougat. They make all kinds: from Alicante, yolk, toasted yolk, chocolate, fruit and Cadiz. They also make lots of other festive treats including marzipan, polvorones, and roscones, as well as cakes and sweets for all kinds of religious festivals such as “holy bones” in November and, for San Isidro, their famous rosquillas.

Lhardy (Carrera de San Jerónimo, 8). The great author Azorín once said ... "Through the looking glass of Lhardy, we vanished into eternity, we entered into and returned from the Great Beyond." At the beginning of 1839, amid the pre-revolutionary fervor about to sweep Europe (1848), a Genevan ventured to open a restaurant in Madrid that combined new European fashions and a love of tradition. Polite Madrid society soon became acquainted with the sauce named after aristocrat Louis Bechamel, souffles and vol-au-vent, pastries and croissants. It was an overnight sensation. It’s a magical place, and the perfect spot on a cold Madrid winter’s day to enjoy their famous, invigorating consommé.

El Horno de San Onofre (San Onofre, 3. 91 532 90 60. Hernani, 7. 91 554 33 96. Hortaleza, 9. 91 531 83 76. Mayor, 73. 91 559 62 14). Legend has it that the famous Christmas treat, the Roscon de Reyes, was invented at the court of the Sun King. The king employed a Spanish pastry cook and he asked him to prepare a special dessert with which to entertain his guests. The Spaniard came up with a pastry inside of which he hid a coin and a bean. The person who got the slice with the coin would enjoy wealth during the coming year, while he who found the bean would face a year of woe. True to this tradition, the owners of the San Onofre – with several local bakeries in the capital – continue to include a coin and a bean in their famous roscones, although sometimes the coin is replaced by a figurine. They make them without filling, as dictated by the original recipe, but also filled with cream, hazelnuts, cream with Malaga wine and raisins, raspberry, truffle and pumpkin. The bakery opened in 1931, and has been under its current ownership since 1972. It’s also renowned for its Tarta de Santiago, chocolate and nut trees, and other cakes that experiment with new flavors from exotic and tropical fruits.