San Miguel Market

Before you is the San Miguel Market, a box of iron and glass next to the Plaza Mayor. From the outside it looks like an early 20th-century pavilion; inside, it is one of the liveliest places for a bite to eat in central Madrid.

1From church to market

This site was once occupied by the parish church of San Miguel de los Octoes, damaged by a fire in 1790 and demolished in 1809 on the orders of Joseph Bonaparte. For decades the space operated as an open-air market, until it was decided to roof it over. The current building, designed by the architect Alfonso Dubé y Díez, was built between 1913 and 1916 in two phases, so that trading would not be interrupted, and opened on 13 May 1916.

2Iron architecture

Its metal structure follows the model of the great European markets, such as Les Halles in Paris. It is the only iron market from that period still standing in Madrid.

A century later, the old food market reinvented itself as a gourmet market.

3A second life

After almost two years of refurbishment, it reopened in 2009 with a new concept: tasting stalls, bars and quality produce. Today the old stalls have become small bars where people eat standing up.

4What to look out for

• The cast-iron columns and their capitals.
• The glass walls that enclose the building.
• The rectangular floor plan, designed for shoppers to circulate.