Cooking in your apartment in Madrid: markets, groceries and what to prepare

We see it in almost all the guests: the first day they eat out, the second they discover the neighborhood pantry, and the third they dine at home as neighbors. Cooking in your accommodation is not giving up gastronomy — in Usera it is another way of experiencing it.

Where to buy according to the plan

• Usera Market: seasonal fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, stall by stall. For the “celebration dinner at home.”
• Asian supermarkets: frozen gyozas, noodles, sauces and steamed buns. The best stocked Asian pantry in Madrid, five minutes away.
• Neighborhood supermarkets: for everyday use — milk, bread, eggs, wine.

Dishes that come out on their own (and why they work on a trip)

1. Gyozas + rice + stir-fried pak choi: 15 minutes, all super Asian, and homemade Chinese dinner for two euros per person.
2. Grilled market fish with salad: the fishmonger leaves it ready for you to cook; hard to fail.
3. Potato omelet: eggs, potatoes, oil and the market bar to compare yours with theirs.
4. Homemade Cantonese Breakfast: Steamed Buns from Chinese Bakery + Homemade Coffee. Perfect morning before the 3-day itinerary.

The budget

A family that eats breakfast at home and eats one home-cooked lunch or dinner a day easily saves €40–60 a day compared to eating all meals out — that is, an extra night of travel every three days.

All our accommodations have a kitchen: full and private in the two-bedroom apartment, shared in the rooms. Take advantage of it: it’s half of the Usera experience.

Cover photo: pelican from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.