San Ildefonso Market, a cosmopolitan place in Madrid of ready-to-eat food designed by Cousi.
It is located just a few meters from the place that hosted the first indoor food market in Madrid until its demolition in 1970. The new San Ildefonso Market is something between a foodhall and a street food market that reminds of other places of the kind in London, New York, Singapur or Bangkok. It has been developed by Grupo Nivel 29 together with the interior design firm Cousi Interiorismo, a new leisure and socialization concept that revolves around gastronomy.
A one of a kind space designed as an elongation of the busy and cosmopolitan Fuencarral street where it is located, even paved in cobblestone as if it were a pedestrian roadway and completely open to the outside through large folding windows. But just as the historical market to which it owes its name, with a roof stretching over the entire space.
The new San Ildefonso Market is not an usual one. There are no colourful vegetable boxes, nor fresh meat and fish to cook at home. Its offer is mainly based on prepared food, some in its pure state but always ready to eat on the premises or while walking down the street.
It’s the perfect place for a break on a shopping day, as an after work meeting point, an alternative to the aperitif or just a place to hang out for neighbours, tourists and regulars between the districts of Malasaña, Chueca and Triball.
Along its almost 700 sqm distributed in three levels, San Ildefonso Market hosts 18 stands provided with a street aesthetic, three service bars (one per level), large high sharing tables with a few stools by their side and two terraces: the main one has wooden-lined walls giving a sense of being in one of the many hidden squares in the neighbourhood of Malasaña and the second one is a cozy spot surrounded by plants, like a small bucolic urban garden.
A bright neon sign and a great 8 meter high tree made of rope that dominates the main level are the two most eye-catching features.
High quality goods and singularity were the premises followed by San Ildefonso Market when selecting its gastronomic offer, with which they intended to escape from the impersonality of franchises.
Some of them are well-known names and others are young emerging entrepreneurs, all of them highly passionate about their business and successful professionals committed to offering the best in local food.
Consolidated brands such as the Iberian ham Arturo Sánchez, the cheese shop Poncelet, the canned anchovies Don Bocarte or the smoked salmon Ahumados Domínguez, share space here with new, small but successful brands run by enthusiast professionals.
The offer is rounded off with the Surprise Space, located on the upper level. It is a changing space dedicated to showcooking and avant garde cocktails, besides presenting itself as a showcase for seasonal products made by producer associations and regulating councils, amongst others, as well as national and international chefs. Without a doubt, a space that will not leave anyone indifferent and in which something new will always happen.
Nevertheless, San Ildefonso Market enjoys an outstanding and differentiated proposal but, as it is expected in a market, at reasonable prices capable of bringing together product and consumer.
