Panaderia Mision in Madrid's Conde Duque sells sourdough sandwiches at the counter, with daily fillings of jamon iberico, tortilla and salmorejo, plus the city's reference sourdough loaves to take away.
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Sourdough sandwich runs 6 to 8 euros. The loaves sell out by 14:00; buy early.
Address: Calle de los Reyes 13, 28015 Madrid
Casa Puerto Rico off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the bocadillo de calamares counter, with squid rings fried to order in the small kitchen behind the standing-room bar, beside fresh-pressed lemon slices.
Try: Bocadillo de calamares
Tip: Cash preferred. Walk-in only. Bocadillo runs 5 euros, cana 2.50 at the standing-room counter.
Casa Mira on Carrera de San Jeronimo has produced turron (soft-and-hard almond-and-honey brick) since 1855, with the marble counter and the original 19th-century moulds for Christmas-season production.
Try: Turron de Jijona
Tip: Cash preferred. Closed Sundays. Turron runs 15 to 28 euros per kilo; smaller portions sold by weight.
Bar La Ideal off Plaza Mayor in Madrid is the bocadillo de calamares counter where battered squid rings on a fresh roll define the Madrileno working-day lunch since the 1950s.
Try: Bocadillo de calamares
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Bocadillo (5.50 euros) with a slice of lemon and a cana. Cash preferred at the bar.
Chocolateria San Gines off Calle Mayor in Madrid has fried the churros con chocolate for the after-midnight crowd since 1894. The 24-hour counter still pulls a queue at 03:00 from the late-night Madrid scene.
Try: Churros con chocolate
Tip: Walk-in only. Set of 6 churros and a thick chocolate cup (4.30 euros). The 03:00 to 05:00 slot is the post-club rush.
Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid serves the gilda tapa (anchovy, olive and guindilla pepper on a stick) at 12 different counters, the Basque-origin pintxo adopted into the Madrileno tapas canon.
Try: Gilda tapas
Tip: Gilda tapas run 2 to 3 euros each at every counter; pair with a glass of Txakoli from Casa Real Andaluza.
Casa Labra near Puerta del Sol in Madrid has fried the bacalao rebozado (salt cod in light batter) at its counter since 1860. The pincho de bacalao remains under 2 euros and the standing-room bar fills at 13:00.
Try: Bacalao rebozado
Tip: Walk-in only at the counter. Pincho de bacalao (1.30 euros) and a cana. Cash strongly preferred.
