If you only visit three spots for churros con chocolate in Madrid, make them San Gines, Madrid 1883, and Los Artesanos 1902.
Chocolateria San Gines earns the top spot for a straightforward reason: it is the only churreria in the city open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and has been since 1894. The Pasadizo de San Gines is a narrow passage between Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor, and the blue lanterns above the entrance are one of the most recognized images in Madrid. The 24-hour operation means every version of Madrid passes through here: businesspeople at 8am before the metro fills up, families at Saturday lunch, tourists at 3pm, and clubbers at 4am who need something substantial after a long night in La Latina or Malasana. The chocolate is thick, almost pudding-like, served in white ceramic cups. A portion of six churros costs roughly 2.40 euros and a cup of chocolate around 3.50 euros. Yes, it is crowded. Yes, it is worth it.
Madrid 1883 ranks second not because of its address — Calle del Espiritu Santo 8 in Malasana — but because it was there first. The churreria was founded in 1883, eleven years before San Gines opened, making it the oldest operating churros shop in the city by date of founding. Unlike San Gines, it keeps early-morning hours only (6:30am to 1pm daily), which means the crowd skews sharply local — workers from Malasana and Tribunal on their way to something, or regulars who know the schedule. The kitchen is open and visible from the counter, so you can watch the churros come out of the fryer and into your order. An essential, low-tourist experience.
Los Artesanos 1902 ranks third as the closest full equivalent to San Gines in the Sol area, minus the queue. The shop is on Calle de San Martin 2, three minutes from Puerta del Sol on foot, and has been run by the same family since 1902 — currently at the fifth generation. The most unusual thing about it is the glass window facing the street and the kitchen behind it, where you can watch the churros being shaped and fried before you go inside to order. They also offer both milk and dark chocolate for dipping, which is rare among traditional Madrid churrerias and makes it the better choice if you prefer a less sweet chocolate experience.
Seven spots verified as currently operating in October 2026. Price tier: all seven places on this list cost under 10 euros per person for churros and chocolate. Individual portions typically run 4-7 euros per person for churros or porras plus a cup of thick chocolate. Details checked October 2026 — hours and prices can change, so confirm before you go. No payment has been accepted for inclusion in this ranking.
1. Chocolateria San Gines — Pasadizo de San Gines 5, Centro — Metro Sol (L1/L2/L3), 2 min walk — € — open 24h since 1894; the most iconic churreria in Madrid; order the porras (wide, soft, spiral-shaped) with the thick hot chocolate; the marble bar on the left as you enter moves faster than the seated room; both churros and porras available
2. Madrid 1883 — Calle del Espiritu Santo 8, Malasana — Metro Tribunal (L1/L10), 3 min walk — € — the oldest churreria in Madrid (founded 1883); open 6:30am-1pm daily; open kitchen lets you watch the churros being fried; low tourist footfall; the definitive morning pick in Malasana
3. Los Artesanos 1902 — Calle de San Martin 2, Centro — Metro Sol (L1/L2/L3), 3 min walk — € — family-run since 1902, now at the fifth generation; glass street-facing window shows the kitchen; offers both milk and dark chocolate for dipping; quieter than San Gines with comparable quality
4. Churreria Manosanta — Calle de Hermosilla 97, Salamanca — Metro Lista (L4), 5 min walk — € — The Infatuation's Madrid churros pick; modern minimalist setting with multiple locations across the city; crunchy churros and creamy chocolate; the best option if you are already in Salamanca or near the Retiro
5. Chocolat — Calle de las Huertas 59, Barrio de las Letras — Metro Anton Martin (L1), 3 min walk — € — specialist in handmade churros and porras since 2003; open in the evenings; the best pick in the Huertas and Barrio de las Letras area; convenient after dinner or a museum visit in that neighbourhood
6. La Antigua Churreria — Calle Bravo Murillo 190, Tetuan — Metro Alvarado (L1), 2 min walk — € — founded 1913, fourth generation; Monday to Thursday 7:00-21:30, Friday to Sunday 7:00-22:00; the neighbourhood daily-driver for Tetuan and Chamberi residents; opens at 7am and operates entirely outside the tourist trail
7. Valor Chocolateria — Postigo de San Martin 7, Centro — Metro Gran Via (L1/L5), 3 min walk — €/€€ — the cafe experience rather than the stand-up churreria; Valor is a 19th-century Alicante chocolate brand; three floors and a terrace at this location; the richest, creamiest chocolate on the list; suited to a relaxed, seated visit
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These are our picks, not a ranking based on aggregated ratings or review counts. The criteria were: longevity and local credibility (does the kitchen have a history that Madrilenos respect, not just visitors?); quality of the chocolate (is it genuinely thick, smooth, and hot, or a thin imitation?); accessibility (can you walk in without a booking, and does the price match what you receive?); and distinctiveness (does this place do something the others do not?).
San Gines ranks first because no other churreria in Madrid operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and because its 130-year-old history is genuinely embedded in the city's identity — not just its tourist identity. The 4am post-clubbing crowd and the 7am workday crowd are equally real and equally Madrileño.
Madrid 1883 ranks second because it is the oldest churreria in the city and has the lowest tourist footfall of any shop on this list, which means the experience is closer to what a local morning breakfast actually looks and feels like in 2026. The morning-only hours are the one trade-off.
Valor ranks last because its primary identity is as a chocolate brand cafe rather than a traditional churreria. The chocolate quality is excellent — arguably the best on the list — but the experience is closer to a well-designed cafe stop than the stand-up, working-class counter culture of the older spots. Neither is worse: they serve different needs, and Valor suits people who want comfort and a terrace over authenticity and a queue.
This list excludes hotel lobbies, major cafe chains, and places that serve churros as an afterthought alongside other items. Every shop listed here has churros con chocolate as a central part of its identity.
The full experience (first visit to Madrid): San Gines on Pasadizo de San Gines 5, near Sol. It is one of the few things in Madrid that is genuinely iconic and worth the wait. Go at 8am on a weekday and it is almost empty. Go at 2pm on Saturday and expect a queue.
A local morning, no tourists: Madrid 1883 on Calle del Espiritu Santo 8, Malasana. Opens at 6:30am and closes at 1pm, which means everyone in the shop is there because it is part of their actual day. The crowd is predominantly local workers and Malasana residents on a morning schedule.
Best chocolate: Valor Chocolateria at Postigo de San Martin 7. The Valor brand processes its own cacao, and the result is noticeably richer and more complex than the standard churreria chocolate. If you care about the chocolate more than the tradition, go here.
Watching churros being made: Los Artesanos 1902 on Calle de San Martin 2 has a glass window facing the kitchen from the street, so you can see the operation before you enter and order. Madrid 1883 has an open kitchen visible from the bar counter inside.
After dinner in the evening: Chocolat on Calle de las Huertas 59 is open late evening and is the easiest option if you have spent the day in the Prado, Thyssen, or Reina Sofia area and want churros without crossing to Sol.
In Salamanca or near the Retiro: Churreria Manosanta on Calle de Hermosilla 97. It is where Salamanca residents go for a quick and reliably good churros stop. The Infatuation reviewed it positively and it holds up as a contemporary pick with solid execution.
Near Sol, Plaza Mayor, and the historic centre: Both San Gines (Pasadizo de San Gines 5) and Los Artesanos 1902 (Calle de San Martin 2) are within 3 minutes of Puerta del Sol on foot. San Gines wins on experience and cultural weight; Los Artesanos 1902 wins on shorter queues and the glass kitchen window that makes the visit more interactive.
Malasana and Tribunal: Madrid 1883 at Calle del Espiritu Santo 8 is the oldest churreria in the city and the natural choice in this barrio. It closes at 1pm, so pair it with breakfast or a mid-morning coffee run, not an afternoon plan.
Barrio de las Letras and Huertas: Chocolat on Calle de las Huertas 59 is the most convenient spot for this part of the city. Open in the evenings, it fits naturally after a visit to one of the nearby art museums or a dinner in the neighbourhood. The [what to eat in Madrid guide](/es/blog/what-to-eat-in-madrid-food-guide-2026) covers the full food landscape of this barrio and the rest of the city.
Salamanca and Retiro: Churreria Manosanta on Calle de Hermosilla 97 is the best option in this area. Metro Lista (L4) stops five minutes away, and the churreria is built for the neighbourhood's residents rather than for tourists.
Gran Via and Centro (north of Sol): Valor Chocolateria at Postigo de San Martin 7 is a 3-minute walk from Metro Gran Via (L1/L5). Three floors and a terrace make it the most comfortable space on the list for a proper sit-down chocolate session.
Tetuan and Chamberi: La Antigua Churreria at Calle Bravo Murillo 190 is the only spot on this list serving the northern residential barrios. Metro Alvarado (L1) is 2 minutes away. Opens at 7am daily and closes no later than 10pm — a real neighbourhood institution.
Churros are thin, ridged, roughly finger-width, and come out crispy. Porras are wider — sometimes as thick as a large sausage — softer in the middle, and designed to soak up the thick chocolate. Most traditional Madrid churrerias serve both, and the two are not interchangeable: a porra holds more chocolate in each bite, which makes it the preference for people who come specifically for the chocolate experience, while a churro is crisper and holds its shape better when eaten quickly.
Madrid's standard chocolate for dipping is very thick — closer to a warm ganache than a drinkable hot chocolate — and made specifically to coat the churro or porra without running off. It is not the thin powder-and-water hot chocolate sold in most of northern Europe. If you run out of churros, you eat the remaining chocolate with a spoon. At Los Artesanos 1902, you can also choose between milk chocolate and dark chocolate for dipping, which is uncommon in the city.
Churros are a breakfast and mid-morning food in Madrid — the equivalent of a croissant in Paris. The churro-for-dessert custom seen elsewhere in Spain and in international restaurants is not the original tradition. At San Gines, the post-midnight visit is equally traditional: churros and chocolate after a long night out is a specifically Madrileño experience that has been practiced for decades and has nothing to do with dessert.
At San Gines, the longest queues form on Saturday and Sunday between 13:30 and 16:00, and again after midnight on Friday and Saturday. The quietest windows are early on weekday mornings (7:00-9:00) and late on weekday evenings (21:00-23:00). The marble bar service moves roughly twice as fast as waiting for a table.
At Madrid 1883, the shop closes at 1pm daily, so the practical visit window is 6:30am to 12:30. Arriving at 7:00-8:30 on a weekday gives you the most local atmosphere and the shortest wait. Plan it as part of an early start in Malasana rather than trying to squeeze in just before closing.
At Los Artesanos 1902, the glass window occasionally draws brief crowds of passersby, but the interior bar moves efficiently and is typically calmer than San Gines throughout the day.
October is a good month for churros in Madrid: the weather has cooled enough to make hot chocolate genuinely appealing, summer tourist volumes have dropped, and the city is in its autumn rhythm. All seven spots on this list are fully open in October. La Antigua Churreria in Tetuan and Madrid 1883 in Malasana are essentially queue-free year-round. Note that some churrerias in Madrid reduce their hours in August, so confirm in advance if visiting in summer.
