Madrid sits at the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula — the highest capital city in the European Union, perched on the Castilian meseta at over 2,000 feet above sea level. As Spain's political and cultural hub for more than five centuries, it has always been a city of arrivals: of people, of produce, of culinary tradition from every autonomous community in the country. Its markets — most famously the Mercado de San Miguel and the Mercado de San Antón — are a cross-section of the Spanish pantry in a single space. Its bar culture is some of the most alive in Europe. And its food, whether you're eating a €1.50 caña and a free tapa or sitting down to a long lunch at one of the city's legendary tabernas, is always deeply, unmistakably Spanish.

Few things are more Madrid than a plate of croquetas at the bar. Golden and crisp on the outside, impossibly creamy within — these are the kind of bites that disappear before the drinks arrive. Made with Despaña Traditional Chorizo, they carry that deep, smoky paprika flavor that defines the Spanish capital's bar table. Serve them hot, with a cold Mahou and good company. That's all you need.

No city in Spain eats quite like Madrid. Start at the Mercado de San Miguel just off the Plaza Mayor — a covered iron market dating to 1916, now lined with vendors serving everything from fresh oysters to jamón carved to order. From there, the city's barrio bar culture takes over: the tabernas of La Latina for cocido and vermut, the tapas counters of Malasaña for bravas and boquerones, and the terrazas of Chueca where the evening stretches long into the night. Madrid is also the best city in Spain to eat seafood — despite sitting 200 miles from the coast, its fish market is among the busiest in Europe, and the grilled merluza and gambas al ajillo in the city's classic restaurants are as good as anything you'll find by the sea. Come hungry, come late, and come ready to stay.