Where to eat (gluten-free) churros con chocolate in Madrid

Something happens in Madrid when temperatures start to dwindle (and most likely in many other Spanish cities) as a curious phenomenon takes place at breakfast time. Let’s have a look at the cafeterias, shall we? Surprisingly, the café con leche is no longer that popular as a deeper, richer and more comforting drink has replaced it: a wonderful hot chocolate! Which comes of course with a side of lovely churros.  

Nothing can beat the great combo of chocolate con churros (or churros con chocolate). This delicatessen is quintessential to Madrid life, and one of those must things to do in Madrid, especially at winter- autumn time.

Many guides would tell you about monuments, museums and sightseeing, but if you want to feel like a real madrileño and savour the local life, you can’t go wrong by indulging into a nice cup of hot chocolate accompanied by fresh-made churros. 
 
If this is your first time visiting Spain, you should be aware that most of Spanish social life takes place outdoors —even on wintertime! —. For this reason, when temperatures drop down, meeting up with your peers in a churreria sounds like a great plan for a comfort afternoon or evening rendez-vous. Time will fly, and before you realize, the time to leave will (sadly) have arrived. But your tummy will be thankful for these guilty pleasures. 
 
Even though the Madrid bible says that “winter = chocolate con churros”, they can actually be enjoyed throughout the whole year — after all that’s what churrerias are for, aren’t they?  Even though it’s more common to enjoy the chocolate con churros in autumn and wintertime, you won’t be stopped should you fancy a chocolate con churros in the middle of the summer. (Just bear in mind that most likely temperatures will easily reach 40ºC - 104ºF during Madrid summer.) 

I have mentioned before that churros con chocolate are consumed at breakfast time, but merienda (supper) is also a very valid option. Moreover, this might actually be rush hour for churrerias, as the morning rush is over, and we can enjoy some more relaxing time. It is also very common to get up early on a Sunday morning and go to the churreria to fetch some fresh, recent made churros (bye brunch, hello churros con chocolate). Ah, the little pleasures of life!

About churros, chocolate and the churrerias

You’ve probably noticed some new words here and there and you might be curious about them. No worries, let’s have a look into them (by the end of this post you’ll be a pro in the fine art of churros ;) 
 
The churrerias are the place where churros are made. They operate as a cafeteria but they are specialized on offering churros — as a matter of fact, they are fresh made on that establishment — and chocolate. Opening time is very wide, from very early in the morning till late in the evening (everybody is welcome to have churros, from early risers to night owls).
 
These next places don’t offer gluten-free churros (as far as I am aware), but I think I should at least mention them, as they are considered THE churrerias par excellence in Madrid:

• Chocolateria San Ginés (the most iconic one in Madrid. Opens 24h!)
• La Antigua Churreria
• Chocolates Valor (they are spread all over Spain)
• Churrerias Siglo XIX.

Churros are basically a deep-fried dough made from wheat flour. That’s why the traditional churros are a no-no for coeliacs. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy them, does it? As I always say, coeliacs can eat everything as long as proper ingredients are used. In this case, it’s as simple as using a non-wheat, gluten-free flour.
 
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of its ingredients; the elaboration of good quality churros is truly an art that not everybody can master. It’s common to use sunflower oil, but for me, being an olive oil lover, there’s nothing like the fragrant flavour given by olive oil. 

Churros vs Porras

Churros vs Porras​

Sometimes people use these two names interchangeably, but madrileños are very picky about using them properly. Eating chocolate con churros is truly an art!.

Churros have a laze shape; are rather thin, crunchy and have very characteristically marks.  

Porras, though also crunchy, resemble a straight stick, have no marks and are thicker.

​Up to now, I was only able to find gluten-free churros, but no porras. 

Glutenacious Curiosity:
Churros and porras are considered in Spanish cuisine as “frying pan fruits” (I’m making a literal translation here for “frutas de sartén”, the Spanish denomination).  All deep-fried doughs would be under this umbrella. For example: buñuelos, pestiños, torrijas, bartolillos, churros y porras. This cooking technique was already mentioned in some Spanish middle age cooking books! 

If you are interested in this topic, you can check:

• Llibre de Coch by Mestre Robert, a best-seller cooking book dated in the 16th century that compiled recipes of the territories of the Crown of Aragon.  it is considered today an example to learn about the cuisine preferences and habits of Middle Age and Renaissance Europe
  
• Libro de Guisados by Ruperto Nola.

​Additional Information

Particularities of hot chocolate in Spain:
Spaniards are very particular about hot chocolate, especially the one that accompanies churros, and you will find that the way it is prepared is very different from other parts of the world.  The first thing you’ll notice is that the chocolate is quite thick, so much that it looks like a chocolate pudding. But that’s considered a real chocolate: a consistency so thick you could eat it with a spoon. The quality of the ingredients is also very important — it should be made with a good quality cocoa, that would give a intense and fragrant chocolate taste. Needless to say, there’s no whipped cream or any other flavours added to the chocolate; it’s enough by itself.
 
As an image is worth more than a thousand words, please enjoy this picture; the quintessential churros con chocolate experience: 

Dip the churro into the chocolate

Glutenacious tip: Don’t hesitate to request a glass of water to quench your thirst; the mixture of sweet and savoury flavours tends to have that effect ;).
 
To be considered by lactose-intolerant people: If you are lactose intolerant, you should be careful, as the chocolate is normally made by adding milk to the cocoa blend. Luckily, many places offer lactose-free milk nowadays, so just to be safe, always check with the establishment what type of milk they serve. 

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Where to eat gluten-free Chocolate con Churros in Madrid

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Now, to the most important part of this guide: where to find (and eat) gluten-free Chocolate con Churros in Madrid? 
​

Maestro Churrero

An old time churreria – chocolateria, Maestro Churrero opened in 1902. Their location is superb, in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras (the Literary Quarter, named after the great literary figures of the Golden Age) and very close to Puerta del Sol.
 
The premises are very small, with just a few tables inside that will be more likely occupied. They also have two big terraces outside and I have witnessed long queues in order to get a sit — even on winter time! Madrileños do love their chocolate con churros.
 
Their menu is very broad with many innovative churros offer. For coeliacs, however, there’s only the gluten-free version of traditional churros. I like that they are clearly and boldly announced, there’s no place for mistakes: Gluten-free churros are available in Maestro Churrero. 

​There are basically two options: to eat there or to take away. Should you like to sit on a table and enjoy your churros in the madrileño atmosphere, you can choose between ordering 4 churros (2,5€) or 8 churros (4,5€). If you want to eat them al fresco, at the terrace, there’s an increase. If you prefer to enjoy your churros in your home, there’s a pre-made package with frozen churros ready to be fried at your place. It’s compound by 8 churros and costs 3,90€.
 
The boxes have the gluten-free certify by the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Associations (FACE).

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My Glutenacious experience at Maestro Churrero: The chocolate served in Maestro Churrero is Glutenacious approved: It has that pudding consistency that allows you to eat it with a spoon. That’s how I like chocolate! There are different sizes you can order as well as many serving options (with whipped cream, condensed milk, dulce de leche…)

I also enjoyed the gluten-free churros, considering that the lack of gluten makes any dough a bit more difficult to be worked. They are perfectly crunchy and in the right spot of oiliness (I personally dislike when churros are bathed and/or loaded in oil). 

​Because gluten-free churros are immediately made after you place your order, it takes a bit longer than the regular churros, but I personally don’t mind it. I’d rather wait and make sure that there is no cross-contamination. I’ve been told that they have a dedicated fryer for the gluten-free churros. 

Overall

One of the things I like the most about Maestro Churrero is their location — right in the heart of Madrid, a square up from Sol and very close to the lively calle Huertas. Whenever I’m around that area in the centre of Madrid, I always end up there because of their convenient location. I like their way to prepare hot chocolate —really thick— which is exactly how I like my chocolate. I also appreciate that we can enjoy lactose-free hot chocolate for the same price as regular chocolate (there are some places that charge extra for using lactose-free milk) and I find their prices quite affordable for the cost of living in a big city like Madrid.
 
Even though their gluten-free options are very limited (just the regular churros) compared to the many varieties being offered for non-coeliac people, I’m grateful that we can enjoy gluten-free churros made in a dedicated fryer. Also, it’s a good place to bring your non-gluten-free friends that might wanna explore the world of churros. 

Prices:
Gluten-Free Churros: 4 pcs €2,5 inside and €3 outdoor terrace. | 8 pcs: €4,5 inside and €5,4 outdoor terrace | Take away box (frozen churros to be fried at home): €3,9

Chocolate: standard size: €2,40 | lactose-free: €2,40 | large size: €3,80...

Additional Information: Minimum amount for paying with credit card: €5

UPDATE January 2017

Maestro Churrero has announced through their social media that they will be offering a Gluten-Free Roscon de Reyes for Ephiphany Day,  at the same price than the "regular" (not gluten-free)  version.

For those of you unfamiliarised with this tradition, let me explain it to you: While most countries exchange the Christmas/holidays gifts on the 25th December, in Spain the tradition is for the 6th of January, also called “el Día de Reyes” (translation: the Day of the Three Kings).  The night of the 5th The Three Wise Men or the Kings will deliver gifts to those children who have behaved properly throughout the previous year. To top the day, it’s very traditional to have the Roscón de Reyes – The Three Kings Cake for breakfast of supper (and guess what’s the preferred drink to accompany it: chocolate!). Traditionally, it’s only eaten on the 5th or 6th of January, but madrileños love this cake so much that they would start eating it as early as December. 

Roscón con gluten y sin gluten! Elige tu preferido! Y al mismo precio!! Felices reyes!… https://t.co/6lSwjhC5Zv

— Maestro Churrero (@ChurreroMaestro) 5 de enero de 2017

Sorpresa!! A partir de mañana todos nuestros amigos celiacos están de enhorabuena! Tenemos roscón de reyes.., con nata y sin nata #singluten #glutenfree #rosconsingluten #rosconreyes #happynewyears #enhorabuena

Una foto publicada por Maestro Churrero (@maestrochurrero) el 4 de Ene de 2017 a la(s) 7:13 PST

Roscón con gluten y sin gluten! Elige tu preferido! Y al mismo precio!! Felices reyes! #rosconsingluten #glutenfree #rosconreyes #enhorabuena

Un vídeo publicado por Maestro Churrero (@maestrochurrero) el 5 de Ene de 2017 a la(s) 2:53 PST

Maestro Churrero
Plaza Jacinto Benavente 2, Madrid | Metro Sol; Metro Tirso de Molina; Metro Antón Martin

Celicioso

Celicioso is a specialized gluten-free bakery, so their whole menu is suitable for coeliacs. Their menu is also 100% lactose-free and offer sugar-free and vegan options as well. This bakery has become so popular in Madrid that you would find many non-coeliacs enjoying their sweets. The atmosphere is very lively and international.  There are currently two locations in Madrid: the original one, located right by metro Gran Via and another one, not too far, in calle Barquilo. While the first one offered mainly baked sweets (cookies, cupcakes and cakes), the new one has a broader menu with many savory dishes such as salads, sandwiches and pasta. 

Churros do not belong to their regular menu, they are instead a welcoming specialty during autumn- winter months. 

IMPORTANT UPDATE

This year, sadly, (gluten-free) churros are no longer available. On previous seasons,  the gluten-free churros would be offered around October - November and you just had to request the gluten-free churros by this time of the year.  It’s such a pity they aren’t available anymore, as it is a very madrileño experience to indulge in chocolate con churros during winter months (Nor there are many places offering gluten-free churros). I hope that the situation changes for the upcoming year and that we would be able to enjoy again some delightful gluten-free churros in Madrid. ​

What a better way to warm up upcoming #winter season than enjoying a nice #chocolate mug with #churros!! |□❄️⛄️☕□️□| Qué mejor manera de entrar en calor en este frío invernal que con un buen #chocolate caliente con #churros #hotchocolate #hotcocoa #dessert #foodielove #CeliciosoBakery All #GlutenFree #SinGluten #Goodthings #cozy #hogareño #invierno #Labuenavida #yummy #delicious #delicioso #glutenaciouslife #hotchoclaye #glutenacious #dessert #hot #glutenfreefollowme

Una foto publicada por Glutenacious Life (@glutenaciouslife) el 4 de Dic de 2014 a la(s) 1:21 PST

My Glutenacious Experience: Had you asked me the first year that churros became available, I would’ve told you that I truly enjoyed them: the dough was perfectly fried on its point and no greasy. But my experience from the very last time was slightly difference, as I found the churros to have been made earlier in the morning and then re-heated prior to serving, which changes the texture of the churro. I am not a huge fan of the chocolate here, mainly because I find it too liquid for my taste. As I said before,  I’m a huge fan of thick, dark chocolate that can be eaten with a spoon, and in Celicioso is served more a la française way: liquid with no consistency (like a shake).  

Prices:
Churros: €0,5 each piece (No longer available) | Piece of Roscón de Reyes: €2,90 (only available around Ephiphany Day) | Hot chocolate: €3

Additional Note: At the time of this blog post, Celicioso is no longer offering gluten-free churros.

Celicioso
C/ Hortaleza 3, Madrid | Metro Gran Via

Celicioso Barquillo
C/ Barquillo 19, Madrid | Metro Banco de España; Metro Chueca