Move over San Miguel and San Antón—there’s a new kind of market in town. 

Let the buzzing neon signs and colorful lights lure you in to the latest addition to Madrid’s foodie scene, the new mecca of an increasingly trendy culinary genre: Asian street food.

Located just off Plaza de Tirso de Molina, Cortezo Yatai Market unites several different vendors under one roof, letting diners sample all the greatest hits of East Asian comida callejera. It preserves the essence of the street food experience, with an atmosphere that’s both casual and chaotic, laidback and lively. Its creative concept combines the shareable dishes, miniature portions, and social atmosphere of Spanish tapas culture with the flavorful flair of Asian fusion cuisine.

Various vendors are arranged around the perimeter of a large room, with high top tables and stools in the center. There’s a bar in the back offering beer, wine, and cocktails—but if you want something a little more exotic, try a can of tamarind soda or coconut water.

Once you’ve got a drink in your hand, take a few minutes to wander around and explore your options (there are plenty). At HOTBAO you can take your pick from a variety of stuffed bao buns and several kinds of dimsum.

Right next door, Funky Chen offers pad Thai, noodles, and rice topped with everything from veggies to duck to soft-shell crab.

On the other side of the room, colorful curries tempt customers to the counter of Asia Cañi. Don’t forget to try one of their rolls, with creative fillings like ceviche de chicharrones and cocido madrileño (yes, you read that right).

To the right of Asia Cañi you’ll find Le Japonais, offering sushi, nigiri, maki, and poke bowls. To the left, there’s Ramen Suk, with steaming noodles that are a far cry from the powdered soup you might be picturing.

Before you make any decisions, don’t forget to check out Smok Mok, tucked away in the market’s smaller and quieter back room. It may be set apart from the main area, but with everything from vegan options to smoked Japanese BBQ meatballs—and the only dessert on offer at the market—you definitely don’t want to miss it.

The best thing about Yatai Market? It’s got something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a hearty bowl of curry to warm the soul or you want to sample several smaller dishes, you can design your dinner (or lunch) experience to match your mood.

Pad Thai from Funky Chen

Not to mention the fact that prices are more than reasonable: you can get a roll or dimsum for as little as €1 or a bao for €4. Larger dishes range from €6 to €14. Asia Cañi even offers combo meals that include 2 rolls, curry, rice, and a drink for just €9.

Veggie fried rice

If you’re in the mood for something different than the same old neighborhood bar or quiet café, this is the place for you. With the spirit of a classic Madrid market, the hipster vibes of a Malasaña pop-up, and the exotic flavors of a faraway continent, Yatai Market should be at the top of your list.

Info

• Facebook & Instagram
• Address: Calle Doctor Cortezo, 10
• Metro: Tirso de Molina and Sol

On Calle Apodaca, just around the corner from the Mercado Barceló, is a little restaurant called Bar Pajarita. And I’m so excited to be able to do the honor of writing about it for Naked Madrid. Why, do you ask? It’s been on the go-to list for quite a while, and also on mine. One of my friends, who constantly raves about it, kept saying that I needed to go. This furthered my intrigue, but as time went by, the timing wasn’t right for me to get my first Pajarita experience. And then, one hot, summer night (one of many in this never-ending Madrid heat wave), I FINALLY got to see what Pajarita is all about. I was in luck as she was my partner-in-crime for the evening, helping decide which dishes to try.

We split four items, which was a perfect amount for dinner. The chef plays with a lot of different flavor profiles; this you can get a vibe for right away when you see the black napkin folded in the shape of a bow-tie (and in Spanish pajarita does in fact mean bow-tie) on top of your place-setting. This fusion of traditional ingredients and unique preparations is what makes it so playful, and so good. And that’s the point of the experience at Pajarita; they want you to have fun eating. You can eat with your standard fork and knife, or you can take the chopsticks at hold the napkin as a bow-tie when you walk in and eat that way too (or, as they say on their website if you dare).

We first started off with the quekas, which are quesadillas with mushrooms. The pico de gallo and the sunflower seed pesto were placed perfectly in the middle. While quesadillas often make for a challenge, these were perfect finger-food

Quekas

The next one, which was my hands-down favorite, were the huevos divorciados. Now don’t let the name (divorced eggs) fool you; the thing is that one one side that looks like potatoes is actually the egg white. As the name implies, the whites and the yolks are separated. And like a good Spaniard, you put the egg white as if it were a potato by dipping it in the yolk and mixing bites of seeds and lima beans.

Huevos divorciados- the “must-have” dish

We rounded out dinner with bacalao (cod) on top of a sweet potato purée and little squirts of mayonnaise…

Delicia de bacalao

…and one of my favorite meats, solomillo de buey on top of a pimientos de padrón mustard.

Coruñés 53

It definitely lived up to my friend’s hype, and I can’t wait to go back again and again. I also need to go back because we didn’t have dessert.  I’ll definitely work through as much of the menu as I can, but I will be (and still am) dreaming of the huevos divorciados going right into my mouth. On a quiet street in Malasaña, Bar Pajarita is a perfect place for dinner with great food and playful fun. It’s more fun if you have someone (or a few people) to have fun eating with.

Restaurante Pajarita