Complete Guide: Where to Find Mexican Ingredients in Madrid

Madrid has more and more options for finding authentic Mexican ingredients. From specialist shops in Latin neighbourhoods to the international sections of large supermarkets, this guide will help you track down everything you need to cook Mexican food at home.

Specialist Latin Shops

These are your best bet for authentic ingredients, variety and competitive prices. See our stores section for up-to-date addresses and opening hours.

Lavapiés

The neighbourhood with the greatest concentration of Latin shops in Madrid. On Calle Embajadores, Calle Mesón de Paredes and the surrounding streets you'll find multiple options.

What to find: fresh corn tortillas (some shops make them daily), dried chillies (guajillo, ancho, pasilla, chipotle, árbol), Maseca, salsas (La Costeña, Valentina, Cholula), Mexican fresh cheese, Mexican crema, corn husks for tamales, piloncillo, achiote, Tajín, Ibarra and Abuelita chocolate, dried and tinned beans from Mexican brands.

Indicative prices:

• Corn tortillas (pack of 20): €2-3
• Dried chillies (100g bag): €3-5
• Maseca 1kg: €2-3
• Chipotles in adobo (tin): €2.50-3
• Valentina salsa (large bottle): €2-3
• Mexican fresh cheese: €3-5

Tip: go midweek (Tuesday to Friday) for the best selection. On Saturdays the fresh tortillas sell out early.

Malasaña and the Centre

Less concentration than Lavapiés but with shops serving the Latin population of the centre. A few shops in the Gran Vía and Fuencarral area.

Usera

A Latin neighbourhood with economical shops. Less touristy than Lavapiés, sometimes better prices. The shops combine Mexican products with Central and South American ones.

Tetuán

An area with Latin shops serving the community of northern Madrid. Good options and less crowded than Lavapiés.

Supermarkets: What to Find in Each One

Mercadona

The good: tinned black beans (~€0.90), wheat (flour) tortillas (not corn), avocados, coriander in a pot (~€0.99), lemons, tinned/frozen corn, cumin, oregano.

What's missing: corn tortillas, dried chillies, authentic Mexican salsas, Maseca. Mercadona is useful for the basics but not for the specific Mexican store cupboard.

Lidl

The good: avocados (sometimes on offer at ~€0.99 each), cheap fresh vegetables, economical minced meat, dried beans. Occasionally they have themed weeks with Mexican products.

Tip: Lidl's themed weeks are golden opportunities — tortillas, salsas and special products at supermarket prices.

Carrefour

The good: the BEST international section of all the big supermarkets. La Costeña chipotles in adobo (~€3), salsas, sometimes Cholula, Mission corn tortillas, pickled jalapeños. The large Carrefour hypermarkets have more variety than the Express ones.

Tip: Carrefour online has a "World Food" section with Mexican products that sometimes aren't in the physical shop.

El Corte Inglés

The good: a gourmet section with premium Mexican products. Cholula, sometimes premium mezcal/tequila, artisanal salsas. It's the most expensive option but with products you won't find elsewhere.

Club del Gourmet section: sometimes they have Mexican chocolate, artisanal salsas and niche products.

Buying Online

• Amazon: Maseca, dried chillies, a tortilla press, a molcajete, Tajín, salsas, Mexican chocolate. Convenient if you don't have a Latin shop nearby. Search for "Mexican ingredients" and filter by reviews.
• MexGrocer: an online shop specialising in Mexican products. Great variety, delivery nationwide.
• Specialist online shops: another option for hard-to-find products.

Quick Guide: Where to Buy Each Ingredient

• Corn tortillas: Latin shops (fresh), Carrefour (Mission)
• Dried chillies: Latin shops, Amazon
• Maseca: Latin shops, Amazon
• Chipotles in adobo: Carrefour, Latin shops
• Beans: any supermarket (tinned), Latin shops (dried, Mexican brand)
• Avocado: any supermarket
• Coriander: any supermarket (in a pot at Mercadona)
• Mexican fresh cheese: only in Latin shops (substitute: a mild fresh cheese)
• Tomatillos: Latin shops (tinned), very rare fresh
• Salsas (Valentina, Cholula): Latin shops, El Corte Inglés, Amazon

Budget: Starter Mexican Store Cupboard

To set up your basic Mexican store cupboard in Madrid:

• Dried chillies (3 types): €10-12 (Latin shop)
• Maseca 1kg: €2-3
• Dried beans 1kg: €2.50
• Chipotles in adobo: €3
• Cumin + oregano: €3
• Valentina or Cholula salsa: €3-5
• Tajín: €3-4

Total: €27-35. With this investment you can cook Mexican for weeks. The dry products (chillies, Maseca, spices) last months.

Madrid has everything you need to cook any Mexican recipe — you just have to know where to look. See our store guide to find the nearest one to you, and explore our recipes to put your store cupboard to work. Need substitutes? Read our guide to substitutes.

Municipal Markets

Madrid's municipal markets are an excellent source of fresh ingredients for cooking Mexican:

• Mercado de Maravillas (Cuatro Caminos): the largest market in Madrid. Fruit and vegetables at excellent prices. Some stalls have tropical and Latin products.
• Mercado de la Cebada (La Latina): good fresh produce at neighbourhood prices. Very busy on Sundays.
• Mercado de Antón Martín (Lavapiés): the perfect location — combine market shopping with a visit to the Latin shops of Lavapiés.
• Mercado de Vallehermoso (Chamberí): gourmet and quality stalls. Some have international products.

Weekly Shopping Strategy

Our recommendation for cooking Mexican regularly in Madrid:

1. Monthly shop at a Latin shop (Lavapiés): dried chillies, Maseca, salsas, corn tortillas, fresh cheese, chipotles. Budget: €15-25/month.
2. Weekly shop at the supermarket: tinned beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, coriander, limes, cheese, soured cream, eggs, meat. Budget: €15-20/week for Mexican food.
3. Occasional online shop (Amazon): hard-to-find products: a tortilla press, a molcajete, special salsas, a specific chilli powder.

Shopping Tips

• Buy chillies in quantity: dried chillies last months. Buy 3-4 bags at once so you don't have to keep going back.
• Coriander in a pot: buy a pot of coriander. It lasts longer than cut coriander and you can snip as you need.
• Avocados in advance: buy them 3-4 days before you need them. They ripen at room temperature. Put them in the fridge when they're ready to slow the ripening.
• Dried beans on Sunday: cook a big pot on Sunday. Freeze half, refrigerate the rest. You've got beans all week for €2.50 a kilo.
• Compare prices: chillies in the Latin shops of Lavapiés are usually 30-40% cheaper than on Amazon. But if you can't get there, Amazon is convenient.

Madrid has everything you need to cook any Mexican recipe — you just have to know where to look. See our store guide to find the nearest one to you, and explore our recipes to put your store cupboard to work. Need substitutes for ingredients you can't find? Read our guide to substitutes.

Tips for Buying Quality Mexican Ingredients

Finding authentic ingredients is only half the battle. Knowing how to choose the best products makes the difference between a good recipe and an extraordinary one. Here are some practical tips we've learned after years of shopping in Madrid's Mexican shops.

Dried chillies: how to identify freshness

Quality dried chillies should be flexible, not brittle. A fresh ancho or guajillo bends without breaking, has an intense colour and a deep, fruity aroma. If the chilli snaps like a biscuit, it's been on the shelf too long. The best shops refresh their chilli stock frequently, so ask when their last delivery arrived.

Tortillas: fresh vs. industrial

Several shops in Madrid receive freshly made tortillas several times a week. The difference from packaged industrial ones is enormous: fresh ones have an intense corn flavour, a soft, flexible texture, and don't break when you roll them. Ask at your regular shop which days the fresh tortillas arrive and plan your shopping around those dates.

Tinned and preserved products

For products such as chipotles in adobo, black beans or tinned tomatillos, look for recognised brands such as La Costeña, Herdez or San Marcos. Always check the use-by date and the state of the tin. These brands maintain a consistent quality that shows in the final result of your dishes.

Online shopping: a growing alternative

If you can't get to the physical shops, more and more Mexican businesses in Madrid offer home delivery. Many have an online shop with up-to-date catalogues. It's an excellent option for dry and tinned products, although for fresh tortillas and chilled products it's always better to go in person.

In our directory of Mexican shops you'll find up-to-date information on each establishment, including addresses, opening hours and specialities. And once your ingredients are ready, explore our authentic recipes to make the most of them.

Municipal markets: hidden gems

Don't underestimate Madrid's municipal markets as a source of Mexican ingredients. The Mercado de Maravillas, one of the largest in Europe, is home to several stalls selling Latin products including fresh chillies, Hass avocados, fresh coriander and even nopales when in season. The Mercado de la Cebada and the Mercado de Antón Martín also have specialist stalls. Wandering through these markets is a cultural experience in itself, where you can discover ingredients you didn't know you needed.

Apps and WhatsApp groups

The Mexican community in Madrid increasingly organises itself through WhatsApp groups and social media where people share news about newly arrived products, special offers and new shops. Search Facebook for groups such as "Mexicanos en Madrid" or "Cocina Mexicana en España" where members constantly share up-to-date recommendations on where to find specific ingredients. Many shops also post their news on Instagram, so follow them to be the first to know when hard-to-find products arrive.