Mercado de Abastos de Aranjuez & Fresa Culture
Aranjuez has been feeding Spanish royalty since the sixteenth century, and the fertile vegas — market gardens irrigated by the Tagus and Jarama rivers — still produce some of the finest strawberries and white asparagus in the country. The covered Mercado de Abastos on Plaza de Abastos is the best place to taste both, surrounded by traders who have worked the same stalls for generations.
The Mercado de Abastos
The market hall, a handsome early-twentieth-century iron-and-brick structure a short walk from the palace, is liveliest on Saturday mornings when local growers bring in crates of fresas de Aranjuez — the small, intensely sweet strawberries that have Protected Geographical Indication status and appear in Madrid's finest restaurants each spring.
Beyond strawberries, look for bundles of fat white asparagus (esparrago de Aranjuez, another PGI product), fresh river crayfish in season, and the local cheese stall that sells a tangy Manchego-style wheel at prices you will not find in the capital.
Eating Around the Market
Bar Rana, just off Plaza de San Antonio a few minutes' walk from the market, is the local institution for a mid-morning pincho de tortilla and a cold caña — the tortilla here is thick, just set in the centre and nothing like the rubbery versions sold in Madrid train stations.
For a proper sit-down lunch, Casa Pablo on Calle Almíbar has been serving Aranjuez classics since 1941: roast lamb, white asparagus with mayonnaise and, in spring, a strawberry dessert plate that arrives looking like a still-life painting.
Strawberry Season & the Tren de la Fresa
The strawberry harvest runs roughly from late March to June, and the Museo de Falúas Reales sometimes hosts tasting events during this window. The Tren de la Fresa — a heritage steam train that runs weekend excursions from Madrid Delicias station — hands out fresh strawberries to passengers on board, making the journey itself part of the food experience.
Even outside strawberry season, the market vendors sell excellent local olive oil, saffron from nearby La Mancha and homemade marzipan that makes a far better souvenir than anything sold in the palace gift shop.
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