The biggest sandwich in Madrid!
Melos is a veritable institution among foodies, neighborhood locals, hungry students, and travelers. It’s located on one of the steep streets of Madrid’s Lavapies neighborhood and I’d suggest getting there right when it opens, preferably on a weekday night, or else you’ll have trouble even squeezing in the door. So, why is Melos so popular?
Well, for years Melos has been serving up a gargantuan beast of a sandwich called a "zapatilla," which is definitely the biggest sandwich in the city (and probably the country). The "zapatilla" is made of two generous slices of buttered Galician bread (each one about as big as your forearm) and then it’s piled high with layer upon layer of roast pork and tetilla cheese. The final result is a mountain of cheesy, porky, smoky goodness that is a formidable meal for even the hungriest of travelers (seriously…I thought I could handle it but I’d definitely recommend splitting a "zapatilla" between two people at minimum).
The other highlight of Melos are the homemade croquettes. While many croquettes have warmed-over and doughy fillings, these croquettes are filled with molten béchamel sauce flavored with chunks of salty ham, all surrounded by a perfectly crisp exterior. They literally explode in your mouth. I’m not sure they’re the absolute best, but I’d rank them among the top 3 croquettes in the city. Anyways, Melos is about as Madrid as you can get so make sure to stop by for dinner while you’re in Lavapies.
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