40.4000° N, 3.6833° W: Madrid, Spain

Zig, zag, zoom my father’s feet move quite rápido.

Through narrow, dark alleyways, corridors of quaint boutiques and storefronts were closing up one evening, we strolled through the Centro neighborhood of Madrid. His inner GPS beacon, hit the ultimate Madrid jackpot. He stumbled across a hidden gem of pure chocolate delight; its illuminated sign said San Gines Chocolateria.

Whiffs of rich, syrupy thick cocoa, cinnamon, sugar and café beckoned our presence to nab a table. As we peered around the classy tiled floors, the historic landmark came alive. The walls were inundated with black and whites of famous dignitaries, princes, princesses and celebrities who had graced the delicatessen and eaten its famous churros and chocolate since its grand opening in 1894.

Unlike the United States, they freshly fry each churro for each customer and serve super, thick, dense dark cocoa. I love that they put sugar in a jar as a side, rather than a prerequisite of the churro’s existence.

“Each bite of sweet crispy, doughy and chewy in the middle churro dipped into a sea of deep brown chocolate ecstasy was well worth every euro.”

The following night, we couldn’t help ourselves, and inhaled another round of heavenly treats after our late dinner. Thankfully, you can take the chocolate artistry home and buy boxes of the native Madrid hot chocolate recipe. Trying to recreate that magical churro is another story. I believe the secret is in the type of oil and flour.

San Gines Chocolateria, Pasadizo de San Ginés 5, 28013 Madrid chocolateriasangines.com