If you adore jamón and happen to be in Madrid, you must pop into the charcutería owned by José Jiménez.
José is an amazing man who used to play tennis with my mother. You will always find him in good spirits, regardless of how hard he’s worked that day and believe you me, he works extremely hard.
If you are looking for any kind of embutidos, or even cheese, you can find a range of products of varying prices here. Ask for them to be vacuum packed (al vacío) if you are just visiting Madrid. If you are buying large quantities of ham ask for several packets, they will last longer.
Many years ago, José was astute enough to grab the opportunity to open his new business. He used to run the charcutería in a supermarket, which decided to raise his rent. As luck would have it, one day a customer told him that her daughter was closing down her small children’s clothes shop and the shop would be available if he wanted to open his own business. He jumped on board and has never looked back. A true entrepreneur.
If you do visit José, make sure you give him recuerdos from Pilar in London.
José Jimenez
68 Gaztambide, Madrid.
The A to Z of Spanish Culture 
El jamón del bar José es famoso…..well practically everywhere! Strong recommendation from a trusted and native Spanish friend means I “give it the nod” even though I am not a meat eater!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Steve! I’ve gone through periods when I’ve practically lived on this ham!
I must make it here asap!
Thanks Lauren,
Maybe you can include it in your extremely “sabroso-looking” tours!
For any of you food-obsessed tourists and Madrid residents, check out http://madridfoodtour.com/
Exactly Pilar! I guarantee it’ll be on a tour one day– I just have to plan the other stops around it!