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On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans in the US and around the world celebrate Thanksgiving. This year it falls on November 28th.
There are a total of 41,953 American nationals officially living in Spain.
READ ALSO – MAP: Where in Spain do all the Americans live?
Many may miss home on that day, longing to see their family and taste some of the traditional Thanksgiving food. It’s not uncommon for US nationals living in the same part of Spain to meet up and celebrate Thanksgiving together.
If you don’t fancy cooking this year, there are a number of restaurants that usually celebrate the day and serve Thanksgiving menus. Most of them can be found in Madrid and Barcelona, although you will find a few others, dotted around the country.
You’ll likely need to book in advance for all the places below.
American Club Madrid
Madrid’s American club is holding its Thanksgiving event this year at the city’s Novotel on November 28th starting at 7:30pm. Tickets cost €75 per adult member, with non-member ones being sold for €90, until they sell out. There will be classic stuffed turkey plus all the trimmings such as sweet potatoes and green bean casserole.
Thanksgiving at Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana (Madrid)
Canopy by Hilton Madrid will be hosting its Thanksgiving meal in different time slots on November 28th. The menu will be a fusion of Spanish and American by chef Ignacio Martínez. Prices start from €39.
Nice To Meet You (Madrid)
Nice To Meet You will be offering its classic Thanksgiving menu for the 10th year in a row, complete with all the traditional trimmings, including stuffed turkey and sides, and pumpkin pie for dessert. The highlight of eating here is the spectacular 360-degree views from its terrace.
READ ALSO: Spain among top European countries Americans want to move to
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New York Burger (Madrid and Barcelona)
The New York Burger chain has restaurants in Madrid and Barcelona. It will be offering a Thanksgiving menu from November 25th to Sunday December 1st for €36.95 per person. It will include Hickory smoked turkey, sweet potato puree, turkey gravy and blueberry cheesecake or Oreo cake for dessert. They are also doing a special Friendsgiving sandwich based on Ross’s sandwich from Friends.
Hard Rock Cafe (Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Canary Islands)
The Hard Rock Cafe’s Spanish franchise will be offering its American Thanksgiving menu again this year. With restaurants in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Mallorca, Málaga, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, you may be able to enjoy some American home comforts near you. The Hard Rock menu includes the traditional roast turkey breast with braised vegetables, sweet potato mash and cranberry sauce for €19.95, with pumpkin pie for dessert (€6.95) and an espresso martini (€12.90).
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CocoVail Beer Hall (Barcelona)
The American-favourite CocoVail Beer Hall will be hosting a whole Thanksgiving extravaganza on November 28th starting with streaming Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and two NFL games. It will also be offering its Thanksgiving meal in various time slots – 12:30 pm – midnight. It costs €30 per person and features classic turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
Flaherty’s Irish Pub (Barcelona)
Despite being an Irish pub, Flaherty’s will be embracing all things American on November 28th offering a feast from 12-9pm. For €29 per person you can enjoy a creamy pumpkin soup starter, followed by turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cream of corn, green beans, gravy and cranberry sauce. They are even offering a quorn roast option for vegetarians. Finish it all off with pecan pie and whipped cream.
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Friends Thursdays Night Series (Valencia)
Friends Thursdays Night Series will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal at Portland Ale House (Calle Salamanca, 10). The main dish with turkey, with several side dishes, a dessert and two drinks at the bar for €45 per person. It’s open to Americans as well as foreign residents from other countries and local Spaniards. Find out more and how to book here.
Euroace (Valencia)
Euroace language school in Valencia is hosting a potluck Thanksgiving party where everyone attending will be expected to bring a dish to share. To find out more and reserve your spot visit the site here.
Where to buy American food products in Spain
For those wanting to cook a Thanksgiving meal at home, the good news is that you can buy American food products in specialised stores in several cities around Spain. When it comes to buying a turkey, you may be better off enquiring at your local carnicería (butcher’s).
Taste of America (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia & Majadahonda)
This is a small chain of supermarkets selling American products with branches across Madrid and Barcelona, as well as one in Valencia, Zaragoza and León. They sell all the important ingredients you need for your Thanksgiving feast including canned pumpkin, stuffing mix, gravy, cranberry sauce and mushroom soup (for the all-essential green bean casserole).
A Taste of Home (Barcelona, Sitges, Cubelles)
A Taste of Home is predominantly an English product shop, but they also sell some American products and the equivalent British ones such as gravy, stuffing mix and cranberry sauce.
Costco (Bilbao, Zaragoza, Madrid, Las Rozas & Seville)
The American superstore chain Costco has several branches in Spain where you can stock up on classic Thanksgiving ingredients.
Thanksgiving meal tips
- If you can’t find cranberry sauce or it’s too expensive opt for Ikea’s lingonberry jam instead, it’s got a similar tart taste and Swedish people pair it with meat too.
- You don’t need canned pumpkin to make pumpkin pie, you can do it very easily by boiling or steaming a butternut squash and whizzing it up in the blender.
- If you can’t find Campbell’s mushroom soup or French’s crispy onions for the green bean casserole, you can substitute them for other mushroom soup and crispy onion brands available in Mercadona or Lidl.
- Carrefour also has many imported products including American marshmallows so it’s worth looking there for items you can’t find elsewhere.