Malasaña

The following is a collection of suggestions for exploring and enjoying one of the most exciting and vibrant barrios of Madrid, culled together from my year spent living there.  Enjoy!

Cafés

TOMA:  C/ Palma 49

            Best coffee in Madrid.  Origen espresso from all over the world? Check. That yum-yum will only set you back 1,9 €.  That flat white? Best believe.  Cold brew? Mhm.  Chemex or aeropress? Double check.  Also tasty sandwiches and baked goods. 

La Paca:  C/ Valverde 36

            The perfect chic, yet still laid back atmosphere.  White wrought iron chairs and wood slat tables, suede victorianesque couches.  Stop in for a coffee during the day or a glass of wine at night.

Café de la Luz:  C/ Puebla 8

            Comfy chairs, Estrella Galicia on tap.  Great for an afternoon or early evening stop. 

La Bicicleta:  Plaza San Ildefonso 9

            Whether you want to grab a coffee and get some work done, or knock back a couple drinks, this bicycle themed sitio can serve it up.  Unfinished wood tables and spacious seating.

Café Pepe Botella:  C/ San Andrés 12

            People are always sitting and chatting or else reading and writing.  You can feel the energy coming off of it.  Right in Plaza Dos de Mayo.

El Bigote del Greco:  C/ Ruiz 3

            Right off of dos de mayo, they have a nice little terrace, good coffee, solid tortilla and a comfortable interior.

Bookstores

Tipos Infames Libros y Vinos:  C/ San Joaquín 3

            My favorite bookstore in Madrid.  Great selection, all Spanish authors and others in Spanish translation.  They also have a bar, from whence they serve quality wine and a rotating selection of craft beer.  It seems like every time I walk by there at night, there’s some sort of reading or event happening.

Libros Para un Mundo Mejor:  C/ Espíritu Santo 13

            The yellow brick store front with the big LIBROS sign.  I remember seeing this before I came to Spain, and when I finally saw it here in person, I knew that I had made it to Malasaña.  Both new and used books for very reasonable prices.  A local black cat that presides over the shop.  They also offer reading circles, writing workshops, dream workshops, Tarot workshops, etc.  As one of their mottos go, “Besa y lee…disfruta de tu lengua.” (Kiss and read…enjoy your tongue).

Arrebato Libros:  C/ Palma 21

            I went into this place for the first time during Día del Libro in April, looking for a book.  A plentiful offering of mostly used and older books, in multiple languages.  They also operate as a small publishing house, putting out the work of local Spanish and other authors.  After popping in, I was back later that night for a poetry reading and was sold on the place.

La Agonía Libros:  C/ Divino Pastor 27

            Another place specializing in older books, they also offer bookmaking services.

Cervantes y Compañía:  C/ Pez 27

            A nod to the famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris and recently moved from the north part of the barrio, this bookstore offers newer books on a variety of subjects, from literature to nature and everywhere in between.

J&J’s Books and Coffee:  C/ Espíritu Santo 47

            A used English language bookstore, this place also has a great bar with a nice selection of beers.  They also host intercambios three or four nights a week, as well as a trivia night on Friday.  A staple in the expat community, they also make their own bagels from scratch if you find yourself having to scratch that particular itch, which can be difficult in Madrid.  Quality staff as well.

La Central:  C/ Postigo de San Martín 8

            Technically outside of Malasaña, but just barely, it’s the best bookstore I’ve ever been to.  Right by Metro Callao, the multi-story bookstore offers every genre in all of the major languages, along with a café and restaurant.  I kid you not; every book I would want a bookstore to have, they have. 

Thrifting/Vintage Shopping

Magpie and La Mona Checa:  C/ Velarde 2 & 3

           

            These are two of my favorite shops, and there are others along the same street.  Not necessarily super cheap, but you can find some really dope stuff.  Well-curated selection.

Templo de Susu:  C/ Espíritu Santo 1

            Rock/metal will always be blasting from the speakers, and you can bet on finding some cool shit.

Cocktails

1862 Dry Bar:  C/ Pez 27

            The best cocktails.  If you want to ball out, come here.  Nice and dignified interior w/o being stuffy.  Also have a downstairs area. 

The Passenger:  C/ Pez 16

            A train themed cocktail bar replete with train car booths and projectors that simulate the moving scenery of a train ride.  Great whiskey cocktails.

ZOMBIE BAR:  C/ Pez 7

            Quirky skate/horror movie/comic themed décor with a giant Ronald McDonald head by the front door.  Also have some of the better burgers in Madrid during the day.  Try the gin fizz. 

La Realidad:  Corredera Baja de San Pablo 51

            A gin tonic bar tricked out with “micropoesía,” meaning that they have little books hanging from the bar filled with haikus and other brevities.  Good tortilla and tapas as well.  A brushed suede couch type of place.

Old Man Bars

Casa Camacho:  C/ San Andrés 4

            Always spilling out into the street, this place offers a very solid vermouth, as well as a dangerously delicious specialty cocktail called a “yayo,” which is vermouth, gin, and a bit of club soda.  At only 2 €, you can knock a couple of these back at the beginning of the night and be good to go, before or after plaza beers in dos de mayo.

Bar Palentino:  C/ Pez 8

            Also normally very full and very cheap and well positioned for wherever you might go after, this place is a Malasaña staple.

Bar Sidi:  C/ Barco 15

            Located right by Plaza de San Ildefonso, Sidi always will give you a solid tapa with your drink and is a lively locale ideal for grabbing a caña with friends to chat or watch the fútbol match.

Bar Lozano:  C/ San Joaquín 14

            Probably my favorite of the bunch.  Not a whole lot of room inside, but they serve up some of the best patatas bravas in town, as well as one of the better tortillas I’ve ever had.  If you order 5 jarritas (easily splittable between two people), you get an order of bravas for free.  If you order 10, you get an entire tortilla for free. Pro-tip:  ask nicely and you can get a half tortilla for 5 jarritas.  Even without these deals, it’s p cheap. 

Cervecería La Divina:  C/ San Andrés 11

            Good gazpacho, cheap prices, right by dos de mayo.  In an ideal world, you would take Cervecería La Divina’s brava sauce and put it on Bar Lozano’s patatas, but then a black hole would probably open up and swallow you whole.

Craft Beer

Fábrica Maravillas:  C/ Valverde 29

            They brew their own beer on site, and they have a great selection of styles, ranging from wheats to IPAs to stouts to saisons.  Especially after drinking Mahou for a while, it will be like seeing in color again after black and white.  They offer cañas, half pints, and pints, and cañas turn out to be the perfect tasting size…bigger than a tasting glass you would get in the states, but also not too much.

El Dos de Palma:  C/ Palma 2

            They specialize in the locally brewed Cibeles beer in a chic and relaxed atmosphere.  Solid food as well.

Irreale:  C/ Manuela Malasaña 20

            Finding this place was like watching the heavens open up before your eyes.  They have a sign inside which states “No crap on tap…No hay birra industrial.”  They offer an ever-rotating tap list of around 15 beers from all over the world, as well as bottle beer for purchase.  They also frequently have tap takeovers by various breweries, Spanish and otherwise.  A creative and versatile team cranks out both Spanish classics and other more globally inspired dishes from their kitchen.

La Tape:  C/ San Bernardo 88

            This Belgian inspired bar also offers up a solid rotating tap list from all over, and while not as large as Irreale, still boasts a nice variety.  You can sit in the upstairs area, or on the terrace, weather permitting.

Quick Eats

Greek and Shop:  C/ Corredera Alta de San Pablo 9

           

            A staple for me and my friends, you can get a pita and a drink for 6 €, that’s filling and fresh.  You can also get various Greek goods, ranging from yogurt to olive oil to alcohol.  They’re also open decently late.

Afghan Doner Kebab:  C/ Corredera Alta de San Pablo

            Just north of Greek and Shop, the classic and best kebab in Madrid.  Open very very late to suit all your needs.  You can get a mini kebab for 2,50 € which will do the trick and not cause you to hate yourself as much in the morning.  If you’re feeling real turnt, try the kebab a la Belgique and buy some fries and put them in your kebab.

Cambalache:  C/ Espíritu Santo 28

            A bakery specializing in (Argentinian and not Spanish) empanadas and pizza rellena, cheap and delicious.  They also have a nice selection of Argentinian goods like dulce de leche.

Sit Down Eats and/or Brunch

El Mercado de San Ildefonso:  C/ Fuencarral 57

            A wonderful place to grab a drink and picar.  Jamón, crepes, mariscos, arroz guisado, freshly made tortilla, embutidos, margaritas, burgers, there’s guaranteed to be something to suit anyone’s palette, and always something new to try.  Sit inside or check out the interior outdoor terraces. 

Restaurante Ojalá:  C/ San Andrés 1

            Awesome terrace in Plaza Juan Pujol, very well done interior seating, and a very special surprise in the basement.  Reasonable prices for what you get, always excellent presentation, and one of the better brunches around.

Carmencita Bar:  C/ San Vicente Ferrer 51

            If you’re craving eggs benedict, go here.  For 10 €, you’ll get a very filling and well executed brunch, just on the other side of San Bernardo.

Albur:  C/ Manuela Malasaña 15

            Traditional Spanish fare done very well for not that much.  Frankly, I don’t go out for dinner very often, but this is reasonable and worth a bit of a splurge.  Their paella is particularly good for Madrid and they have v cheap wine, like a carafe for 6 or 7 €.

La Bodega de la Ardosa:  C/ Colón 13

            This is my favorite spot in all of Madrid.  Yes in all of Madrid.  Founded in 1892, it is an absolute gem.  The back of the bar is lined wall to ceiling with old bottles, Goya prints cover the perimeter, mostly standing room only.  Their menu is like the Rosetta stone of Spanish gastronomy.  They have the best tortilla in Madrid, a claim that I don’t make lightly.  They have excellent vermouth, and some of the best salmorejo you’ll find outside of Córdoba.  Try their mojama, or cured tuna, drizzled with olive oil and served with picos and nuts.  They have Guinness on tap, and a leaderboard for most pints drunk consecutively; the current record is 14 in three hours and change.  I can’t say enough good things. Just go. 

Bars

Plaza Dos de Mayo

            Obviously not an actual bar, but normally the scene in the plaza is more bumping than any bar.  You will be offered beers constantly.  Pro tip:  ask for Alhambra grandes so you don’t get stuck with Mahou.  Susie will 9/10 have them. 

La Vía Láctea:  C/ Velarde 18

            Legendary.  The site of countless antics and carousing for decades, and ground zero for La Movida shenanigans once Madrid found itself free of Franco and REALLY let its hair down.  The near by Madrid Me Mata bar claims to be a museum of La Movida, but why go to a museum when you can experience the real thing, completely undiminished by time, still popping and bumping.  A rock bar par excellence.  A can’t miss experience. 

Corazón: C/ Valverde 44

            We all know Hemingway liked Madrid a lot, and he also liked to go on safaris.  This would be the perfect place for him and you too.  Great cocktails and a jungle themed atmosphere that’s still classy with plenty of Madrid energy.    

Picnic:  C/ Minas 1

            Estrella Galicia on tap, and a great downstairs area.  The perfect place to start to turn up for the rest of your night. 

Free Way:  Corredera Alta de San Pablo 17

            Pretty cheap pints of Heineken and other beers, lively atmosphere, and they normally have djs downstairs.

L’Absinthe:  C/ San Vicente Ferrer 32

            Few drinks have the same hazy mystique as absinthe, and at this bar you can try a variety of classic absinthes from Switzerland, France, and elsewhere prepared the traditional way, with spoon, the sugar, and drips of water.  Take a spin with la fée verte.

Triskels Tavern:  C/ San Vicente Ferrer 3

            They host a well-attended open mic night every Thursday night, and you can get your Guinness fix here.

Tupperware:  C/ Corredera Alta de San Pablo 26

            Quirky and fun.  Ideal if the cops kick you out of dos de mayo.

Clubs/Late Night

Sala Barco:  C/ Barco 34

            Live music and djs every night of the week until 6 am or so.  I used to live right above this place, so believe me when I say, every night of the week till late.

Taboo:  C/ San Vicente Ferrer 23

            Cool and freaky street art on the outside, bumping dance music on the inside.

Ocho y Media:  C/ Barceló 11

            Just east of Metro Tribunal, the biggest club in the area.  One of my favorite clubs in Madrid, and I say that as a person that hasn’t been blown away by the clubs here.

Virtual:  C/ Ballesta 12

            Normally, I’ve ended up here because everywhere else is closed.  But it’s pretty fun because at the end of the night you tend to be in a fun-having mood.