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.
