The best bars and cafés Madrid

A little off the beaten tourist track, The Shaker is a hidden gem and another excellent cocktail bar in the Spanish capital. Of course, gin and tonic is at the top of the menu, but there are more than a hundred compositions proposed by a talented bartender. The glass service is highly original and the decor chic and designer. In short, the perfect setting for trying original cocktails.

Notice to amateurs! Here, we pass the doors of the first Gin Club of Spain. A rather trendy place, where you happily sink into pleasant club armchairs to test a menu that offers nearly forty varieties of gin, including the in-house creation "MojiGin". Let yourself be guided by the bartender! This is the same establishment as the Mercado de la Reina, where you can nibble at low prices between two glasses of gin. A good idea to start the evening in a chic and friendly atmosphere.

The Diurno is a large, cosy and very stylish café in a pleasant industrial style. It's as much a trendy spot for the second half of the evening as it is a video club and a restaurant! The atmosphere of this large room changes according to the visitors' wishes, but you always feel good and you can eat good Mediterranean cuisine (especially very good fish tartars) at low prices. Before drinking a delicious cocktail to start the night in a good atmosphere. Some good wines also on the menu.

This café/coworking space is run by Romain, a young French entrepreneur living in the Spanish capital. Expresso, cappuccino, latte, chocolate, tea, lemonade, pastries... Everything is served as much as you like and included in the price. With beautiful workspaces, it's a real pleasure to come and rub shoulders with the coworking community for a few hours. Meeting rooms are also available for hire. An excellent concept sure to please nomadic travelers.

We mention this cafe built at the end of the nineteenth century because it is mythical in Madrid, having been one of the great literary meeting places of the early twentieth century. Today, this historic place has lost some of its lustre, but the clientele is still there and it remains a popular meeting place for Madrid intellectuals who come to enjoy the terrace, like Ernest Hemingway did in his day. However, the service is sometimes a bit fast and the restaurant is not really worth the detour. For a drink only.

In the luxurious Fénix Gran Meliá hotel, home of the Beatles in the 1960s (!), there's a simply superb cocktail bar. Leaning against the long bar, on the terrace or in a big leather armchair with a James Bond feel, this address promises a delicious moment a little out of time. With a shirt and a nice pair of pants, you can enjoy a sophisticated cocktail menu, designed by a talented mixologist. A must in the capital's temple of luxury and art de vivre.

Welcome to Barbara Ann Sol, a bar-restaurant celebrating music legends! From AC/DC to ABBA, Madonna to the Beatles, you'll vibrate to the sounds of hits past and present. Shades of red and neon lights create a real rock'n'roll atmosphere. The musicians pay tribute to the great artists, and all the customers join in and sing along. The international cuisine and cocktails, named after famous songs, are excellent. On Fridays and Saturdays, the bar is transformed into a discotheque.

The Fine Arts Center combines exhibition halls, a cinema and a theater. La Pecera is the large adjoining café, with a delightfully romantic setting. It is a highly recommended address for a short break during a long day of sightseeing. The address, which serves a few tapas, has a unique decoration with its large statue in the center, its large marble walls, its woodwork... In short, it is the ideal place to enjoy a hot chocolate, write postcards (or text messages) or to leaf through the newspaper.

Tostas and especially good music! That's what the people of Madrid are saying about this rock landmark of the 1970s and today, which proudly displays its vinyl collection next to the bottles behind the bar. This small kiosk is one of the best bars in Lavapiés to enjoy a beer while listening to music at its best; and something that has become increasingly rare, a small tapa always accompanies the beer. La Aguja ("The Needle") offers a very rich tostas menu; try the one with grilled aubergines and honey.

La Lupe de Huertas is a small night bar well known in the neighborhood. Here, tourists and (young) Madrilenians mingle to listen to commercial music, wiggle their hips more and more as the night progresses and above all drink shots! The prices are very attractive since they are degressive... An offer that can be interesting to taste a maximum of chupitos... Beware of difficult tomorrows! In addition, the house organizes many events and fancy dress parties. Go to the website.

For more than three decades, this Malasaña classic has been hosting good and varied concerts every weekend, from reggae to soul, and especially indie rock. This obscure place, with its hipster decor of old Iron Maiden and Bad Religion posters,and its walls that inevitably smell of alcohol, is certainly the place to be for music-loving night owls in search of the neighbourhood's rock spirit. Pool lovers can also enjoy the table while sipping a beer.

Café Manuela, like many cafés in the area, was well known during the Movida. Witness of those crazy years, he keeps a "je-ne-sais-quoi" of that time. The ideal place to read a book peacefully or to have an aperitif. Sometimes debates, poetry days and even plays are organized. Jesus, the former bartender turned owner, serves delicious fruit juices, cañas, absinthe and tinto de verano. In short, a bistro the way we like it, well away from the tourist trails.

This is an excellent cocktail bar on the outskirts of Gran Vía, somewhat hidden in Calle Reina, and one of the best known in the capital, where all the local and international stars, including actors and models in high heels, have already gone. And not for nothing: more than fifty compositions are offered à la carte. For around ten euros, you can sip perfectly executed cocktails. A piece of advice: sit at the bar to observe the talent of the house's bartenders. A good address.

This is a small place out of the ordinary and somewhat out of time. In the room next to the café, there are concerts, poetry, book presentations and small cultural events that are so representative of Lavapiés. On the menu, you have a variety of coffees and teas of all kinds. To be enjoyed with a small welcome home-made pie. And when it's time for an aperitif, cocktails replace coffee, but the good atmosphere, bohemian and baroque, always remains the order of the day. A little more expensive than the other bars in the neighborhood.

Here is a very pleasant address, in particular thanks to its small terrace, which makes it possible to benefit from the agitation of this animated district. We go there to have a drink with the few locals of the corner and to put ourselves in the atmosphere to begin the evening well. To nibble, you can always choose between some raciones and other tapas. If it is not exceptional, it is rather good, especially the paella and the empanadas... In short, a small and unpretentious establishment which is a nice stopover during a long night in Sol.

La Palma café is a multi-dimensional space, a veritable indoor maze where you can start by tasting a mojito in the bar section or sitting on a pouffe in the oriental lounge (the café area always hosts an exhibition of photos or paintings). Then, go to the disco part to dance to the music of a DJ or to listen to a band live (it happens every week, from Thursday to Sunday), sometimes in open mic. A definitely hybrid place and a real actor of the culture of the district.

On the way back to the centre after a visit to the Prado Museum, how could we not stop at Casa Alberto? This is one of the capital's historic addresses, an old house that opened its doors in 1827 and that has kept its faithful cohort, whatever the era. If you can also come and sit at the table at Alberto's, what a pleasure to sip a drink with a worker on his break or a nerd passing by to read. The place's speciality: vermut with a twist of orange. Not to be missed.

The Café Colón, with its superb Art Deco style and uncluttered decor, is a great place to stop for a drink before or after a visit to the city's Fernán Gómez cultural center, just a few yards away. A menu of sweet treats and a fine selection of wines are on offer. And if you like the setting, you can go on to enjoy some Mediterranean-inspired dishes. On sunny days, you can also sit out on the terrace overlooking Plaza Colón.

Design armchairs mixed with the building's old exposed bricks, the D'Mystic is banking on a trendy decoration in the image of the Chueca district. Here, gays and straights meet to have a drink while watching offbeat and libertine spots: Madonna clips, half-naked men parading on a podium and other clips. This bar seems to be a good introduction to the general atmosphere of the district: mixed and above all without complex! Ideal to warm up before going to a club, in Chueca or elsewhere, and to extend the evening late into the night.

At the top of Calle Hortaleza, Areia offers an intimate atmosphere that invites hedonism. We wallow happily in deep sofas covered with cushions in red and purple tones while admiring the ceiling studded with stars projected by the lights. Unless one chooses to have a good time on a swing with a drink in hand. The cocktails are divine, sometimes aphrodisiacs depending on the menu, and the perfect atmosphere for a smooth start to the evening. It is also possible to smoke a chicha.

This artisanal (and committed) micro-brewery is run by Christophe, a 27-year-old Frenchman. The idea behind his concept is unique: the beers are made with bread salvaged from the "Alma" bakery. Named after the French chemist Lavoisier, the brewery fully embraces his philosophy of "Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme" ("Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed"). This philosophy of transformation is reflected in every aspect of the establishment, from the reclaimed furniture to the lighting fixtures, right down to the beer, of course. Over 10 different types of beer are on offer.

Welcome to the A'Barra restaurant reception desk! The bar area of this fine gourmet address is the ideal place to sip an aperitif or digestif at mealtimes. To relax, head for the oval bar in polished terrazzo and quartz (weighing in at a whopping 13 tons, after all!), a real meeting place and the perfect place to enjoy a few tapas informally or savor a delicious Joselito Vintage ham accompanied by a glass of Jerez wine. Before we get down to business in the restaurant...

This small pub, well known in the neighbourhood, offers a wide choice of beers and about forty gins in a good-natured atmosphere that rises as the evening progresses. Less touristic than the other addresses of Huertas, you are welcomed with a smile and you can listen to good rock and pop music from the 80s and 90s. If you don't spend the whole evening here, it's a good option for a little drink during a long night of partying in one of the most festive districts of the capital. Pirates of the Madrid night!

Tablao Flamenco Las Tablas is a flamenco theater located in Madrid. The Tablao Flamenco Las Tablas showcases great flamenco artists, offering a quality show with careful staging. In addition to the shows, Tablao Flamenco Las Tablas also offers a refined gastronomic program, allowing visitors to sample culinary specialties while enjoying the show. The theater is also open to groups and offers cultural initiatives around flamenco, emphasizing art and pedagogy.