Image by Eco Centro

A bit tricky to find the first time, EcoCentro is one of the only and in my opinion, the best vegetarian and natural food offerings that Madrid has.

It has one store for dried goods and household items, another for produce/dairy and then a restaurant downstairs and a café on the ground floor.

In the café they offer a great menu for lunch during the week, but you can also create your own salad at the salad bar which has an amazing variety of fresh stuff that you can’t find elsewhere; quinoa, brown rice, fresh beets, seaweed, etc.

The place is perfect for people with food allergies or if you just need a break from fried tapa-dom. For dessert they often have a dulce de leche yogurt which is to die for and you can’t feel too bad because it’s yogurt!

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EcoCentro | Shopping, Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Mon – Fri lunch menu € 8.50
Calle Esquilache 2- 6 | Chamberi | +34915535502
Store & cafe 10:00 – 00:00 daily | Restaurant 13:00 – 17:00 & 21:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Nikko Hinderstein

Just around the corner from the royal palace, this quaint bookstore is a great place to relax and peruse the books while having a cup of tea or coffee. Though mostly in Spanish, there is a travel section and a great kids section. Clients are invited to (carefully) look through the books while enjoying a snack.

La Buena Vida has cakes and savory snacks that change daily, while they also offer a wine special every month paired with a book. They use loose tea and Italian presses, so you actually get two cups out of an order.

For a truly royal experience, take your new book to read in the nearby Plaza Oriente or the Sabatini Gardens.

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La Buena Vida | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Tea € 2.00
Vergara, 10 | Sol | +34915429142
Tue – Sun 11:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Nikko Hinderstein

The CaixaForum Madrid is an art exhibition space sponsored by the La Caixa Foundation.

They’ve withstood all criticism and worries about keeping their amazing outdoor vertical garden green and lush despite Madrid’s sunny disposition. Designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc, this wall of green has 15,000 plants of 250 species covering a 460 m2 wall in the square in front of The CaixaForum.

The building itself was an old electrical plant, built in 1899 that has been reconstructed to be a funky rust-colored modern eye-catcher alongside classical beauties like the Prado and the Thyssen museums.

Inside you’ll find a permanent collection, several temporary exhibits, a café, a lounge area with a view of the garden and Paseo del Prado, and a bookstore.

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CaixaForum Madrid | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Free
Paseo del Prado 36 | Salamanca Area | +34913307300
10:00 – 20:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan López

I discovered this shop one day when going to another place. It was by chance and after a while I got addicted to their books, their nice staff and also their food!

I am in the process of changing my eating habits so this was the perfect place to start. In El Almazén Natural there is a selection of biological food, relax music, candles, minerals and stones. They also offer all kind of information about different courses and news related to having a healthy life style.

There are all types of very specific books about acupuncture, natural medicine, Feng Shui, aromatherapy, yoga or foot reflexology. If they don’t have a certain title, the would just find it for you in a few days.

So if you are new into this world, it is an amazing place to get informed. Here I have found the best air fresheners in the whole city and my favourite natural toothpaste. A friend of mine bought a very comfortable pillow recently so now I am thinking of buying the same one next time I will go to El Almazén Natural. We will see…

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El Almazén Natural | Shopping
Alcalá, 78 | Salamanca Area | +34917817760
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 20:30, Sat 10:00 – 14:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan

FNAC is Madrid´s largest and most well-known stop for books, films, music, DVD´s and electronic hardware. Here you can find a wide variety of titles as well as current newspapers. They also have a fairly extensive travel and local interest sections.

Madrid´s building is actually the first FNAC in Spain. After opening it, there came Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza… up to more than 16 in the whole country.

Here it´s possible to listen to those CDs you have been looking for (there are headphones available) and also to sit down and read the first pages of that magazine you have just picked up randomly. On the book´s section there is an area (which can get crowded sometimes) for those who´re tired of wandering around. You just choose a spot, open your book and enjoy the reading!!

FNAC Callao also has an specific area where, from time to time, there´re concerts, book presentations and different events.

It´s impossible to miss this huge building in Callao´s square. Its big sign is now more than a symbol in the city.

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FNAC Callao | Shopping
C/ Preciados 28 | Gran Via & Princesa | +34915956100
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 21:30, Sun 12:00 – 21:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan López

There is not a big tradition of flower markets in Madrid. Flowers are usually expensive, compared to other European cities.

Nevertheless, for those who like to have fresh and colourful flowers at home, there are a few options. One of them is El Mecado de las Flores, located in the heart of the city, in Plaza Tirso de Molina.

Plaza Tirso de Molina has been recently renovated and now it is full of cultural activity. It is actually a nice area to walk around the flower stands or just take part in any of the Festivals that are scheduled.

The stands were designed by the famous studio Galán/Lubascher Arquitectos, exclusively for the city. Here you can find daisies, tulips, roses, Spanish carnations, or even orchids. They also sell bouquets of flowers from those ones you choose.

This Plaza is quite unusual because it is full of wholesale shops. So just check it out!

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Mercado de las Flores | Shopping
Plaza Tirso de Molina | Lavapies & Latina
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 20:30, Sat 10:00 – 14:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan López

As in Spain lots of people just download films and they hardly ever go to the cinema, today I would like to recommend Septimo, a very cool video club where you will find almost everything.

In Septimo there are more than 10.000 films (some of them authentic pieces of collectionists) and they offer you all kinds of advantages and discounts.

There is the posibility of renting on line or even receiving and delivering the films at home or at your office. Notice that there is more than one shop in Madrid. And you can exchange the films every time you want in any of the shops.

I recommend you to buy a voucher so you will get more discounts. Then, just enjoy the movie!!!

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Septimo | Shopping | 10 credits € 35
Calle Hortaleza 69 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34913103851
10:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan

There are several book stores of Casa del Libro in Madrid, as it´s a franchise. So why do I choose and recommend this one in particular? From my point of view, Gran Vía is a great location and I always find those rare books I’m looking for easier than in other shops. I think it’s because they have more clients and they need more variety…

The good news is that there´s no problem when they don´t have the book that I want, as I just ask for it and they will call me in a few days when they have received it.

I normally check first the first pages of the books on their website in order to have a rough idea of what I´m looking for. The problem is that, when I’m there, I get so fascinated with EVERYTHING that I´m always tempted and I end up buying more than expected! There´re specific and more general books from all genres, good literature and the latest releases. And sometimes you get good discounts!

This is actually a very traditional bookstore in Madrid. Founded in 1923, it started in the city and expanded to more than 19 places right now in different parts of the country.

Because of my job as a Journalist I interview authors very frequently, so that´s why I highly recommend Casa del Libro as it offers a good chance to go to book presentations almost everyday.

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Casa del libro | Art & culture, Shopping
Gran Vía, 29 | Gran Via & Princesa | +34902026402
Mon – Sat 09:30 – 21:30, Sun 11:00 – 21:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan López

This is originally a cultural project that was born in the end of the 80´s in the Canary Islands. A decade later their first store was established in Lanzarote. Now, you can find more than 300 international artists who show their artwork in different shops: from textile to exotic accessories (AMAZING earrings and bracelets), gifts, jewelry, decoration or music.

I like their philosophy, to “boost the human impetus to transform and develop handcraft under tradition, cultural values and respect for nature and environment”. They say this is a way to respect ourselves…

Trying to be a channel, creator and transmitter of culture and art, they are involved in a lot of activities. Some of the activities they have developed as a non lucrative cultural association include performances by musical groups in cultural centers, schools and prisons, workshops learning disabled children, talk shows and educational conferences, plays, etc.

I like their slogan: “Love like water infiltrates slow, leaving moisture trace forever…”

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Tierra | Shopping | Earrings € 8.00
Preciados 16 | Sol | +34915216288
09:30 – 22:30 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid

Image by Teresa Juan López

La Rebelión de los Mandiles pays tribute to those traditional trades that help in the process of wine manufacturing. “Mandil” means “apron”, so all of them refer to the grape-gatherers, the barrel-makers, the wine-producers and also the sommeliers.

You can take part in a wine tasting tour even if you are a beginner. I have tried and it is a nice experience because you learn a lot. Keep in mind that it is pretty expensive, but if you want to do something for yourself at least once in a while, I would highly recommend it to you.

They also have a very nice shop located in Calle Mayor 88, close to Sol. There you can find all types of olive oil, wine and also products like shampoos, soaps, hand creams and gels made out of olive oil and wine.

Notice that the wine tasting session includes a free tour, and that sometimes you can even get discounts (as 2×1) or special offers. So I think it is definitely a great approach to those natural and powerful elements that we produce in Spain. Do not miss them!

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La rebelión de los mandiles | Shopping, Festivals & events | Wine tasting tour € 25
San Isidro Labrador, 10 | Sol | +34913656270
Tue & Sat 20:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Madrid