A typical Spanish “Cafeteria” where you will see a “limpiabotas” (shoe cleaner) like in the old times with people having breakfast, lunch or just having a coffee… It’s a big space with wooden tables and waiters dressed like waiters were dressed in Madrid not so long ago.

Coffees are served in big mugs (“taza de desayuno”). You can also have also ham & cheese sandwiches grilled with real butter like when we were kids!

I go often there to meet friends; you can spend the whole afternoon sipping a coffee or a freshly made orange juice. In summer you have a terrace. You can also eat the typical “platos combinados”, huge dishes with everything (salad, a steak or fish and French fries). It is worth trying.

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La Flecha | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee € 2.50
C/ Juan Bravo, 37 | Salamanca Area | +34915639846
07:30 – 00:00 daily

One of the four locations in Madrid, El Lateral is a local favorite amongst the “madrilians” for providing good quality “tapas” at a fine ambiance along with easy prices.

This is the perfect place to grab some quick appetizers and a casual chat before leaving for dinner. The sirloin steak with brie cheese foie gras or caramelized onions are just a few of the many recommended dishes. Along with steak, fish and ham dishes, they have great salads too.

A modest amount of desserts (the lemon cake is my favourite one!) and wines are also offered.

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Lateral | Snacks, Restaurants (Salads & Tapas) | Meal € 15.00
C/ Velasquez, 57 | Salamanca Area | +34914350604
10:00 – 00:00 daily

It is just a great place where you can find different kind of people. Actually it is quite eclectic, great for weekends; you can spend hours in the terrace (even in winter!) reading the newspaper enjoying breakfast if you consider breakfast as Spaniards do (usually coffee or tea with whatever “tapa” you can find) until late in the afternoon if you find a table because it is usually quite crowded!

There are concerts the last Thursdays of every month and DJ’s sessions the first Sundays of the month. Sometimes there are photo exhibits as well as paintings exhibits. The food is good and drinks are good and the cocktails are great. You can have the typical “pomada” of the Balearic Islands (popular drink made out of gin and lemon), but also “mojito” or caipirinha.

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Café Mahón | Bars, Music, Snacks | Meal € 15.00
Plaza Dos de Mayo, 4 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915324756
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 01:30, Fri – Sun 12:00 – 03:00

Around 13:00 have an “aperitivo”, a vermouth, a glass of wine or a beer with some “tapas”, a bit of “empanada” (typical dish from the north of Spain) or a Spanish omelet (sooooo good!).

I used to go there after classes with my cousin a couple of years ago when I was at the University, to enjoy the tortilla which restores your soul as well as your body (as you can guess I am absolutely fanatic of the “tortilla de patatas”).

You can also have dinner here. Every dish tastes like the ones my grandmother used to cook.

You can also find la Daniela near the Bernabeú (Calle de Gutiérrez Solana 2- Tel: +34914 115 861) and near Huertas Street ( Calle de Jesús, 7 – Tel:+34 913 896 238)

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La Daniela | Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Meal € 25.00
General Pardinas, 21 | Salamanca Area | +34915752329
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 16:30 & 20:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 16:30 & 20:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 16:30

Just as when it opened back in 1931, the place is idyllic to have a tea with pastries or scones. Embassy has the “savoir-faire” of good old times. Around 18:00 you will find all the grannies having their afternoon snack. There is also a delicatessen store nearby where you can buy the exquisite thin as a leaf sandwiches they serve.

If you are not a tea person you can sip a mimosa just enjoying the place that sets you back in the beginning of the twentieth century. You can also buy bonbons there; home made and natural.

If you don’t feel like staying there, just have a taste of the sandwiches or the excellent goodies they have and keep walking to the Colon square. Here you will find a little statue in a big pedestal commemorating the great Spanish explorer, Columbus.

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Embassy | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee € 3.50
Paseo de la Castellana, 12 | Salamanca Area | +34915764877
09:00 – 21:00 daily

Just the place to go to have great cocktails and cool music! You can find many different types of people, from Cirque du Soleil actors to writers.

You can grab a bite while listening how the DJ Jaimote puts a record on… The “croquetas” are really yummy, you can have meals or grab a bite if you want.

The place is great to have an after work or after dinner drink, especially a mojito or a glass of champagne, and to enjoy a relaxing conversation with good music.

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La Turba | Bars, Music, Snacks | Menu € 14.00
C/ del Conde de Xiquena, 3 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915221813
Mon – Fri 13:00 – 02:00, Sat 19:00 – 02:30

Even though the coffee is great, Harina’s backbone (“Harina” means flour in Spanish) is monopolized by the bread that is composed of bio flours. Harina has breads of slow fermentation, with spongy texture, with creaking barks, cooked at sight in almost uninterrupted batches. From its specialties, please do try the one with olives or the one with five cereals.

In addition to the bread, you can find buns, tarts and sweets as well as salads (Chicken and pasta; parmesan and nuts, etc.) and sandwiches (roast beef, ham, etc.). You can have your sandwich by the Retiro Park.

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Harina | Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Loaf of bread € 4.50
Plaza de la Independencia, 10 | Salamanca Area | +34915228785
09:00 – 21:00 daily

Sula is a place where you can enjoy the best Spanish ham (“jamón serrano”). Joselito (trade mark) is a top quality cured ham class “ibérico”. It’s expensive but worth every bite. The staff uniforms are created by Spanish fashion designer Amaya Arzuaga. Their wine list is worth studying it!

The two-level space has a shop stocking superior items like “jamón ibérico” and sells 200 different Spanish, French and Italian wines. The kitchen, overseen by the great Quique Dacosta of Alicante’s El Poblet, serves amazing modernist “tapas” like the Foie gras mousse with a rum-and-Coke reduction. It offers a varied range of freshly prepared “tapas” using only the best ingredients from the Mediterranean cuisine.

The clientèle of the restaurant is quite snobbish but all the courses are delicious.

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Sula | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Mediterranean) | Meal & wine € 45.00
C/ Jorge Juan 33 | Salamanca Area | +34917816197
Mon – Sat 13:30 – 15:30 & 20:30 – 23:00

Think of fine Haute cuisine in miniature with Basque origins (one of the regions in the world with the highest concentration of Michelin starred chefs in the world) and you would think of this little and stuffy bar that does not take reservations (so come early!).

The “Unai” hamburger is delicious. The wine selection is great and you can have the typical “txacoli” (white basque wine that is quite fruity). You can find it also at La Latina in Humilladero Street. It is worth a visit or two!

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Txirimiri | Snacks, Restaurants (Spanish) | Tapa € 5.50
General Diez Porlier, 91 | Salamanca Area | +34914014345
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 17:00 & 19:00 – 01:00

The old hotel “Reina Victoria”, a place where toreros used to go. It is also known as ME by Meliá and it offers a terrace on the top with wonderful views of Madrid as well as a fancy lounge bar with savory and expensive cocktails open from 17:00 in the afternoon.

You can access by an independent elevator from the hotel that takes you directly to the top.

The ambiance is quite eclectic and you can find actors, as well as tourists that want to enjoy the views and the comfort of the chill out zone listening to lounge and chillout house music by the best DJs. The food is not worth mentioning though.

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The Penthouse | Bars, Snacks | Cocktails € 12.00
Pza. Sta. Ana, 14 | Sol | +34917016000
Sun – Wed 10:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 10:00 – 04:00