Chueca & Malasaña – Local tips (bars & cafes)

The busy Cafe Comercial is just off the Bilbao metro stop and by Madrid standards, huge. It’s central location makes it a great meeting place while the uniformed waiters are attentive.

You can feel the history of the cafe that has been around since 1887 – it was a meeting place for literary and artistic gatherings after the civil war (1939) and the second floor is still home to the Cafe Comercial Chess Club.

On nice days, they put tables out on the sidewalk. They have an extensive snack menu with sandwiches, and sliced ham and cheese, not to mention the variety of beverages to choose from. The prices vary from outdoor terrace to bar to tables.

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Café Comercial | Bars, Coffee & tea | Sandwiches € 2.50
Glorieta Bilbao 7 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915215655
Mon 07:30 – 00:00, Tue – Thu 07:30 – 01:00, Fri 07:30 – 02:00, Sat 08:30 – 02:00, Sun 09:00 – 00:00

Café, lounge, bar, concerts and late night club – Café La Palma has it all.

It’s a standard in the late night activity bordering Malasaña. During the early evening, the café part serves up coffee, tea or “infusions” of fresh mint. In one of the sitting areas you’ll find clusters of chairs and tables with local art on the walls, while the other one is more Moroccan in style with low tables and cushions to recline on. In the back, there is a long dance floor with a stage for early evening concerts (tickets are required for some concerts, prices average around 8 euros).

As the night goes on, a DJ sets up and the place turns into a dance club. The atmosphere changes nightly depending on the DJ or bands and the fresh mint reappears in their acclaimed mojito.

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Café La Palma | Bars, Music | Mojito € 8.00
Calle La Palma 62 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915225031
Daily 16:00 – 03:00

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 until 17:00 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 correct 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

Living up to every jazz club’s expectations, El Junco starts late and keeps things very laid back.

The smoky atmosphere is packed full of musicians, students and other cool-looking people. It’s jazz, man. Saturday nights are purely DJs; Sunday nights are reserved for the blues, appropriately so for those of us who have to work on Mondays; while Tuesday nights are jam sessions for local musicians.

Between sets DJs spin jazzy beats – sometimes more funky, sometimes more electronic, but the live shows will have you tapping your feet, snapping your fingers and possibly scatting if you’ve had enough drinks.

Entrance is free except Friday and Saturday after 01:30, but it can fill up fast depending on the night. Check the website for the monthly line up of events.

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El Junco | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Fancy drink € 8.00
Plaza Santa Bárbara 10 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34913192081
23:00 – 06:00 daily

The most important thing of this little bar is the large amount of board games that are available for the customers (cards, ludo, chess, monopoly,…). Without a doubt, this is a good way to spend the afternoons with friends.

The weekends after 20:00 it’s completely crowded. People love to start the night playing with Trivial or Risk. They have magazines too and the music (very good music) is never loud so you can have a nice chat while playing.

If you come here, you must taste their milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) and their chocolates. They have a very tasty orange chocolate. The only thing that you won’t find here is something to eat; so if you want to have a game please, eat before you come.

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Estar Café | Bars, Relaxing | Milkshakes € 3.70
Calle San Vicente Ferrer 20 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34914486087
Mon – Thu 20:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sun 18:00 – 03:00

Madrid’s best second-hand English bookstore also has beer, coffee, quiz nights, snacks and great company.

J&J Books and Coffee is a well-known local haven for expats to collapse into friendly English conversations (Spanish is also spoken!) and to buy second-hand books. Wednesday and Thursday nights are “intercambio” nights to chat alternatively in Spanish and English, while Friday night turns into the rowdiest collection of intellectuals competing at trivia.

During the day the upstairs bar ranges from mellow to lively for coffee drinkers and book perusers, while the downstairs is full of thousands of books.

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J&J Books and Coffee | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Coffee € 1.25
Espiritu Santo, 47 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915218576
Mon – Thu & Sat 11:00 – 00:00, Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 16:00 – 22:00

Just off of busy Fuencarral, La Ardosa always has a pleasant jazzy atmosphere filled with typical Spanish scents.

The bar is packed with paraphernalia dating back to 1892 when it was founded – a picture of the owner’s family, famous people who have stopped in over the years, a board showing the results of their Guinness drinking contest (can you top 14 pints?!) and reprints of Goya’s “Caprichos” prints (silly, sometimes vulgar whimsical images).

They serve some of my favorite tapas; sliced ham from pigs who have only eaten acorns (Jamon de bellota), dried tuna (Mojama – tuna jerky!), and a thick version of gazpacho called Salmorejo. The “raciones” are big here, so you can ask for a “media-ración” instead of a full plate.

If the bar looks full from the street, push through the crowd, duck under the bar, and try the back room which is not accessible any other way.

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La Ardosa | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Tapas) | Salmorejo € 3.75
Calle Colon 13 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915214979
08:30 – 02:30 daily, August 11:30 – 02:30 daily

Just the place to go to have great cocktails and cool music! You can find many different kinds 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.

The place is great to have an after work or after diner 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 | Cocktails € 10.00
C/ del Conde de Xiquena, 3 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915221813
Mon – Thu 16:00 – 01:30, Fri – Sat 16:00 – 02:00

Known as one of director Almodovar’s favorite hang outs in the 80s, this bar has staying power like no other – “la via lactea” means “the milky way” and it is way out there.

The two floors are packed with punk rock posters and classic 1950s images like RinTinTin and pinup girls. The DJs follow suit with a range of early rock to modern alternative rock – think Buddy Holly, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana and Spoon. Somehow it works, drawing a mixed crowd of young and old hipsters.

From 21:00 to midnight there are a few definites with the musical selection: Wednesdays are specifically geared towards rockabilly, Thursdays are disco and weekends are “profilactea” – a mix of all things cool.

I especially dig the place on the weekends because they open the upstairs for smokers and the downstairs for nonsmokers (not strictly enforced unfortunately).

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La Via Lactea | Bars, Music | Bottled beer € 3.50
C/ Velarde 18 | Chueca & Malasaña
Summer 22:00 – 03:30 daily | Winter Mon – Fri 18:00 – 03:00, Sat – Sun 20:00 – 03:00

More than just a cafe, this old staple of Madrid is a music and poetry venue. Almost every famous songwriter, musician, and poet has passed through this decadent and charming hangout.

It´s actually one of my favourites because every time I go, it reminds me all its history. The building started as a cow house, then it changed into a wine house and used to be the place where Journalists and writers gathered.

From 1975, it is a cafe. It has an “L” shape so when you first enter there´s a bar and, if you walk further, you´ll find a small stage for the shows. On this stage there is still a real “pianola” dated from the beginning of the last century. And it works!

Most of the very popular Spanish singer-songwriters as Pedro Guerra, Rosana, Tontxu or Kiko Tovar started here. Nowadays, it´s a very well known cafe in Spain and Latin America. Not only that: right now you can enjoy storytelling for adults, photography and painting exhibitions or poetry reading, as the selection varies depending on the day. Its owner, Ricardo del Olmo, is promoting new talents and wants to consider this place as a cultural reference. I think he´s doing a great job!

Café Libertad 8 is located close to a lot of bars, in the Chueca district, so it could be the beginning of a long night out in the city! Enjoy!

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Libertad 8 | Art & culture, Bars, Music
C/ Libertad 8 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915321150
Mon – Fri 17:00 – 02:30, Sat 18:00 – 03:00, Sun 15:00 – 00:30

Breakfasts, meals, snacks, dinner, dance…… you can almost spend the day at Lolina’s….just in front of Home Burger (see this article).

The place has WIFI and you can spend hours surfing the net with a great cup of a wide variety of teas and an AMAZING cheesecake…. You are allowed to take your dog, which is not very common in Madrid (the city is not very dog friendly!). The place is decorated with vintage furniture and it is very cosy. You have also WIFI.

Downstairs you can celebrate the “guateques” (common Spanish word for a 60s and 70s party).

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Lolina | Bars, Music | Breakfast € 4.00
C/ Espíritu Santo, 9 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34667201169
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 01:00, Sat: 10:00 – 02:00

Plastered with Ramones souvenirs, you get both visual and audio blitz of the Ramones in Nueva Visión. The actual band members have all been there at least once (the whole band was there in 1992).

Pronounced /ra-mon-Es/ in Spanish, the Ramones are dearly loved and daresay, worshipped here. The bar is small, smokey and loud, but a total anomaly with its strong and selective theme.

If you’re a rocker or a closet rocker like some of us, you’ll have a blast dancing to “I wanna be Sedated” and other punk rock hits (it’s not ALL Ramones).  And finally, if you are a really big fan of the Ramones, you can buy your Madrid fan club paraphernalia at the bar.

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Nueva Visión | Bars, Music | T-shirt € 12.00
Calle Velarde 5 | Chueca & Malasaña
Wed – Sat 21:00 – 03:30

Alfil is a mix between comercial and alternative theatre. This small place in the city centre is almost totally dedicated to humour, not to expensive productions, not classic plays, but usually little and always funny performances , most of the times without another objective that pure entertaiment. Each season Alfil repeats in the program some successful performances of previous years.

There are some companies that are there every year: Yllana (they are as well the owners of Alfil), Impromadrid, Sexpeare… Some of the plays are difficult to understand if you don’t speake Spanish. However, some others, (Yllana’s plays, for example) are based in gestual theatre, so it’s not necessary know the language. The place has a bar to have a drink before the show.

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Teatro Alfil | Bars, Theaters | From € 12.00
Pez 10 | Chueca & Malasaña | +34915214541
Tue – Sun

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