My Favorite Places in Madrid

My Favorite Places in Madrid

Where to eat, drink, hang, etc.
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Madrid is the city I currently live in. 

I've been here since September of 2023, so a decent amount of time to get my bearings and try enough cool places to form opinions about them. 

I live in Lavapiés, which is in the bottom part of the city center. It borders La Latina and Las Huertas, so those 3 neighborhoods are where I spend the most time and where most of my favorites are, naturally. But I also do think it's the best area, especially if you want something trendy but without the tourist influx (the whole city is obviously touristy but it feels like there are way fewer here than in Sol, Malasaña, and Chueca). 

So, yeah. These are the places I've had particularly positive experiences in, the ones that provided a unique comfort or serotonin upon experiencing it, and the ones I find myself most often coming back to at this moment :)

Parts of the City

Plaza de Matute
@sarahpollock
The most charming square to get a coffee or a drink! Never gets too crowded either.
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El Retiro Park
@sarahpollock
You can't go to Madrid without going to Retiro. But it is genuinely one of my favorite parks ever, and especially for being in the middle of a city. My personal favorite spots are the rose gardens at the bottom, and stretch behind the main pond where everybody tans, and the shaded areas deep in the center of the park near the Crystal Palace.
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El Rastro
@sarahpollock
Gorgeous street in between Lavapiés and La Latina which also happens to have the biggest flea market in Madrid's city center every Sunday morning. It gets overwhelmingly crowded though, so get there early (around 9 am-ish) if you want to look/shop in relative peace.
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Plaza de Santa Ana
@sarahpollock
Beautiful and grand and very authentically Spanish and always lovely to sit in. And conveniently very close to Sol.
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Cafes, Coffee Shops, and Bakeries

Watts Cantina
@sarahpollock
Favorite cafe in Madrid. Everything they serve is phenomenal, the vibes are always great, and the people are so nice.
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Caravan Cafe
@sarahpollock
Another favorite cafe. The inside is warm and cozy and the food is great!
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FELIZ COFFEE
@sarahpollock
My favorite coffee shop in the entire city. Something about the decor and the warm, charming feeling of being here... the people are also very very sweet and the quality of the coffee is great, and there are lots of cool natural wines and specialty items offered. Another pro is that they don't allow computers but they DO allow kindles and iPads (unlike some other cafes)... so read electronically to your heart's content. Try the mocha if you like mochas. It's made with real dark chocolate :)
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News & Coffee
@sarahpollock
I've actually only ordered chai lattes and dirty chai lattes here (it's the best chai in the city in my opinion), but my taste of espresso in the latter has been wonderful- I can tell the coffee is great too. Plus a lot of other people agree with me! Also, come to look at one of the coolest collections of art books and independent publications in Madrid- mostly in English too!
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La Deseada Specialty Coffee
@sarahpollock
A little out of the way if you're based in the city center, but conveniently close to the Sorolla museum and Mazál bagels to make for a nice little afternoon! The vibe inside is wonderfully curated without being stuffy and they use Nomad coffee from Barcelona (amazing). The pastries and food also look phenomenal although I have yet to try them.
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Alma Nomad Bakery
@sarahpollock
One of the best bakeries I've ever been to, in any city. And one of the first places I take guests.
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Estela Hojaldre
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Amazing traditional bakery in Las Huertas! Their croissant is one of the best I've had outside of France.
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Santo Bakehouse
@sarahpollock
Fantastic bakery in Malasaña. Get your sourdough here or pick up pastries if you're in the area.
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Cappuccino Madrid
@sarahpollock
totally overpriced, but beautiful terrace cafe in one of the most beautiful circles in Madrid. Great for a coffee and some of the best people watching in the city.
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Restaurants and Non-Cafe Food

Falafelería
@sarahpollock
The hummus and falafel here is GOOD. So is the mushroom shawarma. A staple fast casual/takeout spot for sure.
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Casa Dani
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Most people will tell you this is the absolute best tortilla in Madrid. I agree with them.
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Pez Tortilla
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Some of the best tortilla and croquetas you'll find in the city! My go-to when Casa Dani is too far- Pez has a bunch of locations around the city center.
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BARGANZO
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Phenomenal authentic Israeli. I love the entire menu, but especially the hummus and pita trio.
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BOCADO
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So freaking good. Make sure you get the sweet potato fries
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CASA PEI+
@sarahpollock
Phenomenal authentic homemade dumplings and Chinese specialties. nothing bad to say about this place!
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Movie Theaters, Museums, and Cultural Centers

Cine Doré
@sarahpollock
Great arthouse cinema playing mostly foreign films. I really really like this place. The little bookstore along the window is cute too.
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Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
@sarahpollock
Not my personal favorite, but still arguably a great museum. Lots of Dalís here as well as Picasso's Guernica. The focus of the permanent collection is 20th century Spanish art, design, and architecture. The rotating exhibits are fantastic though.
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Sorolla Museum
@sarahpollock
If you like Sorolla, there's really nothing to not love. The building itself is beautiful too.
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Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
@sarahpollock
I think this is one of my favorite museums ever. The collection is perfectly balanced and the building itself is perfectly sized. the singular path layout through the collection feels romantic. Of all the museums in Madrid this is the one I frequent the most.
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Ocho y Medio Cinema Books Bar
@sarahpollock
Mostly carry titles in Spanish, but the selection and ambiance is incredible.
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Bars and Wine Bars

GLOP VINOS
@sarahpollock
Great new wine bar in Chamberi! Everything is awesome here. Especially the cheese plate and tiramisu.
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La Fisna Wine Bar
@sarahpollock
Just found this wine bar recently and LOVED it! The one glass of wine I've had here was one of the best I've had in a long time.
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FUN FUN natural wine from spain
@sarahpollock
a bit out of the way from the main busy streets in La Latina, but the ambiance is beautiful and the wine is great! The staff is great too. And I love that everything they serve is Spanish.
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Vinoteca Vides
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The most thoughtful, well-crafted wine experience I've maybe ever had. and delicious wine of course
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SALA EQUIS
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Awesome outdoor movie bar. It's always crowded but the movie-watching part is upstairs so it doesn't really make a difference.
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Jack´s Library
@sarahpollock
Gorgeous speakeasy bar!! One of my favorites in Madrid
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La Manuela
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Super fun boardgame bar in Malasaña. Really nice decor inside too
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kaskais wine bar
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GREAT wine. As there should be because it's a wine bar, but indeed a really good one.
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Savas bar
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One of my favorite cocktail bars in the city, tucked on a quiet neighborhood street in Lavapies
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GOTA
@sarahpollock
Great wine bar by the same people who run all the ACID coffee shops and bakeries. Really cool ambiance. Small, sort of finicky menu but everything I've had tastes good. Would recommend the bread with butter and fried polenta.
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Corchito Bar de Vinos
@sarahpollock
VERY cute and cozy neighborhood wine bar. Great small plates too
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CLAVEL
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Dive bar of choice when I'm going out in the Malasaña area.
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MACERA CLUB
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One of my favorite clubs in Madrid. Would recommend if you like house music especially. Not too big either.
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Shops

EXÓTICA VELVET
@sarahpollock
My favorite vintage store that isn't Mosaic, Humana, or El Rastro
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El Divan de Coco
@sarahpollock
GREAT vintage store!! One of the only ones in Madrid I've been really successful in.
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San Fernando Market
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One of the best mercados in the city. Not touristy but always crowded and fun.
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Mercado de la Cebada
@sarahpollock
Another great Mercado in La Latina, about about 10 minutes away from San Fernando. I love the grand appearance of this one when you walk in.
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The Secret Kingdoms
@sarahpollock
Really great English language book store in Las Huertas. The owners are a sweet British couple. They also run an in-store book club and read 1-2 books a month! Again all in English. Worth checking out.
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Librería Desperate Literature (Bookstore)
@sarahpollock
Incredible English bookstore closer to Malasaña. Differently curated selection of titles than Secret Kingdoms, but amazing in its own way. Very cool communicative owners as well, and plenty of events that go on in store to take part in.
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Naos Libros
@sarahpollock
Similar to Ocho y Medio! Sometimes its hard to pick which to go to when I'm in the area- usually whichever has an open seat. Naos feels a bit more intimate I would say.
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Paperground Bookshop
@sarahpollock
Art books, zines, and independent magazines. Graphic design paradise
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1826 FILM LAB
@sarahpollock
Best place I've found to purchase and process film.
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Postal y Tinta
@sarahpollock
Great print and postcard store, all produced by a team of local artists and printmakers who work in the back of the store.
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Real Fábrica
@sarahpollock
Go-to shop for non-touristy gifts. Filled with specialty products from all over Spain.
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Caolín cerámica
@sarahpollock
Beautiful and very well-priced ceramics shop with the studio set up in the back.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Pollock is a twenty-something-year-old traveler, creative, and spiritualist. She graduated with a degree in Business Information Systems (although she did not enjoy it) and a minor in Sustainability from the University of Florida. Since embarking on her first trip abroad to Australia and New Zealand at 15 years old, she has since visited 25 countries and counting- most of them solo. She is also an avid foodie, reader, concert-goer, sitter at coffee shops, introspective thinker, and champion of small businesses. She prides herself on her romantic and nostalgic approach to seeing the world, which is reflected in the hidden gem-filled and slightly sentimental tone of her writing and recommendations. She recently spent this past school year splitting time between Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva, Israel; teaching English to underrepresented and underprivileged children in both Hebrew and Arabic-speaking schools. She is currently continuing this work in Madrid. For more personal thoughts and musings and present updates on where she is in the world and how she’s feeling about it, consider subscribing to her bi-weekly travel newsletter, Postcards. Other subject matters, though all undoubtedly influenced by her experience living abroad, are explored through her primary publication, Older Sister (both linked in bio).
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