Madrid's queer-and-design quarter around Mercado San Anton, with rooftop terraces, gastrobars and the gentrified Calle Augusto Figueroa.
La Carmencita on Calle Libertad in Madrid's Chueca has run the 1854 taberna under Carlos Zamora since 2014, recovering the original recipes and pouring.
Signature: Cocido madrileno, Croquetas, Tortilla de patatas
Order: The Thursday cocido madrileno, the croquetas de jamon, and a vermut de grifo before lunch.
Tip: Cocido on Thursdays only. Book a week ahead. The terrace on Calle Libertad seats eight; the inside dining room is wood-panelled.
Celso y Manolo in Madrid's Chueca is the 1928-revived taberna by the Carlos Zamora group, with a vermut barrel, tortilla de patatas and croquetas at counter.
Signature: Tortilla, Croquetas, Vermut
Order: A vermut de grifo (3 euros) at the bar, the croquetas (3 euros each) and the tortilla de patatas.
Tip: Walk-in only at the bar; the dining room takes reservations. The terrace on Calle Libertad fills up by 13:00.
El Tigre in Madrid's Chueca pours large jars of cana and serves free heaped plates of patatas bravas, croquetas, jamon and bocadillos with every drink.
Signature: Patatas bravas, Croquetas, Bocadillos
Order: A jarra of cana (5 euros) which arrives with a free plate of bravas, croquetas, oreja and jamon.
Tip: Cash only. The original bar at number 23 is the loudest; the satellite at number 30 is calmer. No table service.
Federal Cafe on Plaza de las Comendadoras in Madrid's Conde Duque is the Australian-style all-day brunch room since 2014, with avocado toast.
Signature drink: Flat white
Tip: Open daily 09:00-22:00. The weekend brunch (15 to 22 euros) fills up by 11:30; walk-in only, no reservations.
Celicioso in Madrid's Chueca is the city's reference 100 percent gluten-free bakery since 2012, with celiac-certified breads, pastries and a small cafe carte.
Tip: Open daily. The gluten-free chocolate cake (5 euros per slice) and the croissant alternative are the headlines.
Worth the queue: Gluten-free chocolate cake
Acid Cafe in Madrid's Chueca is the specialty third-wave cafe since 2017 by Fede Graciano, pouring La Cabra Coffee Roasters from Denmark and rotating.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Bag of beans (15 to 20 euros) at the counter; the espresso at 2.20 is the staff regular order.
Sources from: Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Angelita Madrid on Calle del Reina is the natural-wine room by the Casa Cervantes group since 2014, with 100 by-the-glass pours and a focus on Spanish small.
Signature pour: Comando G La Bruja Aveleyra, by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and small-producer Spanish wines
Food: Tapas and small plates
Tip: Closed Sun-Mon. The downstairs cocktail bar is the second-stop; the wine bar is on the ground floor.
Casa Salvador in Madrid's Chueca has poured the vermut de grifo and Madrileno wines since 1941, with a wood-panelled dining room, bullfighting posters.
Signature pour: House vermut by the glass
Wine focus: Vermut de grifo and Madrileno wines
Food: Tapas, raciones
Tip: Closed Mondays. The Sunday lunch is the major weekly meal; cocido madrileno on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Del Diego near Gran Via in Madrid is the 1992-founded cocktail bar by Fernando del Diego, the canonical Madrid coctelero, with the Del Diego eponymous.
Signature drink: Del Diego (vodka, vanilla, lime, mint)
Food: Snacks
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash and card accepted. The eponymous Del Diego cocktail (12 euros) is the headline; classic Negronis are the second order.
Mercado de San Anton in Madrid's Chueca is the 2011-reborn neighbourhood market with a ground-floor traditional market and a first-floor gourmet tapas.
Tip: The rooftop bar is the standout (open until 24:00); the first-floor tapas counters serve until 22:00.
El Tigre in Madrid's Chueca pours large jarras of cana with free heaped plates of bravas, croquetas, oreja and jamon at the standing-room counter.
Try: Free tapas with jarra
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only at the bar; no table service. A jarra of cana for 5 euros gets a full free plate of tapas.
Federal Cafe on Plaza de las Comendadoras in Madrid's Conde Duque is the Australian-style all-day brunch room since 2014, with avocado toast.
Order: Smashed avocado on sourdough toast with poached eggs
Tip: Walk-in only; the weekend brunch fills up by 11:30. The Sunday breakfast set with bottomless filter coffee runs 18 euros.
El Tigre in Madrid's Chueca pours jarras of cana with free plates of patatas bravas, croquetas and jamon until 01:30; the late-night Chueca pre-club crowd.
Try: Free tapas with jarra
Tip: Cash only. Walk-in only at the standing-room bar. The 22:00-01:00 slot is the bar's late-night peak.
Angelita on Calle de la Reina in Chueca is a two-floor bar by brothers David and Mario Villalon, with a street-level wine bar and a basement cocktail lounge programming classic and seasonal cocktails.
Tip: Open Mon to Fri 17:30-02:00 plus to 02:30 Friday; closed weekends. The basement is the cocktail-list room, the ground floor is wine-led.
Bar Cock on Calle de la Reina behind Museo Chicote has run since 1921 in a wood-and-leather English-club room, the Almodovar-era movida late-night hangout that survived the Civil War and still serves classic cocktails.
Tip: Open from 16:00 daily, 19:00 on Saturday; close at 03:30 weekends. The fireplace-connected legend with Museo Chicote next door is part of the lore.
Black & White on Calle de la Libertad in Chueca opened in 1984 and is Madrid's oldest continuously operating gay nightclub, with cabaret and drag queen shows nightly across a two-floor venue.
Tip: Drag and cabaret shows every night; the top floor is the quiet bar, ground floor is the dancefloor. Closed Sundays; weeknights from midnight.
LL Show Bar on Calle de Pelayo in Chueca is the 1980s-styled gay bar with nightly drag shows around midnight, two floors mixing a quieter downstairs bar with the upstairs strip and drag stage.
Tip: Drag shows nightly from around midnight; the upstairs stage is the headline. Open every day, weekend close at 03:30.
Why Not on Calle de San Bartolome is the Chueca basement gay bar in a wood-panelled baroque-decorated room with black-and-white film-star portraits and the city's gay-anthem chart-music programme.
Tip: Open every night 22:00-03:30; the room is small, queues build after 00:00. The terrace tables outside fill first on warm nights.
DLRO Live on Calle de Pelayo has been the Chueca gay nightclub reference for over 15 years, with drag queens, cabaret, go-go shows and stand-up across a two-floor venue running Tuesday through Sunday.
Tip: Closed Mondays; doors from midnight, weekends to 06:00. The drag and cabaret programme is the headline; the upstairs floor runs the dancefloor.
Truco on Calle de Gravina is Chueca's lesbian-leaning bar next to the metro station, with a women-only ground floor for a safe space and a mixed terrace that runs through the warm months.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 20:00; drinks from 5 euros. The terrace is mixed, the bar floor is women-only; reggaeton and dance heavy.
Studio 54 Madrid on Calle de Barbieri in Chueca pays homage to the New York original with crystal-chandelier interiors designed by Tomas Alia, programming international pop, house and techno across five nights.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 22:00; weekends to 04:00. The dancefloor is compact; the cocktail bar runs the queue easier than the door.
Boyberry on Calle de Pelayo in Chueca is the city's gay cruising bar and club, with a ground-floor bar and social area plus separate cruising zones, open 365 days a year from midday.
Tip: Open every day from 12:00; the cruising area carries a 3 euro cover on top of a drink. The basement zone is the larger of the two play spaces.
El Willy HiFi on Calle de Campoamor in Justicia is the listening bar with an IFAUDIO custom sound system, where the architecture was built around the speakers and the cocktail list runs craft drinks for the room.
Tip: Tuesday is the jazz night; programming through the venue Instagram. The bar is intimate, walk-in only and the seats fill early at weekends.
Casa Neutrale Musica on Calle de San Mateo in Justicia is Madrid's first Japanese-Jazz-Kissa-inspired listening bar, a two-floor space with a Mediterranean shareable carte upstairs and a vinyl basement.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; doors from 18:30. The basement is the music room with weekly DJ programming; reservations on the venue site help.