Where to sit, sip and slow down in Madrid.
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Madrid lingers in over a cortado.
Toma Cafe on Calle de la Palma in Madrid's Malasana is the city's first specialty third-wave room since 2011, with single-origin beans roasted in-house.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Tip: Open Mon-Fri 08:00-19:00, weekends 09:00-19:00. The weekend brunch (12 to 16 euros) fills up by 11:00.
HanSo Cafe in Madrid's Malasana is the Korean-Spanish specialty room since 2015, with matcha lattes, single-origin filter coffees and a small carte of brunch.
Signature drink: Matcha latte
Tip: Open Tue-Sun 09:30-20:00; closed Monday. The matcha latte (4.50 euros) and the avocado toast are the morning headlines.
Mision Cafe in Madrid's Conde Duque is the specialty third-wave room with house-roasted beans, a daily-changing brunch carte and a clean Scandinavian-design.
Signature drink: Single-origin filter
Tip: Open daily 09:00-20:00. The weekend brunch sets (14 to 19 euros) book up by 11:30; walk-in only.
Hola Coffee on Calle Doctor Fourquet in Madrid's Lavapies is the specialty roaster-and-cafe since 2017, with beans roasted in the back, single-origin filter.
Signature drink: Espresso
Tip: Open Mon-Sat 09:00-19:00, Sunday 10:00-17:00. The bag of single-origin beans (12 to 18 euros) goes home with regulars.
Slow Cafe in Madrid's La Latina is the specialty third-wave room with a focused pour-over carte, in-house pastries and a clean concrete dining room.
Signature drink: Pour-over filter
Tip: Open Tue-Sun. The pour-over filter (4 to 4.50 euros) is the staff's first recommendation; flat white is 3.50.
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.
Cafe Comercial on Glorieta de Bilbao in Madrid is the 1887-founded grand cafe, reopened in 2024 with chef Carlos Moreno on the carte. Located in Chamberi.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open daily; breakfast set (cafe con leche, tostada, OJ) is the morning staple, with cocido madrileno among the weekly classics.
Cafe de Oriente on Plaza de Oriente in Madrid faces the Palacio Real, with the chocolate con churros tradition, a fin-de-siecle dining room and a terrace.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open daily 09:30-24:00. The terrace (12 tables) faces the palace; the inside is wood-panelled and full of red velvet.
Cafe Gijon on Paseo de Recoletos in Madrid is the 1888-founded literary cafe that hosted the post-civil-war tertulia (literary discussion circle) of Cela.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open daily 07:30-01:30. The breakfast set runs 6 euros; the terrace under the trees is the seat to book in summer.
Cafe de Ruiz in Madrid's Malasana is the wood-panelled neighbourhood cafe since 1981, with the cake counter, daily-changing brunch and the marble tables.
Signature drink: Cafe con leche
Tip: Open Mon-Sat 09:00-22:00. The weekend brunch (12 to 16 euros) runs from 11:00; walk-in only, no reservations.
Bianchi Kiosko Caffe in Madrid's Malasana is the Italian-Spanish corner cafe pouring proper Bianchi-roasted espresso, with a four-stool counter.
Signature drink: Cappuccino
Tip: Open Tue-Sun 09:00-20:00; closed Monday. The cornetto with espresso runs 3.50 euros; standing room at the counter.
Ojala in Madrid's Malasana is the daytime cafe and evening cocktail bar with the famous beach-sand basement (Ojala Beach), serving brunch upstairs.
Signature drink: Brunch coffee
Tip: Open daily 09:30-24:00. The basement Ojala Beach with sand floor is the room locals send first-time visitors to see.
La Bicicleta Cafe on Plaza de San Ildefonso in Madrid's Malasana is the laptop-and-flat-white coworking cafe since 2009, with a sofa-strewn back room.
Signature drink: Flat white
Tip: Open daily 09:00-24:00. The back-room sofas are the laptop seats; the front terrace is for the social crowd.
Panaderia Mision in Madrid's Conde Duque is the bakery-and-cafe by the Mision Cafe team since 2020, with sourdough breads, croissants and a focused brunch.
Signature drink: Cortado
Tip: Open daily 09:00-19:00. The croissant with cortado (4 euros) is the morning headline; sourdough loaves sell out by 14:00.
East Crema Coffee Hermosilla in Madrid's Salamanca is the larger second outpost of the East Crema roastery, with a wide counter for the V60 and espresso bar.
Signature drink: Filter coffee from East Crema roast
Tip: Open daily 08:00 (09:00 weekends) to 20:00. The 11.50-euro brunch set (coffee, juice, toast, pastry) is served until 13:00.