El Willy HiFi ★ 4.4
$$chuecaTue to Sat 19:00 to 02:00
El Willy HiFi on Calle de Campoamor in Justicia is the listening bar with an IFAUDIO custom sound system, where the architecture was built around the speakers and the cocktail list runs craft drinks for the room.
Tip: Tuesday is the jazz night; programming through the venue Instagram. The bar is intimate, walk-in only and the seats fill early at weekends.
Casa Neutrale Música ★ 4.5
$$$chuecaTue to Thu 18:30 to 02:00, Fri and Sat 18:30 to 03:00, closed Sun and Mon
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.
Fenómeno ★ 4.5
$$$salamancaDaily 17:00 to 04:00
Fenomeno on Calle de Recoletos in Salamanca is a 400 square metre hi-fi listening bar inspired by Japanese Jazz Kissa, with two DJ booths, multiple bars and an 80s and 90s funk and disco programme.
Tip: Open every day 17:00 to 04:00; weekends fill quickly. Reservation through the venue site helps at peak. The vinyl room is the back lounge.
Inclán Brutal Bar ★ 4.4
$$las-letrasDaily 12:00 to 01:30
Inclan Brutal Bar on Calle de Alvarez Gato by Plaza de Santa Ana in Las Letras opened in 2018 across three settings, a cocktail bar by the open kitchen, a luxury-library room and an indoor patio, with live music in the evening.
Tip: Open noon to 01:30 daily with a non-stop kitchen; the patio is the calm seat. Best Cocktail Bar-Restaurant in Spain 2021 at the Fibar Fair in Valladolid.
La Venencia ★ 4.7
$las-letrasDaily 12:30 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 00:00
La Venencia on Calle de Echegaray in Las Letras has poured Jerez and manzanilla sherries since 1922 in an old taberna with dark-wood barrels, the prices marked in chalk on the counter and a no-photographs Civil-War rule.
Tip: Five sherries on the list (Manzanilla, Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado, Palo Cortado), tapas of tuna, olives and pickles. No tipping (socialist principles), no photos.
Bodega de la Ardosa ★ 4.6
$malasanaMon to Fri 09:00 to 02:00, Sat and Sun 10:00 to 02:00
Bodega de la Ardosa on Calle de Colon in Malasana has run since 1892 as the standing-room tile-fronted taberna for vermut on tap and beer pulled with practiced hand, with croquetas, tortilla de patatas and gildas at the bar.
Tip: Standing room only at the bar; squeeze in for the famous tortilla de patatas and a vermut. Open daily from 09:00; closing 02:00 every night.