La Terraza del Casino on the top floor of the Casino de Madrid on Calle de Alcala has been Paco Roncero's two-Michelin-starred tasting-menu rooftop since 1990, redesigned by Jaime Hayon in tropical blues and greens.
Tip: Tasting menu only, dinner-led reservation through OpenTable or the restaurant; bar in the Casino room before the meal. Smart-elegant attire required.
Address: Calle de Alcala 15, 28014 Madrid
Ginkgo Sky Bar on the 12th floor of the VP Plaza Espana Design hotel on Plaza de Espana runs a 360 degree terrace with a glass-floor swimming pool, Japanese-Mediterranean tapas and a year-round cocktail programme.
Tip: Open from 13:00; the pool is the photo seat. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls slide back in summer. Reservation through the venue site is the easy way in.
Terraza de Sabatini on the rooftop of the Apartosuites Jardines de Sabatini on Calle de Bailen serves cocktails and tapas with a direct view of the Royal Palace and the Sabatini Gardens, summer-season only.
Tip: Bar open May to September; reservations on the hotel site. The seat to ask for is the south-facing corner with the full palace facade in view.
Ginkgo Sky Bar on the 12th floor of the VP Plaza Espana Design hotel on Plaza de Espana runs a 360 degree terrace with a glass-floor swimming pool, Japanese-Mediterranean tapas and a year-round cocktail programme.
Tip: Open from 13:00; the pool is the photo seat. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls slide back in summer. Reservation through the venue site is the easy way in.
Terraza de Sabatini on the rooftop of the Apartosuites Jardines de Sabatini on Calle de Bailen serves cocktails and tapas with a direct view of the Royal Palace and the Sabatini Gardens, summer-season only.
Tip: Bar open May to September; reservations on the hotel site. The seat to ask for is the south-facing corner with the full palace facade in view.
Salmon Guru on Calle de Echegaray in Las Letras is Argentine bartender Diego Cabrera's 2017 cocktail bar, ranked No. 37 on the 2025 World's 50 Best Bars list with a comic-book-themed neon room.
Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations; queues outside from 21:00 on weekends. The Pantera Jackson milk punch and La Mano de Dios cocktails are the headline pours.
1862 Dry Bar on Calle del Pez in Malasana is the speakeasy-style cocktail room named for the year Jerry Thomas published the first cocktail book, with a backlit basement liquor cage and a focused craft list.
Tip: Open daily from 16:00 with a 15:00 weekend open; the basement is the seat to ask for. The Cantaloupe Gibson with pisco and manzanilla is the house signature.
Sala Equis on Calle del Duque de Alba in La Latina is the converted 1986 to 2015 X-cinema, now a high-ceilinged cocktail-and-screening bar with bleachers, hammocks and a 55-seat cinema hall running original-version films.
Tip: Bar open daily from 12:00; cinema entry 6.50 euros for the original-version screening. The Plaza section is the main hall, the Ambigu is the quiet talk space.
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 to 02:00 plus to 02:30 Friday; closed weekends. The basement is the cocktail-list room, the ground floor is wine-led.