Santamaría, La Coctelería de al Lado opened in 2010 inside a former brothel at Calle de la Ballesta 6, back when this corner of Malasaña still traded on its red light reputation. Sixteen years on, the bar with the goat logo remains the neighborhood's reference point for classic cocktails done without theater.
By Priya Nair · Published June 12, 2026
Who would love it: drinkers who rate execution over invention, and anyone tired of Madrid's molecular showpieces. Who would hate it: groups of eight wanting bottle service, and anyone who needs a menu of twenty signature creations to feel looked after.
The room keeps the bones of its past life. Low red light, worn sofas, and the artisanal handmade leather bar that esMadrid, the city's official tourism guide, singles out in its listing. The goat emblem stamps everything from the door to the coasters, and the space stays dim enough that regulars treat it as the late stop after dinner in Triball.
Order the classics. The house reads gin and whiskey drinks best: a Negroni, an Old Fashioned, or whatever the bartender steers you toward once you name a spirit. Prices sit in the low teens in euros, well under the hotel rooftops, which puts the bar at a fair $$ for cocktails of this standard. Tripadvisor holds the bar at 4.9 of 5, with reviewers calling it their favorite cocktail room in Madrid.
The crowd runs local. Early evening brings Malasaña creatives on first drinks, and after midnight on weekends the room fills with the post-dinner wave taking advantage of the 03:00 close. On Fridays and Saturdays the doors open at 16:00, an unusually early start that makes it a legitimate afternoon cocktail option.
Best time to go: Sunday through Thursday at 19:00 sharp, when the sofas are open and the bartenders have time to talk. Weekends after 23:00 are the loudest the room gets.
Who it is for: dates that want low light without a dress code, cocktail purists doing the Malasaña circuit, and anyone pairing the night with 1862 Dry Bar in Madrid three blocks north or the flash of Salmón Guru in Madrid down in Letras. See where it sits in our best cocktail bars in Madrid ranking, or widen the net with our cocktail bars near me guide.
Sources: esMadrid official tourism listing; Tripadvisor Madrid (4.9 rating, reviews through 2026); Yelp Madrid, updated April 2026; Plateselector; Foursquare Madrid.
