Madrid's bar scene runs deep — older than Barcelona's modern cocktail scene by decades. Museo Chicote, opened in 1931, served Hemingway, Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Modern Madrid (Salmón Gurú, 1862 Dry Bar) plays at world-class level. The 10 below span the centro to Malasaña, vermut bars to tasting-menu rooms.
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The 10 best bars in Madrid
01 · Madrid
Letras
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Pop · Loud · Inventive
Diego Cabrera's headquarters. Tropical, modern, deeply unserious in tone but rigorous in execution. Drinks come in increasingly absurd vessels.
Order: Chipotle Chillón (mezcal, chipotle, pineapple)
02 · Madrid
Sol
$$
Old-school · Long bar
Operating since 1992 by ex-Chicote bartender. Madrid's reference classical cocktail bar. Long bar, white-jacketed bartenders, no-nonsense drinks.
Order: Del Diego (vodka, lime, mint, peach liqueur)
03 · Madrid
Gran Vía
$$$
1931 · Historic
Madrid's oldest cocktail bar, opened 1931. Hemingway, Sinatra, Sophia Loren all drank here. Restored, still serious, still essential.
Order: A Manhattan in the room Hemingway drank in
04 · Madrid
Malasaña
$$
Pre-Prohibition focus
Below a Malasaña tapas bar. Dedicated to pre-Prohibition American cocktails. Quiet on Mondays, crowded by Friday.
Order: A Manhattan with their reserve rye
05 · Madrid
Malasaña
$$
Wine bar + cocktails
Hybrid wine bar and cocktail bar. The wine list is exceptional Spanish-focused; the cocktails respect what's coming from the kitchen.
Order: A Spanish vermouth + tapas
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06 · Madrid
Letras
$
Sherry only · No photos
Sherry only. No photographs allowed (an old Civil War rule, kept). Bills written in chalk on the bar. Madrid's most atmospheric old bar.
Order: A copa of fino sherry
07 · Madrid
Letras
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Tiled tavern · 1856
Operating since 1856. Beautiful tiled walls, wine on tap, tapas at the bar. The most photogenic old tavern in Madrid.
Order: A vermouth on tap
08 · Madrid
Malasaña
$$
Train-themed · Hidden
Themed as a luxury train car. Ten seats, the bar moves like a train compartment. Reservations only.
Order: Whatever the seasonal route serves
09 · Madrid
Malasaña
$$
In-house macerations
Macera macerates their own spirits in-house — vodka with cucumber, gin with rosemary, tequila with cocoa. The drinks are built around these.
Order: Whatever's the most unusual house maceration this month
10 · Madrid
Cortes
$$$
Hotel rooftop · Pool
Rooftop pool bar at the Hotel Urban. The best central-Madrid rooftop. Cocktails are competent; the view is what you came for.
Order: A frozen margarita with the city below
More Madrid bars by categoryCocktail, hidden gem, rooftop, late-night — the full Madrid index.
See the full list
How Madrid drinks late
Madrid bars peak much later than other European capitals — most don't really get going until midnight, and the best are still pouring at 3 AM. The vermut tradition (La Venencia, Casa Camacho) is the early-evening start; the cocktail rooms (Salmón Gurú, Del Diego) are the late-night work. Sunday vermouth is its own ritual worth planning around.
