Best Live Music Bars in Madrid

Listed as one of the 100 best jazz clubs in the world by DownBeat magazine. Concerts run nightly from 9pm. The art nouveau interior and the quality of the booking have not declined in 40 years.

The underground jazz venue for serious listeners. Two sets nightly, Tuesday through Sunday. Smaller than Cafe Central but the bookings are just as good.

40 years of live jazz, blues, soul, and bossa nova in a basement room with excellent acoustics. Concerts start at 9:30pm. The drinks list is better than you would expect.

Downstairs jazz bar with free entry most nights before 11pm. The jazz gives way to DJ sets after midnight, which is either a feature or a flaw depending on your expectations.

The most authentic flamenco tablao in central Madrid. Not a tourist show. The dancers, guitarists, and singers are serious practitioners.

Moorish architecture and nightly flamenco in a theatre that has existed since 1960. More theatrical than Cardamomo, no less genuine.

Mixed programme of jazz, indie, and electronic music in a mid-size venue. Attracts musicians who are almost famous and audiences who prefer it that way.

Rock and blues bar with live acts from Wednesday to Saturday. No velvet ropes, no dress code. The oldest rock bar in Madrid.

The singer-songwriter bar of Madrid. Intimate, with room for perhaps 30 people around the piano. Sessions most nights from 9pm.

Flamenco tablao by night, tapas bar by day. The evening shows start at 10:30pm and run for 90 minutes. Book a table for the full experience.

Neighbourhood jazz bar with a weekly program of local and visiting musicians. The most affordable jazz venue on this list.

Live acoustic sets on weekends in a bar built into the foundations of the Viaducto bridge. One of the stranger and more memorable settings for live music in Madrid.