Silly Ana Botella. Although her ridiculous speech to the IOC in Buenos Aires probably wasn’t the only reason Madrid lost out to Tokyo in their bid to host the 2020 Olympics, it can’t have helped matters much. If you still haven’t seen the mayor of Madrid’s disturbing take on the English language, you can watch her two minutes of glory here, then if you fancy checking out some of the hundreds of inevitable (dubstep et al.) remixes, I’d recommend this one and this one.
Most importantly though, whatever you think of Annie Bottle, whether you agree that Madriiid eees faahnn and that no one celebrates laif laik Espanish pippil do, one thing is indisputable: anyone at all familiar with Madrid knows that you do not go to Plaza Mayor for “a relaxing cup of café con leche”. Unless you find paying through the nose whilst being harassed by fat Spiderman, Hello Kitty’s evil twin and a snapping goat a “relaxing” experience.
Here are a few of my favourite places to have a café con leche in Madrid, in no particular order:
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Nuevo Café Barbieri (C/Ave María 45, Metro: Lavapiés)
Established in 1902, this place oozes faded decadence. Many critical scenes of Las travesuras de la niña mala (The Bad Girl) by Mario Vargas Llosa were set here and you may well start to imagine yourself as a literary heroine or hero as you sip on your coffee. They also serve tasty cakes and a good range of teas for those who prefer that sort of thing. It’s a long walk to the toilet though.
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Café Comercial (Glorieta de Bilbao 7, Metro: Bilbao)
Another old-school coffee joint, this one has been going even longer than Barbieri (it first opened its doors in 1887). Expect waiters in white suits, plenty of señoras in furs and old-timers upstairs playing chess. You can play on the chessboards for free too, just don’t expect to finish your game without everyone crowding round and telling you what your next move should be.
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Anticafé (C/Unión 2, Metro: Ópera)
Served by a barman with a rather nice line in jumpers, the coffee here is badass and it even comes with biscuits – result! They’ve been shut for refurbishment and will open again in October, hopefully with the same eclectic mix of furniture and random stuff on the walls. My other half says it’s a bit girly so guys you might want to grab a ladyfriend to go with.
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La Central de Callao (C/Postigo de San Martín 8, Metro: Callao)
New bookshop, lovely building and a downstairs bistro set in a wonderfully airy space. You can flick through your purchases whilst you enjoy your brew, or perhaps browse the thousands of titles afterwards. It does get pretty mental though (especially at weekends), so if you’re looking for “relaxing”, I’d go elsewhere.
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Lolina Vintage Café (C/Espíritu Santo 9, Metro: Tribunal)
More mishmash cutesy decor, more girliness…but hey, I’m a girl! Love the retro vibe of this place and the coffee, cakes and just about everything else is delish.
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Mesón Restaurante Portomarín (C/Valencia 4, Metro: Lavapiés)
Couldn’t resist throwing in an old man bar at the end. Technically a Galician joint, this place is as castizo as it gets and in time-honoured fashion, the café con leche is served in caña glasses which burn your fingers off if you pick them up too soon. If you can, get there in time for breakfast – they serve the best pan con tomate in the city.
Excellent!! I shall visit some of these spots on my upcoming trip! And spot on on the Ana Botella comment BTW, they don’t even serve coffee in plaza mayor, it’s not expensive enough to merit a much-coveted seat on the terrace!! :p