Where to eat and drink in Lavapiés
36 places in Lavapiés, Madrid: what to order, when to go and local tips.
- 01
Mercado de San Fernando
Lavapiés' working market, where greengrocers share aisles with cheap bars, natural wine and world-food stalls.
OrderA glass of natural wine and artisan cheese at Bendito, then browse the other stalls.
- 02
Taberna de Antonio Sánchez
Wood-panelled bullfighters' taberna in Lavapiés, pouring wine since at least 1787. Come for the torrijas.
OrderA torrija (the house legend), rabo de toro if you're eating, and a glass of house wine at the old wooden bar.
- 03
Hola Coffee
The original Hola Coffee in Lavapiés: house-roasted beans, filter coffee and a compact room worth a stop.
OrderA flat white or café de filtro, with a croissant or cinnamon roll from the counter.
- 04
Medias Puri
Underground club beneath the Nuevo Apolo theatre: three rooms, drag, cabaret and chaos until dawn.
OrderA cerveza at the bar, then a place with a view of the performers on a show night.
- 05
El Brillante
Atocha's chrome-counter bar: bocadillo de calamares for train arrivals, museum leavers and night owls.
OrderBocadillo de calamares and a caña. In the morning, café con leche and churros at the counter.
- 06
Melo's
A Galician bar where the lacón-and-cheese sandwich is big enough to need a committee.
OrderZapatilla de lacón y queso gallego, croquetones de lacón and pimientos de Padrón.
- 07
Achuri
A neighbourhood co-operative with a daily menú, serious croquetas and its politics on the walls.
OrderBerenjenas andalusí, milanesa napolitana and flan de coco, when they appear on the menú del día.
- 08
Cafelito
Spiced coffees, mismatched furniture and a book swap make this little café feel happily lived in.
OrderCafé La Sombra and magdalena espresso.
- 09
Pum Pum Café
Good coffee and poached eggs in a brick-walled café where brunch can easily end in cake.
OrderBenedict Pum Pum, bizcocho de limón and a cortado.
- 10
La Fisna Vinos
A wine shop turned intimate bar, with a croquetón that deserves as much attention as your glass.
OrderCroquetón de cecina y queso San Simón, brioche de sardina ahumada y olivada, selección de quesos La Fisna.
- 11
El Boquerón
A family seafood bar where anchovies, draught vermut and the old zinc counter still do the talking.
OrderBoquerones en vinagre, gambas a la plancha and vermut de grifo.
- 12
Los Chuchis
British home cooking in a tiny Lavapiés dining room; the roast pork makes a persuasive case for staying.
OrderCerdo asado con manzanas, piel de patata con crema agria y salsa picante, and paté casero con pepinillos.
- 13
La Caníbal
Wine comes from taps and cheese gets its own display at this cheerfully noisy Argumosa bar.
OrderTabla de quesos La Caníbal, cerveza San Blas and vino de grifo from the Vinos Sinceros selection.
- 14
Tatema Madrid
Charred corn, clever vegetables and mezcal cocktails make this Argumosa dinner worth stretching out.
OrderMazorca tatemada, brócoli frito con sésamo y queso curado, and a Romero Mezcaloni.
- 15
Café Barbieri
A grand old mirrored café with a modern Italian appetite, just above the bustle of Plaza de Lavapiés.
OrderTortilla alla carbonara, alcachofas Barbieri and tiramisú.
- 16
África Fusión
Senegalese rice dishes and peanut sauce bring a very good reason to eat properly on terrace-lined Argumosa.
OrderMafe de ternera, thiebou djenne de pescado and bissap.
- 17
Portomarín
A dependable Galician table beside the plaza, with pulpo, lacón and enough dishes to feed the whole family.
OrderPulpo a la gallega, croquetas de lacón con grelos and Martín Códax albariño.
- 18
Bodegas Lo Máximo
Boleros, vermut and a neighbourhood crowd give this old bodega plenty of reasons to stay another round.
OrderChile con carne and vermut; on Sunday, paella de pollo y verduras.
- 19
Sani Sapori
Italian gelato with a tangy baobab detour and enough fruit sorbets to make dairy entirely optional.
OrderHelado de baobab and helado de pistacho; add a horchata if you're thirsty.
- 20
Juan Raro
A sociable neighbourhood restaurant where teriyaki sneaks into the carrilleras and supper can drift into drinks.
OrderCarrilleras de ternera teriyaki, berenjena asada con tahini y za'atar, and tiramisú raro.
- 21
La Oveja Negra - Taberna Vegana
A queer vegan cooperative that takes the neighbourhood taberna seriously, right down to Friday cocido.
OrderChorivegano a la sidra, tacos de jackfruit a la barbacoa and tinto de veganx.
- 22
Tasca Barea
Murcian marineras and vermut anchor a tiny, friendly bar on the corner with Embajadores.
OrderMarinera murciana, pimientos del Barea and vermú de grifo.
- 23
La Falda
A very runny Galician tortilla is the headline; squid gyozas make a strong case for staying for dinner.
OrderTortilla de Betanzos, gyozas de calamar and albóndigas en salsa de coco y kimchi.
- 24
Mandela 100
Senegalese peanut stew and cold hibiscus juice make a generous lunch by Plaza de Nelson Mandela.
OrderMafe de ternera, fataya and bissap, the cold hibiscus drink.
- 25
Viva Chapata
A vegan neighbourhood taberna where stuffed chapatas share the billing with a proper three-course cocido.
OrderChapata Nueva Natacha, croquetas del Viva de boletus and no calamares.
- 26
Shapla
An unfussy curry stop on Calle Lavapiés, with a house biryani that does the work of a whole meal.
OrderBiryani especial Shapla, onion bazee and lassi de mango.
- 27
La Esperanza
Retro colours and serious callos make a good supper stop after a film at the Doré.
OrderCallos con pata y morro, croqueta de pollo al carbón and gilda de arenque.
- 28
Taberna El Sur
Eight croquetas to share and gambones al ajillo keep this much-reviewed taberna busy.
OrderGambones al ajillo, tortilla de patatas and croquetas de jamón y boletus.
- 29
El Imparcial
The former newspaper premises give this dining room enough occasion for a date, even over the weekday lunch menu.
OrderTortilla vaga de gamba roja, chipirones con puré de coliflor al curry and falso risotto de setas.
- 30
Nomade Café
Turkish eggs, halloumi toast and carefully made coffee turn this little café into a substantial breakfast stop.
OrderHuevos turcos, tostada de aguacate con halloumi y huevo, and a capuchino.
- 31
El Rincón Guay
A sociable corner facing San Fernando market, with breakfast until one and a terrace for watching Embajadores wake up.
OrderTosta Guay con queso fresco, jamón, aguacate y pera, or huevos Benedict con salmón.
- 32
El Despertar
A jazz café that has kept Lavapiés listening since 1981, with cocktails worth staying for after the set.
OrderEl Padrino, with amaretto and Jameson, or the alcohol-free limonada El Despertar.
- 33
Alabanda
Live blues and Brazilian cooking share this Lavapiés tavern, with the music room behind the bar.
OrderCoxinha de pollo, lasaña de bacalao con verduras and vermut Bendito de grifo.
- 34
Mercado de Antón Martín
Groceries, lunch counters and flamenco upstairs; LaLópez's turquoise bar is a very good place to start.
OrderEl tomate confitado, croqueta de talo de txistorra and gilda doble de arenque at LaLópez.
- 35
Casa Pachuco
A tiny Lavapiés lunch room where the daily board takes cheerful detours through Asia without inflating the bill.
OrderEscabeche filipino de berenjenas and curry panang de albóndigas de ternera, as the menu rotates.
- 36
Rambal
A long lunch over shared soperas, with proper stews and permission to have seconds.
OrderEnsalada de la casa con papada curada and lentejas estofadas, when that's the day's guiso.