Best Bars in Madrid

Throughout Spain, you’ll find an abundance of fun bars with good drinks. If you’re looking for the coolest spots in Madrid, you’ve come to the right place. Madrid is the queen of rooftop bars, but not all the city’s best spots are situated on top of buildings.

Other notable bars are situated on street corners, in hotels, and sometimes even underground. Basically, you can find drinks all over the city, with everything from beer to liquor.

Some places specialize in Spanish cerveza, while other mixology venues create amazing cocktails. This city is even home to some of the best bars in the world. It’s safe to say that Madrid knows how to drink.

Salmon Guru

Photo sourced from Salmon Guru

Holding a nomination for the world’s 50 best bars, Salmon Guru leaves little to be desired. Here, the atmosphere, drinks, and even food are excellent. This place undoubtedly ranks at the top of the list.

This exciting bar has thought of every detail, down to hydration. Your cupped will be filled with fresh, cold lemon water throughout your time there. It makes more of a difference than you think.

As if the flavored water weren’t enough, the bar also hands out crispy potato chips to munch on while you wait for your drink. And yes, they refill those too. One other special thing about Salmon Guru is that they put just as much emphasis on the containers that the food and drinks are presented in as they do to the ingredients themselves.

Photo sourced from Jeff Derr

The snack menu features fun items with creative presentations like patatas bravas served in a steaming cloche, Japan style fried oysters served in their original shell, and baba ganoush served with cauliflower on a two-tier platter.

Salmon Guru is such a popular spot that there’s often a line out the door, and it’s best not to go in large groups. Since most tables accommodate three people, a bunch of six takes longer to sit.

The Guru experience begins before you enter the bar, as you’ll get to know the friendly bouncer at the door. Once inside, you’re in for comfortable seating, good music, and delicious cocktails served in funky containers of bugs, skulls, and more.

Macera Taller

Photo sourced from Macera Taller

This minimally decorated den will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a science lab rather than a cocktail lounge. The bar is stocked with its own distillates, and the excellent branding makes for a superior experience.

Innovation is at the center of everything Macera, since they believe that excellence stems from adding creativity to tradition. This perfect mixture of qualities can be seen from the bar’s refined design to the amazing cocktails that they serve.

Ähnliches Foto

Photo sourced from Kathrin Behrens

The mission of Macera Taller is to break the rules of what is accepted and define their own principles for what to drink, how to behave, and how to live. Basically, this is a judgement free zone where you can just sit back and enjoy yourself and your cocktails.

Macera Taller is a large bar with dark lighting and lots to offer. It’s located on the border between Salamanca and Malasaña, and represents well the mixture of the two subcultures. This may become your new favorite spot to come and enjoy signature drinks.

Corazón Agavero

Photo sourced from Isaías EB

Corazón Agavero is the name of a mezcaloteca in the south of Madrid. This is one of those places where you’ll definitely walk out more relaxed than you came in; a side effect of the quality Mexican spirits they serve.

Corazón Agavero has a vast selection of authentic tequilas, mezcals, sotols and more. More importantly, they use them to make magnificent cocktails. Here, you can order flights of shots for tasting the unique flavor of each variation of the spirits.

Photo sourced from Laura Cabello López

This bar is situated in La Latina, one of Madrid’s best neighborhoods, and has the best Paloma recipe I’ve ever tasted. If you haven’t heard of this Mexican cocktail before, it’s a grapefruit and lime drink made with tequila or mezcal. Corazon Agavero knows how to craft the perfect balance between sweet and sour in their cocktails.

As pictured above, the bar doesn’t disappoint with snacks, usually serving popcorn to the table upon arrival. Their menu boasts treats inspired by scrumptious Mexican cuisine, like the potato and mushroom tacos with spicy chipotle sauce. These plates are full of flavor, but it isn’t the place to go for a full meal. Nonetheless, this mezcaloteca prepares some of the most exquisite drinks in the city.

Casa Suecia

Bildergebnis für casa suecia

Photo sourced from Celeste Pino Rodríguez

One of the many great rooftop bars in Madrid, Casa Suecia is a two-story outdoor bar at the top of Hotel NH near Gran Vía. This place has great ambiance and extensive views of the city. You can come enjoy a drink here with friends or family in the open-air space at any time from noon to 1am every day.

Photo sourced from AdriUO

The lovely spot also hosts a Sunday brunch, and they play great music at all times. In fact, you can even book the venue for a private event if you want the two-story bar to yourself. Although the cocktails can be slightly pricey, the staff is quite friendly, which makes up for it.

Local DJs will often play at the rooftop to add even more excitement to the breezy atmosphere. With all of these amenities, there’s nothing more you could ask for from the 11th floor of an NH Hotel.

La Terraza

At the principal hotel

Photo sourced from The Principal Madrid Hotel

If you prefer excellent cocktails at high altitudes, you might want to spend the night at The Principal Hotel. At the top, you’ll find their terrace bar and restaurant. With both indoor and outdoor seating, this is a place where you can spend lots of time.

The Terrace bar at The Principal features spectacular views and equally impressive drinks. The dynamic bar is an extension of the interior’s gourmet restaurant, Ático, created by the Spanish chef and owner of two Michelin stars, Ramón Freixa. The cuisine is a balance between traditional flavors and exciting variations.

Photo sourced from Justyna K

Freixa’s restaurant is just one of the bonus points of the connecting bar. If you’ve done your research about Madrid’s signature vistas, then you probably recognize the above photo. Often used in brochures as a hallmark of the city’s appeal, this rooftop view on Gran Vía is so famous that people pay just to see it from the top.

The greatest thing about La Terraza is that it gives you front row access to the Spanish metropolis and surrounding skyline without a fee. Stop by the Principal Hotel when shopping near Callao and enjoy an amazing cocktail with a view.

Alternatively, if you’re one who prefers a glass of wine, this destination is recommendable. The bar carries fine Spanish brands, some even bottled directly in Madrid, so it’s a great place to taste local wines.

From the advantage of seeing the famous view from a vantage point unknown to most to an elaborate drink selection, you should definitely visit this terrace bar while in Madrid. For details on why you should stay at their hotel, visit Unique Places to Stay in Madrid.

 

Ojalá

Photo sourced from mad4madrid.com

Ojalá is just down the street from Macera Taller, and it offers food upstairs and sand in the basement. This is a good spot to stop, put your feet in the sand, and enjoy a simple drink like a mojito or an Aperol spritz. You and your friends will have a great time under the neon lights and lively atmosphere.

It’s important to note that reservations must be made to sit downstairs, and for Instagram’s sake, don’t forget to take the famous mirror selfie in the bathroom before heading out.

Photo sourced from Aurore Merad

This bar and restaurant is actually an extension of Grupo La Musa, a set of restaurants described in the article on Cheap Places to Drink Beer in Madrid. Other members of the set include two La Musa locations and several other restaurants around town.

 

 

As you can see, the options for drinks in Madrid are endless. The Spanish bars range from everything from beach basements to rooftop concerts. You’ll find bars to drink in Madrid at every time of the day, and they’re all really cool spaces.

Moreover, the majority of these excellent places are reasonably priced. It’s always a relief to receive a well-priced bill when you just want to kick your feet up and enjoy refreshing drinks in a lovely spot with good company. This is one of the reasons why Madrid is such a good city for going out.

Enjoying a cocktail on a rooftop is only one of the many ways to entertain yourself in the Spanish capital. Bar hopping can be a great way to end a long day of tourism. For more ideas on what to do in Madrid, see articles on Free Things To Do, Techno Clubs to Visit, and What To Do As a Solo Traveler.

 

Planning a trip to Paris ? Get ready !


These are Amazon’s best-selling travel products that you may need for coming to Paris.

Bookstore

  1. The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2023 – Learn more here
  2. Fodor’s Paris 2024 – Learn more here

Travel Gear

  1. Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack – Learn more here
  2. Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage – Learn more here
  3. Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle – Learn more here

Check Amazon’s best-seller list for the most popular travel accessories. We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.