I guess it’s time for a true confession. I’m a coffee snob. And when I travel, I have a passion for supporting local roasters and coffee houses. Let’s just say I’ve BEAN Around the World and I’m feeling like now is the time to start sharing the love… and caffeine, one city at a time. Recently, I had a wonderful holiday in Madrid, Spain. And though it was hard to tear myself away from the incredible pinchos and rioja, I did explore the coffee houses, and I’m glad I did. I drank plenty of coffee, talked with baristas, and I’ve got lots to share with you. Let’s open the TWG cafe society doors and talk coffee, Madrid style. If you haven’t had a chance to read Madrid coffee part one and part two, I suggest you do because they offer in-depth explanations of the general coffee scene and talk about how people in Madrid typically drink coffee. And of course, I give you my best recommendations for where to drink coffee!
The specialty coffee scene in Madrid has blossomed over the past few years. Even though it was impossible for me to sample all the cafes, there were some that popped onto my radar because both the local Madrid residents as well as the other coffee shops owners spoke highly of these places. I wanted to make sure you knew of them so if you found yourselves in these neighborhoods, you’d know where to get a high quality coffee beverage.
The residential neighborhood of Chamberí, which I did enjoy walking around, and the multicultural Lavapiés area have become coffee destinations. The traditional, local market “Mercado Vallehermoso” in Chamberí was remodeled and they added an area for organic produce, slow food, and specialty coffee. Many more coffee shops have started roasting beans as well as developing individual roast profiles. This is great news for anyone visiting or living in Madrid!
Here are some of the great places I heard about.
1. HanSo Cafe
HanSo is a coffee shop in Malasaña. Nico, his wife Eva, and younger brother Enrique opened HanSo in late 2015. Nico is in charge of sourcing the beans and Eva handles the desserts. I heard people raving about her home-made Matcha cake. The cafe has an urban, contemporary style with a big communal table in the middle of the room. There is also seating by the windows. They frequently rotate their beans using beans from a local roastery one month, and then an international roastery the next month. Right Side beans and Nomad beans, both from Barcelona, are used at HanSo and you can also enjoy a Matcha Latte if you prefer matcha to caffeine.
HanSo Cafe in Madrid, Spain. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/pg/hansocafe/photos/
If you’re in the residential area of Chamberi, don’t miss out on Santa Kafeina. Owners Yessika and Javi opened up this space in 2016. They both took barista courses in Spain as well as in the UK. For espresso, they brew Right Side beans, though they do switch up their blends every few weeks. I was also told their food is great, so for sure check out this place. Their website is great and one of the best I’ve ever seen for a specialty coffee house. It offers lots of explanations about specialty coffee!
Santa Kafeina in Madrid, Spain. Image source: http://www.santakafeina.com
Another cafe in the Chamberí neighborhood is La Colectiva Café. The two Argentinian owners, Juan Ignacio and Pablo pride their cafe on being a place that has space for everyone, whether you want to bring your whole family or just your laptop. The cafe occupies two floors! They use Puchero coffee as well as Populus Specialty coffee from Berlin.
La Colectiva Cafe in Madrid, Spain. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/lacolectivacafe/photos/
Barry Randall was one of the first to roast specialty coffee in Madrid when he started out in 2014. Finally in summer 2017, he found a permanent home in the Mercado Vallehermoso for his first coffee shop. Vallehermoso is a gourmet market in Chamberí that on the first floor features small producers selling a wide range of ecological and artisanal products. The percentage of roasters among specialty coffee shops in Madrid is unusually high, so competition is tough. Barry roasts between 5 and 6 single origins at a time. You’ll also find various brewing methods for filtered coffee. I’m always partial to cafes that roast their own beans, so Randall Coffee Roasters is high on my list to try next time I’m in Madrid.
WAYCUP opened in the fall of 2017. It’s located near Paseo de la Castellana, which is a bit off the beaten track if you’re visiting Madrid just for a few days. Before opening WAYCUP, Pavlo and Ruslan, the Ukrainian owners, ran a small coffee kiosk. Even though the space is small, there is limited seating by the window and a narrow table on the lower level. WAYCUP collaborates with the roastery Cafè de Finca from Barcelona and features both espresso and filter options. They do have pour-over coffee on the menu. I heard their homemade cookies are a real treat!
Waycup Specialty Coffee in Madrid, Spain. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/pg/WaycupSpecialtyCoffee/photos/
So there you have it, five places to enjoy some specialty coffee beverages. Madrid is a big city and I’m convinced that no matter where in the city you find yourself, there’s a one-off coffee shop worth visiting. If you’ve been to any of these places, do let us know. Even though I haven’t tried them myself, my friends who live in Madrid tell me they’re great, so I’d like to know what you think!
So many great new places for me to try when I go visit family next winter. And bravo on getting the “ñ” and all the accent marks (tildes) right. It’s not easy to do on an English-language keyboard.
Thanks, YLV. Your comment gave me a good early morning laugh. I’m always happy when I learn something new (tildes) and when my readers get excited about coffee!
Shelli, many thanks for sharing your fav coffee shops in Madrid. I’ll be back there in December and I intend to hit each place you listed! As a Spaniard by birth but living in the US, I feel this difference between Spanish coffee and its American counter(feit)part (which makes me drink like an unleashed addict 2 or 3 ‘solos’ o ‘cortados’ at the airport prior to boarding back to the US). I just came back last week from the heavenly Italy/Spain coffee-combo and the Keurig and two Nespressos seating at my kitchen’s countertop have been feeling my contempt…and Starbucks sucks…dunno how they manage to keep open its European branches…Btw, what do you think of Turkish coffee? It’s my fav!
Wow, each place I listed…….you’ll have a great caffeinated time :) Glad you enjoyed the posts, Elena. Your humor makes me laugh! I’ve had the same experience at airports in Europe.I don’t use either, but Keurig is awful. When I travel and have a Nespresso available, I like their ristretto pods the best. I’ve peeked into SB when I’m overseas and they seem to be occupied by tourists, rather than locals. I do like Turkish coffee because it’s strong and muddy. When not traveling I rarely take my coffee out. At home I use a small Italian stovetop that I bought in Europe and grind beans as I use them. Have a great trip to Spain, (I love Madrid) and thanks so much for reading!
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