Madrid is a beguiling place with an energy that carries a message: this city knows how to live. Step out into the streets of many barrios at night and you’ll find yourself swept along on a tide of people intent on dancing until dawn.
High drama at the Teatro Flamenco Madrid
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANTHONY HAM. PHOTOGRAPH: PEDRO GARCIA
CAFÉ BELÉN
elcafebelen.com
Café Belén is cool in all the right places - lounge and chill-out music, dim lighting, a great range of drinks (especially the mojitos) and a low-key crowd.
CHOCOLATERÍA DE SAN GINÉS
chocolateriasangines.com
One of the grand icons of the Madrid night, this specialist café for chocolate con churros sees tourists throughout the day, but locals pack it out in their search for sustenance on their way home from a nightclub somewhere close to dawn.
DELIC
delic.es
Nursing an exceptionally good mojito or three on a summer evening at Delic’s outdoor tables on one of Madrid’s prettiest plazas is one of life’s pleasures. Due to licensing restrictions, the outdoor tables shut two hours before closing time, whereafter the intimate interior is almost as good. There’s also an especially wide range of gin and tonics.
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