Café Royale (CLOSED)

The most amazing thing about this place is what an oasis of luxury and modern design is doing in such a rundown zombie-ridden neighbourhood. The result is a little piece of heaven in the midst of the streets filled with menacing shadows and the stench of what people get up to when left to their own devices. Inside it's a delight, thanks to a design that combines wooden ceilings like you're inside a Finnish sauna, colourful tiles and ultramodern decorations, like the orange cushions against the wall and the bar lights. This well-executed fusion of modernity and elegance is adapted to an international clientele with money in their pockets and a passion for the latest. And of course the soundtrack is spun by top DJs such as Fred Guzzo, and there is even the occasional concert in the spacious interior room, where there are jam sessions of flamenco and jazz. A dash of glamour in an otherwise beaten-down area: the return of Café Royale is not just great news – it's practically cause for a national holiday.