By day a quiet, mixed haven to duck into and catch your breath: curl up with a book and sample one of the teas. After sundown, sip a cocktail, sink into a...

Featuring cosy, mismatched-on-purpose furniture and bold-coloured walls, this small haunt would be unremarkable if not for one thing - silence. Just a...

The belle époque interior is entirely fake yet entirely convincing, making this one of the most peaceful and elegant spots to flick through the newspapers...

A quiet favourite with the smarter denizens of the neighbourhood, Café de Ruiz is an elegant place, with comfortable sofas and dramatic flower arrangements....

A quintessential point of reference in the city's café society, the Bellas Artes is utterly elegant. Under new ownership, it is now free to enter at...

Split into two halves at either end of the narrow Escalinata del Nuncio, the Café del Nuncio has lovely cool, dark interiors with gently rotating ceiling...

This likeable, cramped café with a lovely façade is good for coffee and cake (chocolate or carrot), though prices are a tad high. Head upstairs to a...

Madrid's original gay café is a sedate place where the lace curtains, 19th-century chandeliers and winding wooden staircase lend themselves nicely to a cosy...

Still charming after all these years, this is Madrid's definitive literary café, open since 1888. It still holds poetry tertulias on Monday nights, and...

A romantic and popular stop, with friendly service and screens playing chill-out videos. It gets chock-full at weekends with an amiable and mixed crowd, who...

It's got all the aesthetic charm of a kebab shop, but this bright little bar is something of a classic. It's famous for its zapatillas - huge, open...

Still an in spot for the international crowd, Café Oliver runs the gamut of French, Spanish, Italian and Moroccan without falling into the dreaded...

Whimsical interiors, funky lo-fi music and lots of hanging lanterns make this one of the most relaxing cafés in a neighbourhood full of them. New ownership...

By day dogs chase kids through table legs while their parents chat over mugs of herbal tea. By night the hip hop and jazz DJs attract a different crowd,...