Music Venues & Clubs

Flamenco – Jazz – Blues – Rock – Dance &  DJs – Funk & Soul – Open Mic/Singer-Songwriter – After Hours – Gay – Wine & Cocktail Lounges
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FLAMENCO

Please see our flamenco section.

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JAZZ

Blue Note Cafe - Jazz music and drinks!

Café El Despertar – “A frozen moment in jazz history withantique fans, coat racks, cash registers, lighting fixtures and tablesall seemingly untouched by time.”

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BLUES

La Coquette – “Legendary Madrid blues bar. 25 Years in business.”

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ROCK

Wurlitzer Ballroom – “A place where you can hear Aretha Franklin,Guns’n'Roses, The Dead Boys, MC5, Marvin Gaye, Twisted Sister, and The Sonics within the same 30-minute timeframe.

El Perro de la Parte Atrás del Coche – “El Perro de la Parte Atras del Coche is a picture perfect example of anunderground bar.”

Gruta 77 – “Authentic live rock venue to check out the city´s best punk, garage rock, rockabilly, swamp, and generally bad-ass rock bands. Just south of the center of town.”

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DANCE & DJs

Club Demode - A hip place with different djs practically every night.

Reina Bruja – “If you’ve ever been so bored that you’ve found yourself staring at youraquarium wondering what it would be like to be inside, you may want tocheck out the new late-night discoteca in town, the Reina Bruja. In the best way possible, it may actually give you some insight into that aquarium.”

Club Kapital - “One of Madrid’s most famous nightclubs. Seven floors of fun.”

La Ochenta – “80’s music without making you feel like you are in some cheesy theme bar.”

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FUNK & SOUL

Bambalam – “With soul and funk as a theme, you can hardly go wrong and the owners haven’t held back one iota.”

Boca del Lobo - “These DJs mix it up, but keep it groovy and funky. Concerts downstairs.”

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OPEN MIC/SINGER-SONGWRITER

Chill Bill - Offering live music, open mikes, and plenty of room to dance in, this Plaza de Castilla bar adds a bit of downtown to the upscale nieghborhood.

Nietzche Bar -”A new concept in bars, especially for this barrio, Nietzsche seeks toup the cultural ante. Whereas bohemian art bars are a dime a dozen inLavapiès, this space takes a more fine-arts approach.”

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AFTER HOURS (places open after 6am).

Bar Trece (Open 6am-10am. This links to their web site. Review coming soon).

GAY

The Moon - “A great place to go if you enjoy emerging at closing time, bleary eyed,stumbling into the weak morning light, stinking of cigarette smoke.”

SuperMartxe – “Walking in from the lazy spring afternoon into the enormous, dark, frenetic, complex, with techno pounding and thousands of people dancing below you is a bizarre experience – one which even a full weekend of partying won’t prepare you for.”

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WINE & COCKTAIL LOUNGES

La Venencia – “Taste Spain’s famed sherries.”

José Alfredos – “Have you been desperately searching for a bar that looks like a 1920sspeak-easy, sounds like a 1970s lounge and was inspired by traditionalMexican Rancheros?”

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Aguja Taberna – Hole in the Wall Bar

Hole in the Wall Defined

Here is a prime example of “Hole in the wall”. Rushing here and there, I’ve passed the Aguja on several occasions – I ‘ve always noted, almost subconsciously, that it seems to bustle just a little more crowded than other places on the block; however, I was always in too much of a hurry to stop by and check it out.

When I finally took the time to do so, I immediately understood what all the fuss was about.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bars in Lavapies Madrid: Nietzsche Bar

That Which does not Kill You…

So you’re on your way out for the evening and you think you’ve seen the range of entertainment that Madrid has to offer: a never-ending series of bars in which herds of people stand crammed together ankle deep in wadded napkins and discarded sunflower seed shells.

Although the prospects seem a bit dim, the call of the Marcha is more than you can resist. In futile resignation, you mutter those famous words of Nietzsche, “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” and tragically stumble toward the door.

But, fear not, life doesn’t have to be this punishing.

As improbable as it may seem, nestled on a side street in Lavapiès an artist oasis exists: Nietzsche Art and Drink.

A new concept in bars, especially for this barrio, Nietzsche seeks to up the cultural ante. Whereas bohemian art bars are a dime a dozen in Lavapiès, this space takes a more fine-arts approach. Vaulted ceilings and walls saturated in royal red align this space more with the Museo de Reina Sofia down the street than with the surrounding neighborhood.

Here, the art changes monthly and other cultural activities are held as well – book signings, dance performances, etc.

On your average night, however, it’s just a lovely place to have a drink and talk with friends. And, one more thing, this review would simply not be complete if we didn’t mention that they have the most comfortable sofas in Madrid. Seriously, if there was a Nobel Prize awarded for “comfy couches” this place would be a real contender. The best part is the walls are lined with them!

One last unique feature of this bar is that it doesn’t seem to attract a consistent crowd – the scene changes with the art and other activities – sometimes it’s full to the brim other times it’s just you, your friends, and 20 cushy sofas.

Nietzsche Art & Drink

Calle Doctor Fourquet, 12

(watch out this street discontinues and turns)
T. 91 506 1141

Sun to Thurs, noon to 1:30;
Fri & Sat, noon to 2:30

1 places are mentioned in this post!

1. Calle del Doctor Fourquet, 12

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