10 of the best craft beer bars in Madrid

One of the things I miss most as an expat in Madrid is quality craft beer. While I’m grateful for Spain’s cheaper beer prices, there’s only so much Mahou and Estrella I can take. Coming from a city like Austin, Texas, which is full of microbreweries and tasty local beers, the light Spanish pilsners just don’t really do it for me.

Luckily, craft beer is on the up and up in Madrid, with more brewpubs and bars devoted to cerveza artesanal popping up around the city. Some feature as many as 40 beers on tap, while others combine craft beverages with pizza, tortilla or specialty cheeses. 

Whether you’re looking to discover more local brews, drink from a wider selection on tap, or pair good beer with good food, you can’t go wrong with these craft beer bars in Madrid.

1. The Stuyck

This cozy bar with a rustic feel features a rotating beer list focusing on Spanish and European beers. The staff is friendly and passionate about what they do—just scope out their craft beer blog which has information from how to properly taste beer to the history of IPAs. Part bar, part restaurant, their international menu features food that pairs well with beer like burgers, wings and sandwiches.

• Facebook & Instagram: @thestuyckco
• Address: Corredera Alta de San Pablo, 33
• Metro: Tribunal

2. Mikkeller

I stumbled upon this place on a magical weeknight to find it relatively empty. The inviting, open interior lured me in, and the friendly bartender who let me sample a few of the 21 beers on tap made me stay.

I soon learned that it was one of Mikkeller’s coveted outposts. The popular Danish beer brand recently graced Spain with another location of its brewpub after opening one in Barcelona. The prices are a little high by Madrid standards, but at this place it’s quality over quantity.

• Facebook & Instagram: @mikkellermadrid
• Address: Calle de la Luna, 22
• Metro: Noviciado, Santo Domingo

3. Bee Beer Craft Beers and Cheeses

If you thought wine and cheese was the perfect pair, let Bee Bar Craft Beers and Cheeses prove you wrong. Like the name says, pair a nice craft beer with a meat and cheese board, which the staff will happily recommend for you.

Even though they have a smaller selection of beers on tap than other places on this list, more than half of them are Bee Beer’s own unique brews, ranging from a Pineapple IPA, to a Wasabi Lager or an Orange Honey Ale. Or you can browse through their expansive selection of bottled international beers (just be sure to ask about prices first).

• Facebook & Instagram: @beebeermadrid
• Address: Calle de Augusto Figueroa, 30
• Metro: Chueca

4. Fábrica Maravillas

This tried and true Malasaña favorite was one of the OG craft beer bars in Madrid before the trend took off. On one of the neighborhood’s quieter streets, this place is small but packs a punch. Unlike some of the other food-heavy bars on this list, this microbrewery focuses on beer and beer only, offering a small menu of bar snacks like olives and nuts. Beer counts as a meal, right?

• Facebook & Instagram: @fabricamaravillas
• Address: Calle de Valverde, 29
• Metro: Chueca, Tribunal

5. Taproom Madrid

Taproom Madrid has one of the largest beer selections in the city. With 40 beers on tap, it’s great for experimental beer lovers as well as novices; both are bound to find a brew they like. What’s more, you can pop by Tierra—arguably the best burrito place in Madrid—next door and bring food back with you. 

• Facebook & Instagram: @taproommadrid
• Address: Calle de Guzmán el Bueno, 52
• Metro: Moncloa

6. El Callejón de La Virgen

A couple of years ago local craft beer La Virgen was hard to come by, but now—much to my delight—their logo is popping up at more and more bars around the city. While the La Virgen brewery in Las Rozas is worth the trip, you can now enjoy a full selection of its brews in the center of Madrid.

El Callejón de La Virgen, one of the brewery’s official pubs in the trendy Conde Duque neighborhood, features favorites like their Trigo Limpio (Hefeweizen), Jamonera (Amber Ale) and classic Madrid Lager. Pair that with a juicy burger and you’ve got a solid weeknight plan.

• Facebook & Instagram: @cervezalavirgen
• Address: Calle Acuerdo, Nº3
• Metro: Noviciado

7. Chinaski

This cozy and colorful beer bar in Lavapiés is the perfect spot for a lowkey night with friends. 

With 18 rotating taps from around the world and “meet the brewer” events, it’s a beer nerd’s paradise. If someone in your group isn’t a fan of beer, they also have a good selection of spirits from absinthe to bourbon. 

• Facebook & Instagram: @chinaskilavapies
• Address: Calle Salitre, 38
• Metro: Lavapiés

8. Pez Tortilla

Pez Tortilla has everything you could ever want in a bar: tortilla, croquetas and craft beer. It’s simple enough, but what Pez does, it does well. 

Try tortilla by the slice from truffle and brie to chicken curry. Mix and match croquetas ranging from classic ham to dessert croquetas like oreo—yes, you read that right. Order a flight to sample from their revolving list of craft beers, which often includes a decent selection of lesser-known Spanish beers.

You’ll often find the uber-popular tapas bar at standing-room only, but it just opened its third location in Sol (the other two are in Malasaña and Lavapiés). And with a motto like “el buen rollo,” it’s impossible not to have a good time there.

• Facebook & Instagram: @peztortilla
• Address 1: Calle del Pez, 36 (metro: Noviciado)
• Address 2: Calle de la Cava Baja, 42 (metro: La Latina)
• Address 3: Calle de Espoz y Mina, 32 (metro: Sol, Antón Martín, Tirso de Molina)

9. Brew Wild Pizza Bar

What’s not to like about beer and pizza? Brew Wild Pizza Bar has perfected both, with mouthwatering pizzas made by a Sicilian pizzaiolo and more than 100 beers to choose from between bottle and tap. Sample from a mix of house, local and international brews and prepare to make your Instagram followers very jealous.

• Facebook & Instagram: @brewwildpizzabar
• Address: Calle de Echegaray, 23
• Metro: Sol, Antón Martín, Sevilla

10. Beerhouse

Beerhouse is the perfect combination of a traditional Spanish bar and an Irish pub: a laidback, no frills sports bar. Grab a pint from a large selection of beers and pair with traditional bar food like nachos, burgers and hotdogs. As one Google reviewer so aptly put it: “Humorous sports bar-meets-craft-connoisseur clash but the resulting vibe is fun and very unpretentious.” Sounds like my kind of place. 

• Facebook & Instagram: @beerhousemadrid
• Address: Calle del Cardenal Cisneros, 16
• Metro: Bilbao

*All images are from each bar’s respective social media accounts.

By Alex Vickery (IG: @alex_vickery, LinkedIn & Website)

A lifestyle writer and content creator who has left pieces of her heart around the world, from Austin to Rio de Janeiro. She’s always on the hunt for good Tex-Mex outside of Texas (but has yet to find it). 

Did we miss any other of the best craft beer bars in Madrid? Let us know!