Welcome to round two of the best cafe-bookshops in Madrid! As you may have noticed in round one, Madrid’s central neighborhoods boast quite a lot of quaint coffee shops and bars that encourage drinking and reading under one roof.

There’s something about drinking coffee or wine amidst a sea of books that makes me feel right at home. Whether you’re looking for the perfect place to enjoy a quiet conversation or a good read, here are five more wonderful cafe-bookshops in Madrid that you’re bound to fall in love with.

1. La Central de Callao 

La Central (featured in the cover photo) is a trendy bookshop near Callao and hands down the most modern of all on this list. It boasts three floors, a happening café with a full menu and a selection of much more than books on offer. At La Central, you can also find funky mugs, quirky bags, useful calendars, board games, wrapping paper, you name it. It’s a great place to get gifts in Madrid.

• Facebook
• Address: C/ Postigo de San Martín, 8
• Metro: Callao

2. J&J Books and Coffee

A long-time staple among Madrid’s expat community, this corner bar has a downstairs bookstore selling a large selection of primarily used English-language books, including ESL resources. Up at the bar, you can get craft beer, wine, coffee, bagels and other things to munch on. Also check out J&J’s free events, including language exchanges and pub quizzes (trivia nights). Lots of fun!

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• Address: c/ Espíritu Santo, 47
• Metro: Noviciado

3. italiana_madrid

This Italian café and bookshop is located on one of Madrid’s most vibrant streets – Corredera Baja de San Pablo – which is lined with great bars, cafes and restaurants, such as Aió Pizzería, Elemental Bistro and Gymage with its rooftop terrace. At italiana_madrid, you can get a strong espresso or Aperol Spritz, plus browse through a wide selection of Italian reads ranging from cookbooks to children’s books. It’s also across the street from one of the city’s favorite theaters, Teatro Lara.

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• Address: Corredera Baja de San Pablo, 10
• Metro: Gran Vía

4. La Ciudad Invisible

A travel bookshop selling food and drinks, this two-level cafe boasts huge windows, high ceilings, and plenty of large tables, couches and comfortable armchairs to choose from, making it a great place for getting work done and meeting friends. Plus it sells a killer Rebujito for 2€ (a really refreshing yet deceptive drink from the South containing sherry, white wine and soda water). It’s also across the street from one of my favorite restaurants in Madrid, Bar Lambuzo.

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• Address: c/ Costanilla de los Ángeles, 7
• Metro: Opera & Santo Domingo

5. María Pandora

María Pandora is one of my favorite spots in the city. Perched atop a hill overlooking Parque las Vistillas, behind the Royal Palace, here you’ll find the perfect place to watch the sunset while enjoying a glass of champagne (the house specialty) or your drink of choice. Although María Pandora is more of a bar than a coffeeshop, it still deserves a spot on this list of literary cafés. It also holds events such as poetry nights, microtheater, and book readings. Check out our full article on María Pandora here.

• Website & Facebook
• Phone: +34 910 42 82 13
• Address: Plaza de Gabriel Miró, 1
• Metro: La Latina or Ópera

Make sure to read: “Best Cafe-Bookshops in Madrid, Round 1″

Also check out our favorite bookshop in the city, Desperate Literature

True or false? Both the Ukraine and Malaysia have two official languages (you’ll have to read till the end to find out!)

Last Thursday, my friend Mike brought me to Beerlingual‘s pub quiz which is held at a Mexican bar in La Latina called La Morena. I was a bit reluctant at first, thinking my knowledge of random facts wouldn’t be up to par. But I ended up joining in on the game, which turned out to be a lot of fun. The bar was packed with people from the world over, and the nachos were ridiculously good.

*Beerlingual has since changed its location. Now it is held at Cervecería Espuma on calle Arganzuela, 1 (metro La Latina & Puerta de Toledo). Same time. See info below for more details.

Included on the Guardian’s list of 8 Hidden Gems in Madrid, here’s the inside scoop on Beerlingual’s pub quizzes:

In Madrid, Thursday brings in the weekend, not Friday. So why not add a fun spin on your regular Thursday night at the bar with friends and play some trivia? Since November of last year, Beerlingual has been hosting free trivia nights at 9pm every Thursday at La Morena, for foreigners and locals alike.

How does it work?

No reservations needed! Show up with your friends by 9pm, and organizers Matt and Betsey will be at the door to assign you a table (as long as one person from your team holds the table, it’s yours). From there just grab a drink, make up a team name, and pick a scribe. You can have groups of up to 8 people. If you’re more than 8, you might be asked to join another team, which could be fun as you’d meet new people (Matt and Betsey will help you out).

Matt says that lots of people come in pairs or even solo, so they try to add them to existing groups. Combining people from different countries also turns the event into a language exchange as well as a pub quiz.

Betsey, an American who’s been living in Madrid for five years, is the quizmaster. She’s on the mic all night asking questions in Spanish and English. They provide the paper, but you might want to remember to bring a pen (I almost ended up using eyeliner).

How long does it go for?

There are four rounds, and each round takes around a half hour. Organizers Matt and Betsey aim for it to end by 11pm, but sometimes it runs a bit longer.

What types of questions are asked?

Questions about everything from movie titles to current events are included in each round. When I went, in the first round we were given ten photos from different movie scenes. The people in the pictures were cut out, and we were asked to identify the movie without seeing any remnants of skin, hair or eyes (we killed that round!).

In the next round, however, we didn’t fare so well. Each question in round 2 pertained to two countries that were heavily featured in recent news–Ukraine and Malaysia. Hence, questions such as, “Which country to the north of the Ukraine borders both the Ukraine and Russia?” (in case you’re wondering, the answer’s Belarus). And the next round was dedicated to sports… yikes.

What’s the prize? 

A round of 5 drinks for the winning table! (winners can choose from La Morena’s extensive cocktail list)

What type of people go? 

You’ll find people from all over the world, even Spaniards…!

What’s the answer to the first question in this article?

False!

Info: 

• Beerlingual
• Beerlingual’s Facebook
• Where: Cervecerías Espuma, Calle Arganzuela, 1
• Metro: La Latina & Puerta de Toledo
• When: Every Thursday at 9pm