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.

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• 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.

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

Coffee shops selling books? Bookshops selling coffee? However you call them, here are five wonderful café-bookshops in Madrid where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine while surrounded by good reads. (See round two for more!)

1. Ocho y Medio Libros de Cine

This charming bookshop (featured in the cover photo) specializes in cinema, and boasts a cozy café and outdoor seating area. I love going here for a drink and a tosta right before seeing a film at one of the independent movie theaters just across the street. All screenings are in original version with Spanish subtitles. A tip: this makes for a great date night!

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• Address: Martín de los Heros, 11
• Metro: Plaza de España

Also read: Where to enjoy good film in Madrid

2. La Libre

This is my mom’s favorite cafe in Madrid. Why? Because a few years ago while she was visiting me in the dead of winter, we went in to warm up after a visit to the Reina Sofia Museum around the corner. When she ordered a coffee, the server said, “No ma’am, I think you need a whisky.” He couldn’t have been more right! They also have nice teas and snacks to nibble on, from breakfast pastries to empanadas.

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• Address: c/ Argumosa, 39
• Metro: Atocha

3. La Infinito

This little café-bookshop lies on a corner in Lavapiés and serves up coffee, books and art on a daily basis. Not only does it have a welcoming ambience and lots of light streaming in through its tall glass windows, but it also throws great events, from micro-theater performances (one of which took place in the café’s bathroom!) to popular weekend brunches.

• image from La Infinito
• Facebook
• Address: c/ Tres Peces, 22
• Metro: Antón Martín & Lavapiés

4. La Fugitiva

Books are the centrepiece at this cafe, and I love how its window seats and tiny bar are nestled between towering bookshelves and overflowing tables displaying bestsellers and rare reads. La Fugitiva has all you need from a café (coffee and sweets) and all you could ask of a bookstore – readings, talks, workshops, and of course, that distinct smell of books.

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• Address: c/ de Santa Isabel, 7
• Metro: Antón Martín

5. Tipos Infames. Libros y Vinos 

Wine and books? Quite a killer combination in my opinion. Located right off the popular Calle Fuencarral, this trendy bookshop, café and wine bar is a favorite of many in Malasaña. Tipos Infames offers a much appreciated rest from the bustling shops and streets in the area. It has a lot of seating area, a full bar and high ceilings, making it feel open, friendly and comfortable. It’s a great place to go with friends for a quieter conversation in the afternoon. Plus they throw fun events, so make sure to follow them on social media.

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• Address: c/ San Joaquín, 3
• Metro: Tribunal

Keep reading Round 2 of Madrid’s Best Cafe-bookshops

And if you’re looking for a few of our favorite cafe in Madrid without books:

• Pepe Botella, a coffee place where you can think
• Toma Café, fuel up, feel hip
• Acid Café, seasonal, minimalist and just good coffee

Growing up at my father’s coffee shop in New York — the Hungarian Pastry Shop — I remember there was a poster on the wall that featured 50 coffee shops around the world where you can think. 

Since I arrived in Madrid seven years ago, I’ve always thought that Pepe Botella should be on that poster, photographed alongside the other perfect cafés from Tel Aviv to Reykjavik.

Peer through the bay window at passersby in Plaza de Dos de Mayo in Malasaña

In my mind, cafés aren’t about who has the prettiest foam; cafés should make you feel at home. I first fell in love with Pepe Botella when I was a student. I used to bring my laptop there on Saturdays and Sundays during lunchtime when it was empty, and let the afternoon go by. Ever since, Pepe Botella has been the café I most enjoy going to with friends, family, or alone.

It just fits, whether I want to peer through the window with a coffee or a glass of wine, or disappear onto the red velvet benches in the back with a conversation or the newspaper. It’s the kind of place that invites you to stay for hours. And whenever my sister, Amanda, visits me, this is our spot. She likes to linger there as much as I do.

Pepe Botella is situated in the infamous Plaza del Dos de Mayo, named in honor of the Madrileños who rose against Napoleon on May 2nd in 1802, as well as home to Madrid’s breaking experimental movement in the eighties called La Movida Madrileña. 

The café is named after Napoleon’s brother, José I Bonaparte, who was dubbed Pepe Botella in Spain for his exorbitant drinking habits (Pepe is the Spanish nickname for Jose).

And Plaza del Dos de Mayo is nestled between the streets of Malasaña, Madrid’s trendiest neighborhood that boasts endless cafés and bars. But for me, Pepe is the best.

Also, their coffees come with delicious cookies (called pastas). Every time I ask the waiters for the chocolate ones, they give me two! And their wine comes with blue chips.

I’ve never had cocktails there, but I can say that the tables around me usually move on to the gin & tonics by 7pm.

Café Pepe Botella

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• Address: c/ San Andrés, 12
• Metro: Tribunal, Noviciado, Bilbao

As you walk through La Paca’s door, you feel like you’re in the right place. This funky café in Malasaña is always a good choice when you’re in the mood for a coffee, a beer, or something stronger.

La Paca’s facade on calle Valverde in Malasaña (image from Facebook)

La Paca is divided into two areas: the ground bears a worn-out floor from a different time period, when the place used to be a family’s house. Vintage furniture from every single corner of Spain fills the room: old sofas, lamps, Galician mirrors, and bird-cages. La Paca‘s owner is an antique collector who travels across Spain in pursuit of treasure troves. You can find his finest pieces either sold at his vintage store La Republicana, or displayed at La Paca.

funky furniture at La Paca

One step up and you’ll find Chema, the star bartender and the man who runs the show. As I say in Spanish, he’s “un terremoto de felicidad” (an earthquake of happiness). Working alongside Chema is his sister, Vero, who’s also the perfect host. Feel free to ask them both about the place and their drinks.

La Paca’s menu has different types of tea and coffee served with cakes (carrot, cheese or couland which is an oozy chocolate muffin-type cake),  and bizcocho (pound or sponge cake). If you’re looking for a drink, they also have a wide collection of craft beers (made from Madrid breweries) on tap, wines and cocktails.

In this quintessential Malasaña café, you’ve also got to try their tortilla de patatas (homemade Spanish omelet), it is my favourite!

my favorite tapa at La Paca

Another feature that makes La Paca so special is its events. On Wednesdays at 9pm, they have free movie night downstairs. They prepare the room in a way that reminds me of a movie night at a friend’s house; sofas and people scattered about with no order whatsoever (plus the popcorn is also free!). I went last Wednesday and saw Kill Bill I, and the week before they had shown Taxi Driver (in Spanish with no subtitles).

free movie nights on Wednesdays at La Paca in Malasaña (image from Facebook)

On Thursdays, La Paca holds acoustic music performances, making room for up and coming Spanish artists. Although Wednesday movie nights and Thursday concerts are held regularly, La Paca showcases several other events such as theater performances, independent markets, English classes, clown shows, and art exhibitions. In fact, when it comes to art exhibits, they’re booked until 2016!

Theater performance at La Paca (image from Facebook)

What I like most about La Paca‘s events is the way they’re set up. Last time I was there, I ended up sharing a few beers with Chema and Vero, and I asked them how they make money from their events. Their answer was as simple as it was nice: they just want to help people from the neighborhood. If you have a creative project and you need a place to start, you shouldn’t think twice about getting in touch with them.

Shhh…….. today is Wednesday night and the movie is about to start!

La Paca