Sé transgresor: ve a merendar

Abundant breakfasts, brunches that stun, lunchtime menus with substance, romantic dinners… what about afternoon snacks? This article will pay a humble tribute to the forgotten “meal” of the day, the afternoon snack. So go and have a bite to eat while you take a break from visiting the city, and do so in any of these charming little places.

The first one is Lolina Vintage Café (Calle Espíritu Santo, 9), a popular spot amongst the hipsters from Malasaña, who go there to enjoy specialities such as their carrot cake, although their cheesecake also has its own set of fans. Its style is from the 70s, albeit with a personal and non-artificial touch. Two doors further down is Happy Day Bakery, a retro bakery that is owned by the same owners as the cafe and where you can buy products and later eat them at Lolina. Cupcakes, muffins, cakes of different types, cookies, bagels and products imported from the USA can be bought in this shop that pays tribute to the 1950s in the USA.

A short walk from there is Mamá Framboise, which opened three years ago on Calle Fernando VI, 23. It offers delicatessen designer cakes in a chic, French-style atmosphere, elegant and ideal for a relaxing time. Something similar is what Café del Jardín has to offer inside the Museum of Romanticism, which you can enter without buying a ticket for the museum (although the museum is well worthy of a visit). Homemade cakes that you can eat al fresco in spring on their cute little garden with a pebbled floor.

In the Salamanca district we come across Bendita Locura (Príncipe de Vergara, 73), a place that stands out for its daring yet pleasant atmosphere that clashes with such a conventional location. It serves breakfasts, lunches, drinks and, of course, something to eat in the afternoon. Try the classic dish California or Nebraska or some other American-state name, in a place that arrived before the Vips and the Café & Té, an excellent option for a ritual that is slowly fading away.

Of course, you can have an afternoon snack in the cafeteria of our hotel or in any of the many other ones in the centre of our city, which you can easily get to with a short walk from our central hotel in Madrid.

Photo: Per Mosseby via Wikimedia Commons. Licence CC 2.0

Categories: Madrid Restaurantes