Summer Terraces

Madrid is blazing hot in the late spring and summer, and madrileños seem to have a nearly relentless yearning for nightlife. As a result, the city allows nearly 2,000 bars and restaurants to create outdoor spaces for enjoying the cooler, dry summer nighttime air while sipping a beer. For formal summer dining, we recommend some of the lovely hotel restaurants, most of which have private and peaceful gardens or roof terraces that avoid the street noise. Possibilities include the Ritz hotel, La Biblioteca del Santo Mauro (at Hotel Santo Mauro), El Jardín de Orfila (at Hotel Orfila), and La Terraza del Casino. Three mid-range restaurants with good terraces are Sacha, Bokado, and Pedro Larumbe—the latter's rooftop restaurant turns into one of Madrid's most fashionable terraces at night. If you just want to grab a bite or an early-evening drink, drop by La Latina neighborhood, especially Plaza de la Paja or Plaza de San Andrés, across from the Church of San Andrés, or sit on any of the terraces at Plaza de Olavide, an enclave favored mostly by locals, near Malasaña and the Bilbao subway stop. Plaza Santa Ana is a pricier, more touristy alternative. Plaza Chueca, in the neighborhood of the same name, along with the Mercado de Fuencarral (halfway between Gran Vía and Tribunal), the Plaza de 2 de Mayo, and the Plaza de las Comendadoras in the Malasaña neighborhood are always bustling and crowded with younger people. The best nightlife is along the terraces on Castellana, at Terraza Atenas on Calle Segovia, and at the hotel rooftop bars that have spread out in the last few years: Hotel Urban, ME Reina Victoria, Silken Puerta de América, De las Letras, and Room Mate Óscar.