65 Best Nightlife in Madrid, Spain

Salsa dancing is a fixture of Madrid nightlife. Even if you don't have the guts to twirl and shake with the pros on the dance floor, you'll be almost as entertained sipping a mojito on the sidelines. Entry with two cocktail vouchers costs €12.

This unpretentious, unapologetically campy bar attracts a motley crew of LGBTQ+ (but primarily gay male) revelers of all ages and nationalities with its pop and reggaeton music. It's a Chueca standby. 

Choose from classic cocktails and original creations at this cocktail bar with an enclosed terrace; it's run by Diego Cabrera, one of the city’s top mixologists.

With two winding floors filled with nooks hosting the city’s best-heeled crowds, this might be the closest thing you'll find in Madrid to a posh private New York club. Music is usually bass-heavy electronic or house. The door is tough, so be sure to dress to impress (no sneakers allowed). Get here before 1:30 am or be ready to wait in line.

You can find fine modern raciones here (the ultracreamy burrata stands out), but this place is better known for its middle-floor bar, which fills up with a cocktail-drinking after-work crowd, and rooftop terrace decorated with potted plants. Beware of the 10% surcharge that comes with outdoor dining, and expect so-so service.

At Madrid's only city-center brewpub, you can taste fun and funky beers that a zany French brewmaster ferments in his “beer lab” a few feet from your barstool.

El Retiro Park is now a nightlife destination, thanks to Florida Park, the see-and-be-seen leisure complex with six venues: El Pabellón, a white-tablecloth restaurant; La Galería, an informal tapas bar; La Terraza, a chic rooftop terrace; Los Kioscos, an indoor-outdoor bar with live music; La Cúpula, a cocktail bar open late; and La Sala, a tony nightclub that heats up on weekends.

Chueca's favorite lesbian bar hosts popular concerts and dusk-to-3:30 am dance parties in an intimate, unpretentious space. The music varies night to night and mixes pop, oldies, reggaeton, and electro.

Cozily furnished with vintage sofas, baroque mirrors, and low tables, this dimly lit hideaway is where locals go to catch up over Spanish natural wine. Keep an eye on their Instagram (@funfunmadrid) for pop-up dinners and events.

The Funktion One sound system blasts techno and house music till the wee hours at this improbably unpretentious Salamanca hot spot. Expect long lines after 1 am. The cover is around €15 and you must be 21 or over to enter.

This snug nightclub is all about fist-pumping rock and roll. There are live concerts most nights, and the cover rarely exceeds €10. DJs make frequent appearances as well, especially late in the evening. Beers are cheap, the music is loud, and close quarters mean you'll probably make an amigo or two.

Your favorite underground European artist has likely played at this perennially packed venue with a large subterranean dance floor and good sound and lights. 

Easy to miss (it’s tucked inside a building just a block off Fuencarral), this is one of Chueca's best lounge bars, and it's open past 5 am nightly. There are live DJs and funk and jazz bands starting around 9; expect a mixed-age crowd.

Welcome to Madrid's newest hot spot for natural wine geeks. Pull up a stool in the snug bar area and choose from an ever-changing selection of boutique bottles you won't find anywhere else.

The trendiest spot to sip natural wine is this cubbyhole that opened in late 2022. If you're lucky enough to snag a barstool or outdoor table (or reserve via Instagram DM—@laalquimiavinos), you'll be treated to top-notch charcuterie and hard-to-find wines ranging from effervescent ancestrales (pét-nats) to tinaja-fermented orange wines to chewy Spanish reds.

At this newly expanded wine-and-tapas hot spot with communal tables ideally suited to large groups, you can pull up a stool and choose from dozens of boutique bottles or some 15 small-production Spanish wines on tap.

This romantic wine bar pours more than 50 wines by the glass and serves a delectable menu of market-driven tapas. You'd be hard pressed to find a more impressive roster of French wines anywhere in the city.

If you feel like dancing but don't want to commit to all-out clubbing, pop into La Kama for a garishly garnished gin-tónic and endless pop and reggaeton sing-alongs.

One of Madrid's largest nightlife venues, with nine bars and an outdoor terrace, La Riviera hosts big-name DJs, local and international bands, and sundown-to-sunup raves. It's a key party spot on the Madrid Pride week (early July) circuit. 

This dusty sherry-only bar hasn’t changed a lick since the Spanish Civil War, from its no-tipping policy to its salty waiters to its chalked bar tabs. The establishment is named for the tool used to extract sherry through the bunghole of a barrel.

This landmark cocktail bar–lounge is said to have been one of Hemingway's haunts. Much of the interior can be traced to the 1930s, but modern elements (like the in-house DJ and hordes of international visitors) keep this spot firmly in the present.

Not for the faint of heart, the booze-fueled pop and techno parties here are a favorite of the younger set and peak at 4 am. Arrive before 1 am to avoid slow, snaking lines.

At this hopping venue, you'll find plenty of space to dance (under the gaze of go-go girls) to hip-hop and reggaeton but also quieter nooks where you can chat.

Sure, you can have a fancy Spanish fusion dinner in this upscale modern nightclub, but most patrons come late, when the dance floor heats up with bumping electronic and reggaeton music.

One of Chueca's buzziest gay bars, Postureo caters to well-dressed creatives, selfie-snapping influencers, and models on their nights off. The bartenders may not know what a Negroni is—even if they have all the requisite ingredients—but you come for the scene, not for the mixology.

This sceney bar in the ME Madrid Reina Victoria is split between a bottom-floor lounge and a more exclusive rooftop terrace with 360-degree views—a boon to chic summer revelers both local and international. The doorman planted outside means you shouldn't dress too casual.

Madrid's oldest discoteca continues to win over patrons with all-night dancing to live music (starting around midnight Thursday–Saturday) and DJ sets. Check the website to see what's on the docket, and prepurchase tickets for parties like Trueno, popular among techno-heads.

Regularly featured on best-of lists, Salmon Guru is Madrid's—and perhaps Spain's—most innovative coctelería. Come here to impress and geek out over eye-popping concoctions like the Chipotle Chillón, made with mezcal, absinthe, and chipotle syrup. The nueva cocina tapas are almost as impressive as the drinks.

This cocktail bar mixes vintage design with artsy touches and caters to a laid-back bohemian crowd. Choose from a variety of not-too-fussy cocktails including one bearing the club's name, made with mixed-berry juice and vodka or gin.