Cafeography
Madrid · Chueca & Salesas

Cafés in Chueca & Salesas

Plaza de Chueca, the San Antón market and Café Gijón on Paseo de Recoletos.

Photo: Mario@masalladelcentro BF Madrid, Pexels License

Chueca lies in the Justicia ward of the Centro district, bounded by Calle de Fernando VI to the north, Gran Vía to the south, Calle del Barquillo to the east and Hortaleza and Fuencarral to the west; the square and the metro station take their name from the composer Federico Chueca.1 Salesas takes in the streets around the Salesas Reales, the convent founded by Bárbara de Braganza, whose church was built in 1750–1758 and whose complex includes the Palacio de Justicia, seat of the Supreme Court.2

After a run-down decade in the 1970s, Chueca became the center of Madrid's gay community at the end of the 20th century; some of the city's first LGBT venues, among them Café Figueroa and the bookshop Berkana, opened here in the 1980s.1 Pride, at the start of summer, is the barrio's biggest event of the year.1

Local tip: Café Gijón has live piano every day from 18:00 to 21:00; for a quieter cup at the marble tables, go in the morning, when it opens at 08:00.

At a glance

66Cafés listed
13With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Sole Mio, from 07:30 (Daily 07:30–20:00).
  • Closes latest: Luna & Wanda, until 22:00 (Mon–Wed 09:30–21:00 · Thu–Sun 09:30–22:00).
  • Most common features: partial wheelchair access (8%), wi-fi (5%), bakery café (3%).

Alfar

  • Calle de Augusto Figueroa, 37
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–19:00 · Sat 09:00–19:00 · Sun 09:00–16:30
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Coffee chains in Chueca & Salesas

Mercado de San Antón and Augusto Figueroa

The Mercado de San Antón, at 24 Calle de Augusto Figueroa, replaced a 1945 building demolished in 2007 and opened in May 2011.3 Its first floor has twelve fresh-food stalls, the second eleven tasting counters and a cultural space, and the third a restaurant with a large terrace.3

Augusto Figueroa is known for its shoe outlets.1 It also has more cafés than any other street in the barrio: Brunchit is at number 33, LaKama Café at number 17 and harina at number 3; Alfar, at number 37, opens at 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends.

Café Gijón on Paseo de Recoletos

The Gran Café de Gijón was opened on 15 May 1888 by Gumersindo Gómez, an Asturian back from Cuba, who named it after his hometown; he later sold it to a barber, Benigno López, on condition that it stay a café and keep its name.4 Gerardo Diego presided over its afternoon poets' tertulia (regular gathering), and in 1949 the actor Fernando Fernán Gómez founded a short-novel prize under the café's name.5

The Escamilla family, owners since 1998, sold it to Grupo Cappuccino in 2025.5 Restoration that kept the furniture and decoration began in October 2025, and it reopened in late March 2026.64 It now opens 08:00–01:00 from Sunday to Thursday and until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with a pianist from 18:00 to 21:00 and a terrace on the Paseo de Recoletos; Banco de España and Colón are the nearest metro stations.4

Pastry shops and cafés in Salesas

Pastelería La Duquesita, at 2 Calle de Fernando VI, is open daily 09:00–20:30, and Hermanas Arce bakes at 6 Calle del Marqués de Monasterio from Tuesday to Saturday. Golda, at 19 Calle de Orellana, opens daily 08:00–20:30, and Pelican Rouge is on Plaza de Santa Bárbara.

Early and late in Chueca

Sole Mio, at 13 Calle de la Beneficencia, opens earliest, at 07:30 every day. Bucólico Café on Calle de Barbieri opens at 08:30 and closes at 19:00, and Kōhī, at 73 Calle de Hortaleza, runs daily 09:00–20:00.

Oita Bistro, at 30 Calle de Hortaleza, is open daily 08:00–22:00, and Luna & Wanda, at 2 Calle de Belén, stays open until 22:00 from Thursday to Sunday. Panod, at 1 Calle de Prim, serves until 21:30 every day.

Sources

  1. Chueca, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  2. Iglesia de Santa Bárbara (Madrid), Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  3. Mercado de San Antón, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  4. Gran Café Gijón, esMadrid (Madrid city tourism), accessed October 2026
  5. Café Gijón, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  6. Reabre esta emblemática cafetería de Madrid con más de 130 años de historia, Time Out Madrid (March 23, 2026), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Chueca & Salesas cafés: questions

When did Café Gijón in Madrid reopen, and what are its hours?

The Gran Café de Gijón at 21 Paseo de Recoletos, opened on 15 May 1888, reopened in late March 2026 under Grupo Cappuccino after restoration that kept its furniture and decoration. It opens 08:00–01:00 from Sunday to Thursday and until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with live piano from 18:00 to 21:00. Banco de España and Colón are the nearest metro stations.

What is inside the Mercado de San Antón in Madrid's Chueca?

The Mercado de San Antón, at 24 Calle de Augusto Figueroa, opened in its new building in May 2011. The first floor has twelve fresh-food stalls, the second eleven tasting counters and a cultural space, and the third a restaurant with a large terrace. It replaced a 1945 market building that was demolished in 2007.

Where does the name of Chueca in Madrid come from?

Chueca takes its name from Plaza de Chueca and its metro station, both named after the composer Federico Chueca. The barrio lies in the Justicia ward between Calle de Fernando VI, Gran Vía, Calle del Barquillo and Calle de Hortaleza, and it became the center of Madrid's gay community at the end of the 20th century.

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