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Antik Café
Antik Café's dark interior is all about intimacy and discretion. Once inside, the decoration is chic, the clientele invariably sophisticated and speaking in hushed conversations. The drink menu includes coffee laced with something strong from the range of spirits.
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Bar El 2d
One of the enduring symbols of la movida , El 2D's fluted columns, 1970s-brown walls and 1980s music suggest that they haven't quite arrived in the 21st century yet. No-one seems to care, mind you.
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Café del Soul
Cocktails for around €6 are a big selling point these days in Madrid. With chill-out music, curious décor including unusual bench-style seating and softly lit Moroccan lamps, Café del Soul is a decent choice for a quiet night out.
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Cafeina
Just before Malasaña disappears into the seedy hinterland of Gran Vía, Cafeina is a lovely down tempo bar with soft lighting, cool music and a mellow crowd. On weekends, DJs spice things up a bit upstairs.
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Calle De La Cava Baja 5
If you're eating along Calle de la Cava Baja and don't feel like straying too far to keep your night humming along, Calle de la Cava Baja 5 is excellent, with a place to dance and a zone for those who want to chill and be able to hear themselves talk. There's no sign outside, so look for the street number.
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Del Diego
A vaguely old-world café-style ambience pervades Del Diego, but you can hear yourself talk and the cocktails (mostly around €9 ) are among the best in the barrio.
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Dos Gardenias
When Huertas starts to overwhelm, this soothing little bar is the perfect antidote. The flamenco and other chill-out music ensures a down-tempo mood while sofas, softly lit colours and some of the best mojitos in the barrio make this the perfect place to ease yourself into or out of the night.
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El Clandestino
We've been wandering around Madrid for years and this is one bar we always find full. What they're doing right is a low-key atmosphere, funky (and occasionally live indie rock) music and good mojitos .
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La Bardemcilla
Run by the family of film heartthrob Javier Bardem, this bar has an agreeable buzz most nights of the week. A comfortable space to relax, a slightly bohemian air and a loyal following make a great package.
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La Cartuja
A very mixed bag of styles, the three bars of La Cartuja make it a late-night Huertas favourite. The decoration is Andalusian, the music a mix of Spanish and Latin American tunes with salsa on Wednesday nights.
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La Fontanería
With plenty of cocktails, wine and music to keep the rhythm of your night going, La Fontanería is more a drinking than dancing place but it gets the thumbs-up from Huertas regulars.
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La Lupe
There are some nights when you just want to dance on a crowded dance floor to the most popular tunes. If that's how you feel, La Lupe is all about fun and getting up-close and personal with a happy crowd.
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La Musa Latina
After closing for a couple of years to great distress, La Musa Latina is back and better than ever. It's well-known as a great place to eat, but we love it more for the downstairs bar that kicks into gear after the meals have finished. It's unpretentiously cool and the wine-cellar-like décor is wonderful.
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La Palmera
Tucked away in the narrow lanes of Conde Duque, this tiny place is covered in blue and yellow tiles and draws an artsy crowd who come to sit at the small wooden tables and nurse a drink or two. The atmosphere is very low-key.
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La Taberna Chica
Most of those who come to this narrow little bar are after one thing - the famous Santa Teresa rum served in an extra-large mug. The music is chill-out with a nod to lounge, making it an ideal pit stop if you're hoping for conversation.
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La Venencia
If you like your sherry straight from the wooden barrel, La Venencia will quickly become your favourite Madrid bar. There's no music, no flashy decorations - it's all about you, your fino (sherry) and your friends.
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La Vía Láctea
This living, breathing and somewhat grungy relic of la movida remains a Malasaña favourite for a mixed, informal crowd who seem to live for the 1980s. Expect long queues to get in on weekends; by early on Sunday morning, anything goes.
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Local Café Bar Lounge
With its swirling colour scheme, funky soul, disco and deep house beats and a predominantly gay crowd, Local is Chueca in a nutshell.
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Lola Bar
If you like your music chilled, Lola Bar is a great place to start your night. On weekends, the DJ ups the tempo a little but it's more lounge than house and you may find yourself staying longer than you planned. Our only complaint is that mojitos are a steep around €9.50 .
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Malaspina
Although they serve inviting tapas throughout the day, we like this cosy place with its wooden tables and semirustic décor as a mellow place for a quiet one as you head home for an early night. Many of the bars in this area lack character or have sold their soul to the god of tourism. This place is different.
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Mamá Inés
A gay male meeting place with its low lights and low music, this café-bar is never sleazy and has a laid-back ambience by day and a romantic air by night. By day you can get breakfast, yummy pastries and all the gossip on where that night's hot spot will be.
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Melounge
On a quite street just back from the Paseo del Prado, Melounge is most often a colourful but cosy split-level little bar with an artsy vibe where mojitos , daquiris and piña coladas cost a reasonable around €5 . From time to time they also have small shows or exhibitions. It's always worth stopping by to see what's happening.
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Mushotoku Cafe
Tiny, black-walled and laid-back funky, Mushotoku is a mellow place to nurse your drink. On Fridays and Saturdays, a DJ spins minimalist techno tunes and although there's no real space to dance, this place is all about dancing on the inside.
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Stop Madrid
This terrific old taberna is friendly, invariably packed with people and wins the vote of at least one Lonely Planet author for the best sangria in Madrid.
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Suite Café Club
A café-restaurant downstairs, a sleek dance floor upstairs, Suite Café Club is one of the trendiest places in central Madrid (which a single glance at the slickly dressed and mainly gay crowd will show), with DJs cooking up some seriously funky sounds.
