Best-of list · After Work
The 9 best after work bars in Madrid, built around vermut de grifo and the early aperitivo. Where to drink like a local, what to order, and when to arrive.
The short answer
9 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
The 9 best after work bars in Madrid run on vermouth. The city pours vermut de grifo from the barrel before lunch and again in the early evening, over ice with an olive and a splash of soda. We chose the tabernas and modern rooms that do the ritual properly, from Malasana to the old centre.
Madrid drinks its first round standing, and these counters have poured the same way for decades.
How we picked
Start at Casa Camacho for the Yayo and the standing room, then walk to Viva Madrid for the tiled grandeur. If you want a seat and a longer glass, La Concha and Santos y Desamparados hold the calm. Eat the tortilla, pace the vermouth, and remember dinner does not start until ten.
Priya Nair is barsforKings' senior cocktail editor and a former Punch contributor. She reads a bar by its menu first: how the list is built, the house spirits, and the one drink worth ordering.
Last reviewed 2026-03-16 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.