Madrid's craft beer scene, honestly assessed
Madrid was late to craft beer. Wine and vermouth ruled this city for decades, and nobody was complaining. But the craft movement that arrived in the early 2010s found a receptive audience in Malasaña and Lavapiés, neighborhoods that had always backed independent culture over corporate product. Today those neighborhoods are home to some of the most interesting tap rooms in Spain, with local breweries like Cibeles, La Virgen, and Arrieros competing with imports from Flanders and Bavaria. Our editors spent 3 weeks working through 27 bars to bring you the 12 that are genuinely worth your time.
"Madrid's best craft beer bars don't try to be Brooklyn. They mix Spanish brewing tradition, serious German imports, and the kind of neighborhood warmth that makes you stay for a third pint. Order whatever is local and on cask first."
Madrid's original craft taproom, open since 2012 and still the one to beat. Brewing on site in Malasaña with 8 house taps rotating through pale ales, IPAs, and the beloved Frontón session lager. The vintage tile interior is a landmark. Get there before 8pm to claim a table. Their cask conditioned ale on Fridays draws a serious crowd.
An Italian-run bottle shop and bar in Lavapiés that takes its Italian craft beer as seriously as any Florentine enoteca takes its Barolo. 22 taps plus an extraordinary fridge of bottled rarities. The owner imports directly from Birra del Borgo, Baladin, and half a dozen smaller Lombardian producers. Pair a glass with the in-house charcuterie board.
Thirty taps near Sol, mixing Spanish craft with Belgian lambics and German lagers in a low-lit room lined with hop bines. The tap list rotates weekly, but the Cibeles Rubia is always on. The kitchen does proper food until midnight, which puts this a step above most taprooms. We recommend the smoked pork skewers alongside a sour.
The grown-up option in Chueca: a gastropub format with proper chef-driven food alongside a tap list that covers all the major styles. The kitchen sources Spanish heirloom ingredients and matches each dish to a beer recommendation on the menu. Expect strong Belgians, dry-hopped West Coasts, and a rotating nitro stout that the regulars plan their weeks around.
Industrial aesthetic near Atocha station, popular with the after-work crowd from the Rambla del Poblenou offices. The brewery focuses on clean, approachable lagers and hop-forward pale ales. The terrace seats 40 and runs a street food rotation Thursday to Sunday. Their Export Pale is one of the most consistent beers being brewed in Madrid right now.
A tiny Malasaña spot with 16 taps and zero pretension, run by two former homebrewers who know everybody by name. The draft list leans heavily Spanish, with several exclusive beers from small Asturian and Basque producers you cannot find elsewhere in Madrid. Cash only. Loud music on weekends. Our pick for the best regular Tuesday night in the city.
Inside Mercado de San Fernando in Lavapiés, this stall-bar hybrid pours 12 Spanish craft beers by the glass or take-home bottle. The market setting means you can graze pintxos and fresh food while working through a tasting flight. Weekends turn into de facto block parties when the whole market spills into the plaza. Arrive hungry and thirsty.
The name is a portmanteau and the concept is a hybrid: Belgian brewing depth applied to a Berlin bar aesthetic in a Chueca townhouse. Owner Maite Solano trained in Bruges and imports three exclusive lambics that you will not find anywhere else in Madrid. The trappist selection is 17 strong. Book a table on Friday or wait until midnight for a stool at the bar.
The retail face of one of Madrid's most respected production breweries, Arrieros runs a compact taproom in Salamanca that feels out of place in the neighborhood but completely at home on weekends. All 8 house beers on tap, plus a small menu of Madrid-sourced snacks. The seasonal Arrieros Bock, released every November, sells out within 3 days. Sign up for their mailing list.
La Virgen is arguably Madrid's most successful craft brand, and their flagship taberna in the Arganzuela district is where locals go to drink it fresh. The unfiltered lager poured at source tastes noticeably different from anything in a bottle or a supermarket can. Good food, long tables, and a garden terrace that is one of the best outdoor drinking spots in the city south of the Manzanares.
Half launderette, half bar — the concept has been so thoroughly absorbed by Malasaña that nobody questions it anymore. Eight craft taps, extremely cheap, and open until 3am on weekends. The owner curates the tap list with the same care she puts into everything else. Expect emerging Spanish micros you have never heard of and will not stop talking about.
A converted water infrastructure building near Lavapiés that now houses 24 taps and a kitchen operating until 1am. The crowd mixes local artists, tech workers, and serious beer people, which makes for unusually good conversation at the long communal tables. The sour program is the most adventurous in Madrid. Their Gueuze aged in Sherry casks is not to be missed when it is on.
Know a craft beer bar in Madrid we missed? Our editors review every submission personally.
Submit a BarWhere to drink craft beer in Madrid
Malasaña is the spiritual home of Madrid's craft scene, with 6 of our top 12 picks within a 10-minute walk of Tribunal metro station. Lavapiés is the scrappier, more international alternative, where basement bottle shops and market stalls coexist with serious Belgian import specialists. Chueca trends upmarket, with gastropub formats that pair food and beer seriously. For the brewery taproom experience, Arganzuela and Embajadores are worth the longer walk south of Gran Vía. The scene in Salamanca is thin but growing, aimed squarely at the neighbourhood's considerable spending power.
If you want to see the full Madrid bar guide across all categories, including our picks for cocktail bars in Madrid and the city's best hidden gem bars, our editors have covered the full picture. For those visiting from the UK, our London craft beer guide and Barcelona craft beer guide follow the same editorial standard.