That breakfast is not the most important meal of the day we have known for a long time, but that does not mean that it is not anything important, or that it cannot be your favorite food. A long meal with after-dinner is very good, and a barbecue with a summer sunset too. But what about a good breakfast, relaxed, abundant and delicious, the perfect way to start the day and be productive (although it depends on breakfast, the truth, you almost want to take a nap afterwards).
I think I'm not the only breakfast lover, because Madrid -like many other big cities- has experienced in recent years a revolution of coffee shops specializing in breakfast. Homemade pastries, eggs in all their forms, toast with a thousand frills, pancakes, sandwiches ... The list is endless, and in many places it begins to get dangerously close to those endless menus of Chinese restaurants in the 90s.
As a staunch fan of this food I frequent many of these places, and with no other objective than to spread the word of good breakfast, today I bring you a guide of what I believe are some of the best places in the capital. By the way, I recommend my favorite order on each of the sites, in case you feel overwhelmed with the large number of options that some offer.
Watts Canteen
A relatively recent opening near La Latina, Watts Cantina is one of those places where everything seems taken care of. It's minimalist and nice, and with plenty of natural light if you get one of the tables near the windows. It has a canteen concept, which means that they have the kitchen open all day, with a fairly varied menu that adapts to all palates and amounts of hunger.
The first thing that caught my attention when I entered was the tray of perfect canelés that they had next to the box, almost shouting "buy us all". But the canelés are not the protagonists in Watts: they are the pancakes. Two options: with maple syrup and butter, or with maple syrup, a grilled egg and crispy bacon. Whichever one you choose, both are a real hit: fluffy, tender, flavorful and, above all, filling. If you eat an entire serving for breakfast, you probably won't eat that day.
Watts Cantina: C. de Don Pedro, 4. Madrid. Map.
Osom
Osom has been around the city for a long time, and their success is remarkable because they already have three locations. I debuted in the first one, on Santa Teresa Street, making a kind of pilgrimage because I found out that they had Hola Coffee, and that is always a sign of people who like good things. But the following times he went to Moratín Street, near the Paseo del Prado.
The famous toast of OsomDiego Domínguez Almudévar
Good coffee is taken for granted, but the menu they offer is not far behind, and is the same in all their cafeterias -also in canteen format-, so you can choose the one that is closest to you. My favorite is their Tostosom toast: it's always a good idea, when you go anywhere they sell food, to order the dish that bears their name: it's usually the one they're most proud of. In this case it is a toast of sourdough bread, with hummus, avocado, a poached egg and a few dressings. Nothing very innovative, but all the components are of very good quality, and the toast is more than good, perfect, no complaints.
Osom: c. de Sta. Teresa, 2, Bajo-Local 4. Map. C. de Moratín, 38, Bajo 3. Map. C. del Castillo, 22. Map.
Novomundo
It is not the first time that Novomundo is talked about in El Comidista: they became viral for being the pioneers of the New York Roll in the capital, but far from staying in a simple trend and dying, they have managed to maintain their quality. With a team that makes you feel like you're having breakfast at your cousins' house, they offer a lot of artisan pastries baked in their workshop (which can be seen perfectly because it is in the same place and the walls are made of glass).
Very remarkable also its baristas, who make incredible coffees. I talked about their cinnammon roll in the article of our favorites of Spanish bakeries, and I still love it; but if I go to breakfast at your local I can not stop ordering the mixed croissant: up to ham and cheese, with a touch of Dijon mustard that gives it a very interesting acidity. Most important of all: they crush and roast it on the spot, resulting in a crispy, buttery, melted cheese sandwich that stretches between the light puff pastry that crumbles in your mouth when biting into it. I'm going to say it: it's the best mixed in town. Hopefully someone will prove me wrong, because that will mean that I will have to go and try an exceptional one.
Novomundo: c. del Carnero, 9. Madrid. Map.
Los Mostenses Market
Attention because this recommendation is not just one, there are at least 10! The Mercado de Los Mostenses is one of the most wonderful markets in Madrid, focused on Latin products but with a few stalls that also have ingredients needed for South Asian recipes, for example. All this without neglecting your classic chicken shops, casqueria stalls, butchers and fishmongers.
In addition, the top floor of the Market is a kind of gastronomic market of those that are so fashionable in this century in which we live. But not one of these with tiny tapas at 10 euros a unit: the gastronomic market of Los Mostenses is full of bars and restaurants with a wonderful offer, mainly Latin; Mostly Peruvian, but there is even a handmade dim sum site for super affordable prices. As in Latin America breakfast is lived quite intensely -more than here-, the breakfast offer of all these bars is wonderful.
My recommendation is that you go exploring, sit in any of the positions and ask for what you want. The last time I had the pleasure of having breakfast there, I ordered a bread with pork rinds -typical Peruvian breakfast- in El Tinkuy, with an intense black coffee next to it that tasted good to me, but in this video you have a few more ideas. I left Los Mostenses with the purchase done, a full stomach, and happy.
Los Mostenses Market: pl. de los Mostenses, 1. Madrid. Tel. 915 425 838. Map.
Pum Pum Coffee
Pum Pum is another mythical breakfast in Madrid, with three other places scattered around the city. Today I am going to talk about one of them in particular: Pum Pum Café. Located on Calle Tribulete, the heart of Lavapiés, it is a small place, somewhat crowded, and usually with a queue of people waiting to enter. Although that may throw back a little, it is worth going at least once, and better if it is on the weekend.
On weekdays, Pum Pum Café has an attractive menu with quite affordable prices, and there are usually people, but you would not stop surprised to say "how many people are here". But as soon as Saturday arrives, the influx skyrockets, and there is no minute in which you pass through the door and there are no people waiting. "What attracts so many people?" you may ask. Well, a breakfast menu – they call it brunch – that includes coffee, orange juice, a croissant baked in their workshop a few streets up, a yogurt with homemade granola of the best I've ever tasted, and to top it off, a sourdough toast with avocado and a poached egg.
Part of the menu of Pum Pum CaféDiego Domínguez Almudévar
All that for ten - yes, ten - euros. It is one of those jewels that resist inflation and make you wonder what kind of magician makes his scandals, but I will not be the one who starts asking questions: I prefer to go whenever I can and get up for what other establishments charge only for the toast.
Pum Pum Café: c. de Tribulete, 6. Madrid. Map.
Celicious
It is difficult not to see the Celicioso premises on O'Donell Street, because it occupies the entire corner in its connection with Menéndez Pelayo, with gigantic windows that make when you are inside you have the feeling that you are on the street. Site, almost certainly, you will have: in addition to the bars and tables at the top, they have a ground floor also huge. But hey, although it may seem that your place is your best feature, the important thing is that nothing they do in Celicioso contains gluten, so it is a perfect option for celiacs.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that, because a site has specific characteristics, it is only intended for people with those same characteristics. But I, without being celiac, have gone to breakfast at Celicioso many times, because I am completely in love with his biscuits, specifically, the carrot biscuit: incredibly juicy and tender, quite a spectacle. They also have other premises in Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella.
Celicious: c. O'Donnell, 4. Madrid. Tel. 918 629 303. Map.
Acid Bakehouse
We arrived at another mythical breakfast in the capital: Acid Café, which since 2018 has been accompanying breakfast bars in Madrid. Like Pum Pum, Acid has an establishment where they bake all their pastries and bakeries -their Bakehouse, the one I frequent the most, since they serve the same in all-, and cafes where they sell it and accompany it with a good menu and specialty coffee.
Homemade pastries at Acid BakehouseDiego Domínguez Almudévar
It's hard not to get excited when you walk through its doors and see perfectly executed pastry trays, golden and light pain au chocolat, cardamom rolls and croissants that come straight out of an Instagram post with the #foodporn hastag. As in Osom with Hola Coffee's coffee, Puchero's chocolate packets on their shelves make you immediately see that you are entering a place where they care about quality.
In Acid Bakehouse they know how to melt cheeseDiego Domínguez Almudévar
The pastries are very tasty, but when I see some kind of sandwich with melted cheese, I can not pass it up. In Acid's case, its grilled cheese is too tempting not to fall: two thick slices of toasted sourdough bread, which enclose perfectly melted cheese, combined with pickled onion, which cuts with its acidity in the middle of all the richness of the cheese. In addition, you can add kimchi, an experience that is worth the pilgrimage to your place.
Acid Bakehouse: c. de la Magdalena, 27. Madrid. Map.
Pavlov's Dog
Pavlov's Dog has one of the cuteest, coziest and best thought out places I've visited, with a beautiful decoration, and a space very well used (taking into account the small size of the place). Such a site may seem like enough claim for many coffee shops, which end up neglecting the product, but luckily it is not the case. Its menu is focused on toast, and following the mantra that the best thing you can do to determine the quality of a tapas bar is to order a simple croquette, I think the same applies with the simple tomato toast for breakfast cafeterias.
Indeed, it makes you salivateDiego Domínguez Almudévar
In this case it is magnificent: grated ripe tomato, with an olive oil infused with rosemary and a touch of garlic that does not overwhelm, all on top of a toast of tender and crispy sourdough bread. Together with an American -with coffee also from Hola Coffee-, it is the perfect way to start the day in a haven of peace in the middle of the bustling capital. And they are dog friendly, which makes it an ideal stop in the middle of the morning walk (I guess with that name, the odd thing would be if they didn't).
Also to take away
In an ideal world, everyone would go to a coffee shop for an hour to have a coffee with a freshly made bun, with soft music in the background and air conditioning in summer or heating in winter. But since normal people are usually in a hurry, here are how many options to take:
Syra Coffee: few businesses I have seen with a faster expansion than Syra Coffe, it seems like yesterday when they arrived in Madrid (they were born in Barcelona), and they already have 10 stores spread throughout the city. They are usually very small places that only make to take away, with specialty coffee roasted in their own roaster in Barcelona, and with a small offer also of pastries.
Syra Coffee: various locations. Madrid.
Clan Obrador: One of the best bakeries / bakeries in all of Madrid, and for some reason does not receive all the attention it deserves. Their showcases are some of the fullest and with more variety I have seen, with perfectly executed pastry pieces, and very original. Its cream-filled kouign amann is solely responsible for the happiness of many of my mornings. A five-minute walk you have Martín Tostador, where you can make a full breakfast with a delicious specialty coffee that they roast in the same place, at a very affordable price.
Clan Obrador: c. del Gasómetro, 11. Madrid. Map.
PANEM: It's hard to discover PANEM to anyone at this point, but it's always worth mentioning them in any article where it's minimally related to baking. Other showcases with pastries of all types and colors, of the most refined and perfected quality. Its proximity to the Retiro Park makes it a perfect option to buy all the croissants that your heart asks for and eat them in the peace and tranquility of the garden of Madrid.
PANEM: c. de Fernán González, 42. Madrid. Tel. 917 959 107. Map.
Obrador San Francisco: The Obrador San Francisco is well known for its breads, but when I feel like having a salty breakfast I try to get a piece of one of its cocas, which are thin and tasty. Special recognition to tomato, mackerel, pine nuts and egg. If you don't feel like salty, you can grab one of their popular panquemaos.
Obrador San Francisco: Carrera de San Francisco, 14. Madrid. Tel. 911 291 756. Map.
Pavlov's Dog: Costanilla de San Pedro, 5. Madrid. Tel. 627 835 630. Map.
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