The best breakfast in Madrid depends on what you mean by breakfast. The local version is a café con leche and tostada con tomate at the bar, and at Café Comercial, by Bilbao metro, coffee with toast or a pastry costs €5.20. For eggs and a seat, Café de Oriente faces the Royal Palace and serves a €16 set breakfast from 8.30am. Specialty coffee drinkers should try Misión Café near Plaza de España, open from 8am with espresso at €2.20, and for a pastry on the go La Mallorquina sits on Puerta del Sol, open 8.30am to 9pm every day.
Where is the best breakfast in Madrid? For a classic Spanish breakfast, Café Comercial on Glorieta de Bilbao charges €5.20 for coffee and toast from 8.30am. For a cooked plate, Café de Oriente by the Royal Palace serves a €16 breakfast. Misión Café opens at 8am for specialty coffee, and La Mallorquina sells pastries on Puerta del Sol until 9pm.
What is a Spanish breakfast, and when do people eat it?
Breakfast in Madrid is small and quick: coffee and toast or a pastry, often eaten standing at the counter. Lunch does not start until about 2pm, as explained in what time people eat breakfast in Madrid.
A cooked breakfast exists, but mostly in cafés that cater to visitors. That long gap is why many locals add a mid-morning snack. Under Spain’s Law 7/2022 on waste, cafés must offer tap water free alongside the menu, so you never need to buy a bottle with breakfast.
How to order at the bar:
- Café con leche is coffee with plenty of hot milk; a cortado is espresso with a dash of milk; café solo is an espresso.
- Tostada con tomate is toast with grated tomato and olive oil, the default breakfast toast.
- Napolitana is a chocolate or custard pastry; porras are the thick churros.
- Pay at the end, at the counter; tipping is optional, see tipping in Madrid.
Which café fits your morning in Madrid?
| If you want | Go to | Order | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A cheap local breakfast | Café Comercial | Coffee and tomato toast | €5.20 combo |
| A cooked breakfast before the palace | Café de Oriente | Spanish breakfast | €16.00 |
| Specialty coffee | Misión Café | Flat white | €3.80 |
| A pastry on Puerta del Sol | La Mallorquina | Napolitana | Ask at the counter |
| Hot chocolate and churros | San Ginés | Chocolate con churros | See its menu |
Where can I get a cheap local breakfast?
At Café Comercial, Glorieta de Bilbao 7, about 60 m from Bilbao metro. The menu Café Comercial publishes serves toast and pastries from 8.30am to noon and from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.
Tomato toast is €3.00, coffee with toast or a pastry €5.20, a croissant €3.40, Iberian ham toast €6.50, and coffee with 3 churros €4.80, churros only until noon. An espresso is €2.60 at the bar and €2.90 at a table, and the terrace adds 10%. Gluten-free bread costs €0.50 extra.
Where can I get a cooked breakfast near the Royal Palace?
At Café de Oriente, Plaza de Oriente 2, about 180 m from Ópera metro, open from 8.30am on weekdays and 9am at weekends.
The menu Café de Oriente publishes lists a €16 Spanish breakfast that brings coffee, orange juice, two eggs, Iberian ham or bacon, potatoes and toast; there is an eggs benedict breakfast and a lighter avocado and smoked salmon one at the same price. Coffee on its own is €4.50, so this is a place for a sit-down start before the Royal Palace visit, not for a quick espresso.
Where is the best specialty coffee for breakfast?
At Calle de los Reyes 5, about 130 m from Noviciado metro, Misión Café opens 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 8pm at weekends, with its own bakery. Espresso is €2.20, cappuccino and latte €3.50, flat white €3.80, and pour-over or cold brew €4.00. Food prices are not on its website, so check the board when you arrive. It is the pick if you want specialty coffee rather than a bar café con leche.
Where can I buy pastries to take away near Sol?
La Mallorquina at Puerta del Sol 8 opens 8.30am to 9pm daily, about 120 m from Sol metro; its branch at Calle de Velázquez 39 suits a morning walk to Retiro Park from the Salamanca district. The bakery does not list prices per pastry. The Antigua Pastelería del Pozo, at Calle del Pozo 8, about 200 m from Sevilla metro, sells puff pastries to take away from 9.30am; Tuesday to Saturday it closes from 2pm to 5pm and reopens until 8pm, on Sunday it opens in the morning only, and it is shut on Mondays.
For chocolate and churros, San Ginés has served them since 1894; hours and prices are in our guide to chocolate and churros in Madrid.
Which metro stop is nearest each café?
Each stop above is the station nearest the door, and which ticket to buy is in Madrid public transport tickets.
FAQ about breakfast in Madrid
What is a typical Spanish breakfast in Madrid?
Coffee, usually a café con leche, with toast topped with grated tomato and olive oil, or a croissant or a chocolate napolitana. Locals often eat it standing at the bar. At Café Comercial the toast costs €3.00 and coffee with toast or a pastry €5.20.
Where can I get a full breakfast with eggs in Madrid?
Café de Oriente, facing the Royal Palace at Plaza de Oriente 2, serves a Spanish breakfast for €16 with coffee, orange juice, two eggs, Iberian ham or bacon, potatoes and toast, and an eggs benedict breakfast at the same price. It opens at 8.30am on weekdays and 9am at weekends.
Where is good specialty coffee for breakfast in Madrid?
Misión Café, at Calle de los Reyes 5 near Plaza de España, opens at 8am on weekdays and 9am at weekends. An espresso is €2.20 and a flat white €3.80.
What time do cafés open for breakfast in Madrid?
Most central cafés open between 8am and 9.30am. Misión Café opens at 8am on weekdays, Café Comercial, Café de Oriente and La Mallorquina at 8.30am, and the Antigua Pastelería del Pozo at 9.30am, closing on Mondays.
In Madrid, order coffee and toast at the bar, and save the cooked breakfast for a palace morning.