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Casa PATAS If you’re interested in Flamenco but don’t know your cantadores from your bailadores, this lively club is a good place to get acquainted with the scene. Rated by madrileños
for its class acts, the show usually starts around 11pm or a little
later and continues into the small hours. Beforehand you can have a
drink at the bar or order from the range of tapas, steaks and plates of fried fish .
Casa PATAS
Las Carboneras Set to rival Casa PATAS is this Madrid tablao
(Flamenco club) which opened in 2002, its talented and enthusiastic
young owners also figuring among the performers. The standard of both
resident and visiting acts is excellent, which is why it is already
making waves among aficionados. Although the show doesn’t usually begin
until around 11pm, arrive early to be sure of a seat. Serves typical
Spanish snacks. Café Central Rated
as one of the best jazz clubs in Europe, since it first opened in the
1980s it has booked top international acts. The decor carved wooden
ceiling, gilded mirrors, marble tables, maroon seats is also
exceptional. If you get here early, you can while away the time snacking
on tapas .
Café Central
Populart Founded
in the early 1990s, this jazz venue, like the Central, is now an
important part of the cultural life of the city. The stage is small and
space is at a premium, so get here early if you want to see as well as
hear the acts – not only traditional jazz, but blues, country,
Jazz-Latino, even occasional reggae. Very smoky . La Negra Tomasa One
of the best places in town to hear top salsa bands (and emerging
talent) performing live. The show usually starts around 11pm but you’ll
have to get here much earlier to get a seat. Otherwise you’ll join the
samba-like queue at the bar, clapping and swaying to the infectious
rhythms. Standard Cuban fare served . Calle54 After making the film Calle-54,
Spanish director Fernando Trueba created this club to offer the best in
lively Latin jazz. There is also a restaurant serving Mediterranean
cuisine. The show starts at 11pm and booking is essential. Paseo de la Habana 3 Metro Santiago Bernabeú
Joy Madrid Madrid’s best known disco celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2001. Once a 19th-century theatre, staging zarzuela
operettas and music hall, visitors can still gaze down at the dancers
from the tiered balconies. A favourite with the city’s gilded youth and
showbiz crowd, outsiders are more than welcome. Don’t bother turning up
before midnight – none of the locals will.
Joy Madrid
Clamores This
roomy jazz venue also books blues, reggae and gospel acts and,
occasionally, Flamenco. The atmosphere is laid back and the audience
really gets into the swing of things. Look out for the weekend jam
sessions. Villa Rosa Villa
Rosa has been going for more than 40 years, originally as a Flamenco
club, more recently as a disco. Visitors can admire the tiled Andalusian
style interior, shown to good effect in Pedro Almodóvar’s Movida period
movie High Heels. Very crowded by 1am, more so as the night wears on . Palacio de Gaviria Dance
in the footsteps of the Marqués de Gaviria, a 19th-century hedonist who
entertained Madrid’s high society in this ornate palace near Puerta del
Sol. This venue has various bars, each with a different ambience, and
there are frequent theme nights. The ballroom is either used for live
music, or is colonised by serious dancers getting down to the guest DJs .
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