My Hunt for the Best Coffee in Madrid

Have you ever played that cheesy icebreaker game where you have to introduce yourself using an adjective that starts with the same letter as your name? Church camps and extracurriculars were almost always prefaced with endless spiels of, "I'm Talkative Tom!" and "I'm Shy Sally!" Every time it was my turn to spout off a cliched alliteration, I'd without fail say, "I'm Coffee-Addict Courtney."

During my senior year of high school, my AP Spanish class even tried to stage an informal intervention for me. For a span of several weeks, I would receive anonymous notes on my desk pleading, "We're worried about your addiction" and "Seek help now". Fast forward six years later, and I have yet to kick my bad habit. After countless attempts to give it up, I've realized that life is truly more joyful with java. Plus, what kind of expat would I be if I couldn't enjoy a steaming café con leche in a bustling plaza or charming Spanish café? Certainly not one I'd want to hang out with.

I'm always a happy camper when I have a cortado in hand

I'm no coffee expert, but I am a Seattleite. I like my coffee a certain way, and when it fails to meet my expectations, I refuse to drink it grumble and reluctantly still chug it because I'm an addict, remember?  I don't like to dwell on this country's flaws, but I have to be honest here: Spain has a lot of bad coffee. I often have to resist the urge to plug my nose whilst downing my daily dose of caffeine. (For the most part, this is due to a little thing called torrefacto.)

But don't let that discourage you, for Madrid still has plenty of cafés that serve a quality cup o' joe. After an extensive pilgrimage, here are my top 3 contenders for the best coffee in Madrid:

Toma Café

Calle de la Palma, 49

Metro: Noviciado, Tribunal

I'm just going to come out and say it: Toma has the best coffee I've ever tasted in Spain. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Toma could quite possibly serve my favorite coffee ever. Order their café con leche and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Their staff is the friendliest bunch of baristas I've encountered in Madrid, and they always offer a delectable assortment of gluten-free treats. It takes a lot of self-control to avoid coming here multiple times per day.

Enjoying a café con leche from Toma on my balcony

La Bicicleta

Plaza de San Ildefonso, 9

Metro: Tribunal

This cozy coffee shop gets its name from the vintage bicycles and charmingly mismatched furniture adorning the restaurant. The café blasts indie classics from Vampire Weekend and The Shins while local hipsters, savvy expats and trendy bloggers sip their piping hot cortados. However, it isn't just the ambiance that has won me over, for their first-rate java is positively addicting.

Federal Café

Plaza de las Comendadoras, 9

Metro: Noviciado, San Bernardo

Not only does Federal make a mean café con leche, but their brunch is arguably the best in Madrid. Their avocado and feta toasts, breakfast burgers, cortados and chai lattes keep me coming back almost every weekend. They also offer almond milk with their coffee (a blessing for us lactose-intolerant folk), and their gluten-free options are abounding. It's a win-win.

A homage to Federal via Instagram

What's the best coffee you've had in Madrid? 

Do you have any other recommendations? I'm all ears!

Snapshots of Schönbrunn Palace

My pictures don't even begin to do this palace justice. Boasting extravagant interiors and lush gardens, Schönbrunn Palace gives Versailles a run for its money. This regal estate was by far my favorite place in Vienna. My mom and I loved it here so much, we visited it twice! On our first visit, we toured the lavish royal apartments and wandered through the colorful Easter market. We came back on Easter Sunday to spend more time exploring the sprawling gardens and soak up the spring sunshine. 

Out of all of the royal palaces I've seen, Schönbrunn Palace is truly one of the most breathtaking. If your travels bring you to Vienna, I highly recommend this château as your number one destination! 

How to Get to Schönbrunn Palace:

Take the U-Bahn Line 4 (U4) to Schönbrunn station

Alternatives: Take Bus 10A or Trams 10 & 58 to Schloß Schönbrunn

Be sure to buy your tickets in advance here if you plan on visiting during high season!

Linking up for Travel Tuesday today!

What's Next?

Happy June! It's hard to believe that I've lived in Spain for almost nine months already. Time has gone by way too quickly since Christmas, and I can't even begin to fathom how it's almost summer. How did that happen? After my trip to Germany in early May, I decided to take a break from traveling so I could enjoy more of what Madrid has to offer. After constantly being on the go, I was beginning to feel homesick for this city! Since then, I've been tapas crawling, enjoying picnics in the park, discovering new restaurants and rooftop bars, becoming a bandwagon Real Madrid fan, exploring different neighborhoods and going on epic adventures with my fellow expat friends. Every weekend seems to be more fun than the last, and my steadfast love affair with Madrid has yet to subside.  

But naturally I can't stay in one place for too long, so here's what's on my summer agenda:

photo via

I'm going to Greece!  I'll be spending 11 days in Athens, Crete and Santorini with my friend Jen in July. I couldn't be more excited to lounge on the beach, explore the picturesque hillsides and eat delicious Greek salads every day. So if you have any Greece travel tips to share, please send them my way! We're looking for all the advice we can get.

After spending a week and a half in paradise, I'm heading back home to Seattle for the summer. I'm beyond thrilled to spend two whole months going on Whole Foods shopping sprees, cuddling with my cats Tucker and Oliver (aka Chairman Meow and Kitty Purry), overdosing on brunch at Portage Bay Café, and hanging out with my fabulous family & friends. I'll also be spending a week in Arizona visiting my mom and trying not to melt. But as long as there's a pool and In-N-Out Burger, I can't complain.

Until then, I'll be watching and rewatching this amazing timelapse video of my gorgeous city:

Seattle Dream Pt. II by F-Stop Seattle. Makes me cry every time.
Once mid-September hits, I'm off to Madrid again for a second year of teaching English through the Auxiliares de Conversación program. While they sometimes drive me crazy, I can't bear the thought of leaving my adorable students - so I'll be staying at my same school in Galapagar. While I'm excited for Round Two of teaching, I'm particularly thankful for the opportunity to stay in Madrid another year. I'm not ready to say goodbye to this place anytime soon. I plan on focusing my 2014-2015 travels more on Spain, for there are still so many parts of this beautiful country that I have yet to discover. Awhile back I posted this 2014 Spain Bucket List, and I hope to hit many of those spots next year! But I can't ignore the rest of Europe completely, so I'm also hoping to travel to Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Copenhagen and possibly Iceland or the south of France. Who wants to come with me?
I can't wait to share my upcoming adventures with all of you, and feel free to follow along on Instagram (@courtneylikkel) and Twitter!