Gay scene »

Most of Madrid's gay and lesbian life is played out in an ever-expanding circle around Plaza de Chueca. A heavy concentration of the city's gay population actually lives in the neighbourhood too. One of the nice things about Madrid's gay scene is that it is relatively open to straights. Various bars and cafes recommended elsewhere in this section are clearly gay-friendly, while some of the following bars and clubs attract a strong hetero crowd.

Bars

Acuarela Cafe
(tel 91 522 21 43; Calle de Cravina 10), a quiet place with a gay arty atmosphere, is ideal for an intimate drink.

Truco
(tel 91 532 89 21), right next door to the Acuarela Cafe on the corner with the square, is one of the city's few predominantly lesbian bars, although plenty of straights seem to end up here too.

Cafe Stromboli
(Calle de Hortaleza 96; open 4pm-3.30am daily) oozes the 1970s in its way-out decor but the music is very 'now'. It's a relaxing place for a coffee during the day or drinkies by night.

Mama Ines
(tel 91 523 23 33; Calle de Hortaleza 22; open 10am-2am Sunday to Thursday; 10am-3am Friday & Saturday) is one of a rash of new bars in Madrid where you can brunch, snack or dance depending on the time of day. It's stylish and intimate.

Discos & Clubs

Truck
(tel 91 531 18 70; Calle de la Libertad 28) celebrates hits from the 1960s on - a lively, fun place.

New Leather
(tel 91 308 14 62; Calle de Pelayo 42) is just one of the many gay bars towards the southern end of this street. The name describes the theme.

Rick's
(Calle de Clavel 8) is a heaving bar that fills to bursting most nights. They open the doors at 11pm and locals highly recommend it.

Why Not?
(Calle de San Bartolome 7) is a classic gay dance hall. A lot of its contemporaries have fallen by the wayside but this place, which also attracts a small straight crowd, remains a firm favourite.

Ohm Dance Club
(tel 91 531 01 32; Plaza del Callao 4) is the weekend incarnation of Bash Line and takes on a gay flavour (although gays will tell you the straights are taking over!). Theme parties are frequently organised as part of the fun. On Sundays the name changes again, to Week-end.

Pasapoga
(tel 91 521 50 27; Gran Via 37), a luxurious old-time music hall that still functions as such earlier on in the evening, transforms later at night into one of the top gay dance locations at the moment.

Cool Ballroom
(tel 91 542 34 39; www.coolballroom.com; Calle de Isabel la Catolica 6; open midnight-5.30am Thursday to Saturday) on occasion hosts big gay bashes, such as the Sunday night Shangay Tea Dance.

Queen Madrid
(Calle de Barbieri 7) has been around forever and while not always flavour of the month is a reliable gay dance venue.

Strong Center
(tel 91 531 48 27; Calle de Trujillo 7; open midnight-dawn daily) is a fairly intense gay guys' disco with a particularly active dark room - popularly acclaimed as the best in the city. This place is as much sex club as disco.

Sweet
(Calle del Doctor Cortezo 1; open midnight-dawn) opened in early 2002 in what had been Refugio. It has opted for a glam look and was set to become one of the bigger hits on the gay night circuit.

 

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