Celebrating a birthday in Madrid can be an ordeal if you are not sure what to do. And if you decide to have a house party, chances are that your house will end badly and your relationship with your neighbors, worse. So scrutinizing all the possibilities of an event to celebrate the fact that you are still in the world seems the most sensible option, even more so in a city with so many options.
Renting a space
One of the first options that comes to your mind is move the party to a new location and within this there are two other alternatives: renting a space for hours in which music, food, drinks and others are on your own or explore the option of some bars and restaurants that already have a modus operandi with prices, space and even closed menus to celebrate birthdays in Madrid.
1. Café del Rey
With a capacity of up to 100 people (there’s no telling how long your list of friends might be), the terrace of Café del Rey is perfect for the good weather. It is actually a tiki bar with hammocks and surfboards, more typical of a Caribbean beach bar than of the center of the capital. Daiquiris and other more exotic cocktails go great with the chill out music and the white sand that carpets the patio. Its cocktail menu for events with a two-hour open bar is one of the most complete in the city.
📍 Paseo del Rey, 22 (Principe Pío)
💸 F rom 40 €
2. Space Off Latina
Yes, it is also a theater but Off Latina has two rooms and a bar that can be rented for all kinds of events, including birthdays, perfect for not being a nuisance in your building. If you also want to forget about preparations, there is the possibility of hiring the catering service and/or drinks at the bar.
📍 Calle de los Mancebos, 4 (La Latina)
💸 150 € per hour. A minimum of three hours.
With a brunch
If there is one hedonistic plan par excellence in the millennial imagination, it is a morning brunch. What for previous generations was an aperitif of vermouth and tapas, is now occupied by a hybrid of breakfast and lunch with a cocktail to top it off, which has conquered the weekend menus of many restaurants and cafeterias in the capital. There is no better way to start a day of celebration.
3. Casa Suecia Brunch
Since its renovation, the Hotel Casa Suecia has become a gastronomichot spot in the capital. Casa Suecia’s restaurant has its own bakery, so you can imagine how delicious and freshly made their pastries are. As if that weren’t enough, they also make their own yogurt: could this be the most artisanal brunch in Madrid? Maybe. Go, order it and top it off with a nice cocktail, it’s a special day.
📍 Calle del Marqués de Casa Riera, 4 (Sol-Chueca)
💸 30 with this plan.
4. Carmencita Brunch
Although there is a lot of brunch offer in Madrid, there are few specialized places. Carmencita Bar is one of them. Meeting point for hipsters, foodies and Eggs Benedict lovers (theirs are some of the best we’ve tasted). Their brunch has several options to choose from, although there is also a closed menu perfect for those who prefer to let themselves go.
📍 Calle de San Vicente Ferrer, 51 and 57 (Malasaña); Calle Sombrerería, 6 (Lavapiés)
💸 F rom €15,5
A special dinner
Let’s say your birthday falls on a weekday and you have to work, is there a better way to save it than having a nice dinner? If we’re being picky, it’s the perfect excuse to try one of michelin-starred restaurants in the capital. But if what you want is to discover your next versatile and unpretentious head restaurant, these are the proposals:
5. Yugo The Bunker: Michelin-starred Japanese cuisine
Yugo the Bunker is the symbiosis of experience and product quality that can only result in one thing: one of the best gastronomic evenings, whatever your culinary background. This Michelin-starred restaurant replicates the experience of eating in a Japanese bunker and brings together some of the best cuts of fish that can be found in Spain in its sea bass belly nigiri or the Ora king salmon usuzukuri.
📍 Calle San Blas, 4 (Las Letras)
💸 Tasting menu from 145 €
6. Yeca Estrit Fud
It is difficult to compare Yeca Estrit Fud, so it is better to let his letter speak for itself. Among its strong points is the Verde chicken curry with pumpkin – the level of spiciness suitable for all palates and perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the pumpkin. Or the thai salad of beef, lime and herbs. Another Vietnamese-inspired dish deserves a special mention: Banh Xeo (crispy pancakes with bacon, shrimp, sprouts and herbs).
One advantage is that you won’t waste time choosing among its dishes, its menu is reduced (only eight dishes and a dessert). Another advantage: you will spend about 20 € per head to eat what in another restaurant they would sell you for a much higher price. It is a small place (literally 4 tables and they do two shifts for lunch and dinner) so it is advisable to book.
Tribulete Street, 10 (Lavapiés)
Around 20 € per person.
Spas
If we continue in our ode to the most superficial pleasure, the road leads us only this far. No need to explain, it’s your birthday, it’s time to enjoy.
7. Hammam Al Ándalus
The Hammam, a classic, is one of the best known thermal baths in Spain. The one in Granada, inaugurated twenty-two years ago, was the first modern Arab bath in the country. In Madrid it is located on Atocha Street and is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman cistern. Inspiration mudejar of the place, the dim light, the perfumes and the Sufi music, undoubtedly, transport the sense to that Andalusian tradition as the name indicates.
Calle de Atocha, 14 (Downtown)
Relaxing experience with hot springs, turkish bath and massage 55 € 55
8. Four Season
A whim is a whim and this is an expert level one. It is the largest urban spa, in the first Four Seasons hotel in Spain is undoubtedly one of the best options to celebrate a birthday in Madrid. It’s all splurge and luxury. Its four floors make a total of 1,400 square meters, among which there is an indoor pool with the best views, a solarium from which you can see the Plaza de Canalejas, rooms for the most exclusive treatments and a gym open 24 hours.
Seville Street, 3 (downtown)
Treatments from 95 €
A getaway
Sometimes the best thing is to be able to dedicate the time you want to be with someone and there is nothing like a getaway near Madrid to concentrate only on that, on being.
9. La bodega del Quintín
If in addition to sharing an experience, you take something from it, the better, so a one-night plan with wine tasting, cheese tasting, dinner and breakfast, is an ideal plan to celebrate a birthday near Madrid without having to think about every detail. All you have to do is reserve and let yourself be carried away by the tannins of the wine.
Toril Street, 2 (Villarejo de Salvanés)
Basic pack for two persons 130 € 130
10. El Toril Glamping
In El Toril you can forget about light pollution and sleep seeing real stars, plus you will only be an hour and a quarter from the center of Madrid. Its bubble rooms, with transparent ceiling and walls, are equipped with a telescope and have a private Jacuzzi. It’s the perfect opportunity to make a good hiking route and return to the store for a relaxing bath, or even a spa session.
📍 Velada, Toledo
Bed and breakfast for two people 225 € 225
Courses for pleasure
In a world where almost everything we do has a practical purpose, sometimes you have to do things for knowledge and taste. If you imagine a parallel life in which you would do many things for no other reason than this, it’s time to take advantage of your birthday to learn what you really want.
11. Espositivo Academy
Espositivo is a painting workshop and exhibition gallery that brings together painting dilettantes from 8 to 64 years of age. There are intensive courses, others last the whole year and even a master’s degree. They can range from beginners to people who want to improve and explore their skills. Sculpture, motion drawing, watercolor, are some of the options you can find entering this highly sought after academy.
📍 Calle Palafox, 5 (Chamberí)
Depends on the course.
12. Marta ceramics
And in this trend of returning to using the hands to create something tangible and beautiful, or at least trying to do so, there are the workshops such as Marta Cerámica. Its courses are very flexible, ranging from two hours to annual courses. They also have cooking services and private lessons
📍 Calle San Anastasio, 2 (Arganzuela)
Ceramic experience from 240 €
Picnic
If you are lucky enough to have a birthday in the spring or early fall, this is a very nice and inexpensive option.
13. The Casa de Campo Lake
To sit and enjoy the sun, the food and the flowers, the lake surroundings are ideal for picnic and you can also observe the emblematic Edificio España from some points. If they are too crowded and you want to have the party in peace, there is a nearby area behind the tennis courts with tables and a gazebo, surely, with less people and much more Verde. It is possible that on the way you will find a rabbit hole, the area is crowded, but you have to be attentive.
📍 Casa de Campo
14. El Pardo picnic area
If you prefer a picnic area so as not to put the birthday banquet on the floor, one of the best is located in El Pardo. Following the Senda Fluvial del Manzanares you reach this forest. Crossing the Puente de los Capuchinos and bordering this magnificent mountain which is one of the best preserved Mediterranean forests in Europe, once at the dam near Mingorrubio, there is a Zone of tables designed for outdoor dining.
📍 Calle San Anastasio, 2 (El Pardo)
Treat yourself
Getting gifts is great, but buying you what you want is a perfect reward for being on the face of the earth for another year.
15. Wow
Wow Concept is in full Gran Vía and is the evolution of the concept store into a luxury shopping mall. It has a selection of beauty and fashion brands that are difficult to find in Spain; risky, very linked to design and with high prices. They also have a floor dedicated to decoration and another dedicated to technology and video games. Here we do not buy necessities, but whims.
📍 Gran Vía Street, 18 (Downtown)
16. Taschen
Having a Taschen bookstore in Madrid is a privilege that you have to take advantage of from time to time and giving yourself a book as a gift is the best way to do it. This publishing house focuses on art, design, architecture, photography or cinema publications. And many of its editions are collector’s editions. Examples of the latter are the Tarotbook by Dalí or, one of the most popular, The Personal Archives by Stanley Kubrick. So it’s the perfect place to buy a gift for that ascetic friend who brags about coffee table books.
Calle de Barquillo, 30 (Chueca)
An experience in the dark
To develop creativity, it is not necessary to have the light on.
Neon Brush
are you looking for something different to have a good time with your partner, family or group of friends on your birthday? Write down on paper with a pen what Neon Brush proposes: a painting workshop with fluorescent lights that, in addition to playing a cool playlist, includes two drinks and all the necessary material to bring out your most creative side. Grab your paintbrush and have a few laughs among neon lights!
Calle de Irún, 23 (Principe Pío)
The idea of a nice dinner or a massage dazzles even those who are not much given to celebrating birthdays, because in the end the excuse may not be important, but the pleasure of doing something you crave, even once a year, is very rewarding.