One of the hardest parts is done: you’ve met someone you’re interested enough to go on a first date with. The first meeting means investing time, emotions and, yes, also money, in a stranger who may become a very special person, or you may never see him/her again, in the worst case scenario. So it has to be a place you know but not your own a reliable bar or restaurant -So that you don’t have bad memories of the place afterwards, you need to be able to talk enough to get to know each other, but also that the atmosphere helps you when you don’t know what to say, or need to ease the tension.
Temple of Debod
A basic classic where to be happy watching how the sun falls, how the light gradually disappears on the Madrid horizon to give way to the moon and the darkness (which is never full in Madrid). You will be able to play to distinguish those distant buildings: which neighborhood is that one? Can you see the roller coaster at the amusement park?
And when you turn around, the Egyptian temple of Madrid in all its splendor, minimally illuminated to make it look like pure gold. How fortunate to have places like this in the city.
📍Callede Ferraz, 1 (Argüelles)
Savas Bar
Evil tongues say that whoever has a first date at Savas Bar is blessed forever with a relationship that will work. This, which we’ve made up a bit (though perhaps it’s not just poetic license), makes perfect sense as you enter the venue.
It’s intimate, without being dark; it’s flirty, without being cheesy; and it serves arguably the best cocktails in all of Madrid. This is how their waiting list will let you know. But trust us, booking ahead and losing a little spontaneity and improvisation pays off when it comes to Savas Bar.
Among Savas ‘ most popular cocktails are the Tom Collins (gin, lime, sparkling water) and the Masala Gin Fizz (gin, lime, sparkling water, egg white and chai masala syrup).
📍Callede la Sombrerería, 3 (Lavapiés)
WAH Madrid
How to explain. WAH is pure impact. It is to ensure that your date will have the time of his or her life because the “WOW effect” is the leitmotiv of this musical and gastronomic show.
Located in IFEMA, this space is pure music: from the gastronomic start, in which to taste dishes from around the world, music and acrobatic and dance numbers are present. In the second part, you will enter a large theater where the greatest hits in the history of music will be played. Will you get your special song out of this experience?
📍Avenidadel Partenón, 5 (Barajas district)
A blind dinner at Al Settimo Cielo
The wow factor can be the key to a first date. An extraordinary plan will make you can’t get out of your companion’s mind and, moreover, you’ll leave him or her with their mouth open (and eyes closed) for a long time. We are talking about Dining in the Dark al Settimo Cielo, a concept that arrives in Madrid, specifically Al Settimo Cielo, which consists of depriving you of your sense of sight while you enjoy a luxury dinner.
Food preferences as well as allergies are taken into account, but everything else will escape your sense of sight. Depriving you of this ability,the other senses will multiply their effectiveness, turning this dinner in the dark into an unforgettable first date.
📍 Al Settimo Cielo – calle de Apodaca, 3 (Tribunal)
💸Green (vegetarian), Blue (fish) and Red (meat) menu for 49€ per person.
The rose garden of Parque del Oeste
is the one in the Retiro more well-known and flirtatious? It can. But if there’s one thing the rose garden at Parque del Oeste has, it’s that it’s wilder, more secluded from the crowds and, because of its size and access, has more nooks and crannies and hiding places for a furtive kiss.
Inaugurated in 1955 by Don Ramón Ortiz Ferré (the director of Parks and Gardens of Madrid at the time), the Rose Garden contains 20,000 rose bushes of 650 varieties in an area of 32,000 m2. Not for nothing did this place win the “Garden Excellence” award from the World Federation of Rose Societies in 2006.
📍 Calle de la Rosaleda, 1 (Argüelles)
Casa de Campo Lake
Views of the city, tranquility, space, bars and lots of ducks, the Lago de la Casa de Campo meets many of the requirements of a first date. In its 1,700 hectares it is easy to decide where to sit and enjoy the sun, food and flowers, but the area around the lake is ideal for picnics and you can also see the emblematic Edificio España from some points. If they are too crowded there is an area near behind the tennis courts with tables and a gazebo, surely, with less people and much more Verde.
📍 Casa de Campo
Leclab Royal
A very daring way to break the ice: with a burlesque show, a cocktail dinner and a wine cellar full of Marqués de Riscal wines.
Leclab Royal is the party of sensuality, secrecy and elegance. In this show, LadyVita, accompanied by her Cigarette Girls and MC Dito, will unfold all her charms making you travel to the glamour of black and white Hollywood and the songs and cabaret shows of bohemian Paris.
In addition, on February 11, they are preparing a special date inviting an international burlesque starlette, the Italian Holly’s Good, winner of multiple international awards (such as the “Most Classic” at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas).
📍 Plaza de las Cortes, 7 (Huertas)
💸 Tickets: starting at 100 €
Neon Brush
After sweeping London and Paris, this concept finally lands in the capital of Madrid. There’s something about the low lighting and neon lights that create a more intimate and relaxing space for a first date. This is the context of Neon Brush a room with relaxing music and low light where you can give free rein to your creatuvity and paint a picture with fluorescent paint.
Your steps will always be supervised by an expert painting teacher, but it is your painting and you will take it home, so he will only try to teach you and your date the best techniques, the idea is up to you. The place has a bar, where you can have a wine, beer or soft drink before, during and after the experience, so you won’t get thirsty in the afternoon your first date.
📍 Calle de Irún, 23 (Príncipe Pío)
💸General admission ticket + two welcome drinks 32€.
Alchemy
A wine bar is a very safe and fashionable option for a first date in Madrid. La Alquimia is one of the latest openings of 2022 and as Julieta Pasella (owner together with Antonio Tapia and Nicolas Marchand) explains to Madrid Secreto they started “in a totally unexpected and clandestine way (…) with wine, beers and some cheeses left over from my wedding”.
Although the kitchen is still being set up, the wine list is taking shape with the collaboration of Bendito, Vinos y Vinilos. It has all the ingredients for a good first encounter: a bench with a small table at the ticket, a small Parisian bistro feeling with a traditional touch, natural wines from small-production wineries, they accept dogs and serve good cheese and olives.
📍 Calle Amador de los Ríos, 1 (Almagro)
Gonzalez House
Casa Gonzalez is a family bar and store that has been serving since 1931 in the neighborhood of Las Letras in Madrid. The menu is simple: good cheeses and cold meats and a wide variety of wines. The high quality of the products of this business and its tradition make it an authentic and extremely romantic place. The window table on Leon Street is the most desirable for appointments so we advise you to arrive as soon as possible to get it.
The tradition of this local merges with contemporary Madrid, as both waiters and customers are of the most varied in terms of age and style. What unites us to the customers of this bar is the love for simple products, but of exceptional quality.
📍Callede León, 12 (Las Letras)
Caffeine
This bar is one of those that serve from early afternoon to have a coffee until late at night, when it becomes a cocktail bar. Caffeine is decorated in a classic and elegant style that transports you to the New York of the 1920s. Its large windows, Corinthian columns and art deco-style hanging lamps stand out in the center of Malasaña.
The best thing about the place when it comes to having a date is that the lighting is dim and pleasant and the armchairs and sofas are quite comfortable, which relaxes the conversation. In addition, the transformation of the bar from a simple coffee shop to a crazy cocktail bar will make the chemistry flow naturally.
📍 Calle Pez, 18 (Malasaña)
The Royal Theater
how would you see abandoning yourself to love in one of Madrid’s most iconic buildings? On February 15, 16 and 17, the Palacio Real will host a series of flamenco concerts. Flamenco Real is the gathering of great bailaoras and bailaores on the tablao of the venue’s Salón de Baile, a spectacular, elegant space, replete with red curtains and a starry, vaulted ceiling.
Beyond the incredible space, on stage will be Yolanda Osuna, who will defend her show Romantica del XIX a tribute to the women of the Cafés Cantantes, to romanticism and to freedom.
📍 Plaza de Isabel II, s/n (Ópera)
💸 Tickets: starting at 29 €
Bocanada
A first date is a double-edged sword. And if the company turns out to be disappointing, it is always good to have alternatives, which is what Bocanada offers. At Bocanada you enter without knowing anyone and leave inviting all the parishioners who fill the place to your wedding. A few square feet are to blame for the mingling of conversations.
In addition, Bocanada has another particularity: its wines are chosen little by little. Amanda Leite, the owner, buys the wines in threes and if they run out, they run out. When you come back, you’ll try another one.
📍 Calle del León, 5 (Barrio de las Letras)
💸 Wine glasses from 4,5€.
Council parapet
Madrid, which is a city where it seems that commerce gobbles up everything, also reserves some free spaces with a clear aura of first date. The area of the parapet of the councils and the route through the small streets and alleys give the certainty of two things: one, that of walking through a place that doesn’t look like Madrid two, the character felt in a film by Jonás Trueba or a song by Nacho Vegas.
Walking down the Pretil de los Consejos, the street empties of people, shrinks and expands again in Segovia Street when you bump into a concrete mammoth under which to shelter from the rain and discuss anecdotes of a past life.
Candlelight Concerts
Some might think that a candlelit concert is not the kind of thing to do on a first date, but let’s be honest, booking a table at a chain restaurant is much less so.
Go to an evening Candlelight the performance, besides being romantic, is a unique experience that will invite you to comment on your impressions right after it is over. “I had never seen a string quartet live and I loved it”.“I never imagined that a piano version of this song could please me so much”. It will surprise you, that’s for sure. And no matter how it turns out, you’re sure to keep a beautiful memory of it forever. Because if you take our word for it, it’s beautiful.
📍 Different locations throughout Madrid.
💸 Tickets: Different tYPES OF TICKETS ranging from 15 € to 35 €, depending on visibility.
Yokaloka
This small and picturesque stall in the Antón Martín market inspired Isabel Coixet for one of the appointments attended by the main characters of her film foodie LoveSeries. The characters choose this restaurant’s gyozas on their third date, although we don’t feel like waiting that long and think it’s the perfect place to celebrate a first date. And, why not, if it goes well, repeat in the third one.
In the words of the director, Yokaloka is the place where they serve the best ramen in the world. And she is not entirely wrong. However, we encourage you to try some of the many other dishes on the menu. Perhaps a soup with very long noodles is not the best choice to show your best face the first time you meet your Tinder flirt. Try, instead, sushi or dumplings with a small glass of sake. Or any of the many vegan options they have! They are sure to surprise you and, as in the HBO series, things end up going further.
📍 Inside the Antón Martín Market, de Sta. Isabel, 5
💸 Sushi set from €13,20
Olavide Book Bar
If it’s called that, it can’t be anywhere other than the very same place plaza de Olavide. And indeed, it lives up to expectations. If it’s called a “Book Bar,” it must serve coffees and beers as well as books. And here, again, it does not disappoint.
Olavide Bar de Libros is a wonderful nonsense where literature, drink and food go hand in hand to prove that there is no better trio possible. There is so much to browse and so much to try that the topics of conversation there will be practically inexhaustible. Something that, believe us, is important to keep in mind on a first date.
📍 Plaza de Olavide, 14
💸 Average price: 7 € (without book, of course)
Bucolic Café
Its name speaks for itself: this cozy cafe is a quiet place where you can talk and get to know your companion while you have breakfast, have a drink, and enjoy a drink brunch or have a snack: they are open from 9 am to 7 pm and in their menu you will find hot and cold drinks, a variety of sweet and savory toasts, sandwiches, bowls and pastries, all handmade.
The aesthetics of the place, reminiscent of cottagecore (that romanticized approach to country life) makes it, in addition to being one of the cafeterias madrid’s most beautiful restaurants, in an idyllic setting for a first date (and reservations are recommended).
📍 Calle Barbieri, 4 (lower left)
💸 Average price: 15€
Royal Botanical Garden
In Madrid there are many parks and gardens that could be considered a good (and economical) choice for a first date. And while it’s not free, the Royal Botanical Garden certainly makes that list as well.
The walk and romanticism have always been closely linked and even more so if the environment through which the path runs is a large garden with ponds, impressive greenhouses and a multitude of species of trees and plants. In addition, the Villanueva Pavilion organizes exhibitions that you can also take the opportunity to visit.
📍 Plaza de Murillo, 2
💸 Tickets: general single 4€ and with exhibition 8€. The rates and discounts can be consulted in the web
This article was written with twelve hands by Alberto del Castillo, María F. Carballo, Isabel Nieto, Javi Bisbal, Miguel Sanchez y Elena French.