A hundred years ago, people bought freshly milked milk on San Joaquín Street. Today, they drink matcha. Citricö has opened at number 16 on this street in Malasaña, in a dairy from 1911 that still retains its street-level office and the frescoes that once decorated it.
Behind the project are Agustín Montesinos and David Barciela, who are also partners at Sardö, one of Madrid’s hottest wine bars right now. Their idea: a specialty coffee shop featuring natural ingredients, designed for a quick midday break. “In Madrid, there were specialty coffee shops and new restaurants, but there wasn’t a place that combined the best of both,” explains Montesinos.
A dairy with a rich history
The building had a stable inside and, facing the street, a shop where neighbors bought milk, a staple at the time. In 1911, it was occupied by the cowboy Ricardo Somoza. The walls were then adorned with Modernist paintings of four female figures representing the four seasons, inspired by the posters of the Czech artist Alfons Mucha. Those frescoes now reappear at the entrance.
The renovation is the work of Marcos Antón’s MABA LAB studio. Behind a stainless-steel counter and a large lamp that resembles the sun, the space combines tiles in neutral tones, wooden accents, a mirrored wall, and warm lighting. In one corner, glass bottles evoke an old apothecary. Next to them are books for sale, a tribute to the Tipos Infames bookstore, which occupied this street until February 2026.
The menu revolves around natural, unprocessed ingredients. There are several coffee options, matcha, and hojicha tea, as well as cold-pressed juices made fresh each week, homemade lemonades, and smoothies. You can add a scoop of protein, collagen, or ashwagandha to the smoothies. For food, there are toasts, sandwiches, yogurt bowls, and sweets.
Everything—except the juices—is prepared fresh in an open kitchen. “We believe that what’s healthy lies in what’s natural, in the traditional,” says Barciela. According to Montesinos, you can go there to eat, have a drink, or simply relax and pick up one of the books they’ve selected.