Museo Chicote

We were super excited to visit this bar and have a drink. So excited we got lost twice while searching for it. We arrived filled with excitement for nostalgia and quality craft-cocktails.

We discovered, sadly...that not all that glitters is gold.

Cocktails were just so-so. Service was a bit "don't bother me too much" aloof. And while it seemed to be patronized by locals and tourist alike, this bar felt like it needs a bit of an infusion of 21st Century to continue to earn any reputation it has. Like a pretty face can only get one so far, vintage, retro, hip can only do so much. In the end the cocktails need to be top notch and much to my chagrin they were supremely mediocre. I was so very disappointed.

So, I guess my overall advice is to go. Oggle the photos. Ooh and ahh over the prior attendee-celebs like Sophia, Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, etc,, but don't expect much in the way of booze-based concoctions. Oh! And do expect a good sized bill.

This bar was the last place I came to before leaving Spain after two weeks. This was on the advice of my friend, who told me Hemingway, among others was regular patrons at the establishment of Mr Perico Chicote. From Grace Kelly to Eva Gardner, to Salvador Dali to Audrey Hepburn, everyone came here for drinks and eats. It's right out of the 40s and 50s with classy booths and a nice bar filled every liquor you need.

I chose a vodka tonic with lemon and got down with my roots back home and had the burger and fries. It tasted like a virtuous double-double from In N Out, back home but way better, juicier and memorable. I was truly happy that it could bring back memories of home and still enjoy being somewhere truly special.

Drinks are phenomenal as well as the staff, who looked on our needs for

The best cocktails in Madrid. Located on the Grand Vía is the Museo Chicote serving clients since the turn of the last century. It's not a Museum, so don't be fooled by the name.

During the Spanish Civil War, Chicote was a favorite meeting place for the foreign press, frequented by Hemingway after he filed his dispatches down the block. The bar still looks like it did in the 1930s and is decked out with pictures of the famous, Hemingway, Gardner, Grace Kelly, Dali, a young Pedro Almodóvar and others. The cocktails are served in chilled glasses and made to perfection; almost an obsession as if in a chemistry lab. I ordered my Martini and it was clear and chilled looking like Icelandic glacial water. On the weekends there is a DJ. The drinks are about 9 euros a piece including taxes. A bargain in a historical site such as this.

Long gone are the Orson Wells, Hemingway and Eva. You are more likely to find tourists here although the crowd skews to locals. However, the drinks seem to be the same calibre that drove Papa Hemingway here trying to wash away the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.

DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE

DRINKS ARE VERY BLAND. Ambiance is nice, but the drinks are not worth it at all.

I'll give them credit for their glasses, ice cubes, and location, but not their drinks. I've had much better drinks in my cousin's kitchen counter than here.
Music too loud to hold a conversation.
Drinks are bland and they will not serve more than what's in their menu. We had to beg our waitress for a Manhattan, who's h she delivered, but we're further disappointed. People come here for the history. Lots of local old timers for whom it meant prestige before (Photo of Dali here), but flavors have evolved so much that it's a disservice.

Gin Club next door was much better.

I visited this spot as I was out on the town celebrating my Bff bday. We had an AMAZING TIME! We had the BEST bartender ever! drinks were great and it definitely was a vibe. If you're planning on going to Madrid, you have to stop by there and ask for the bartender Enzo. I also spoke with the manager who was also amazing on the way out and praised the great service. Pic below of bartender

Saw this was located across from my hotel and I had to pop in one night for a night cap.

-first cocktail bar in Spain (1931)
-art deco interior
-celebrities back in the day use to frequent (Ernest Hemingway, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren & Frank Sinatra)

It was a quiet night and we grabbed one of the booths. Lighting is dimmed, so we had plenty of privacy.

I tried a couple of cocktails:
Daiquiri Classico
Clover Club
Strong and solid cocktails.

Bonus, they bring around some nuts & chips to snack on.

Although a few more tables filled, it remained relatively quiet. We ended up staying longer than expected and its hard to go wrong when you have snacks, strong cocktails, and a quiet booth for chit-chat.

Cute place and nice waiters, but it wasn't anything Wow. There's nothing majorly wrong but between the drinks and what I expected the decor to be, I wouldn't recommend it for either.

Went for the fabulous decor and history . The booths were really neat. Go for the fun of the history of it.

We were the only people in the place only rather a " master bar tender class" that was going on. Lots of people trying different drinks and trying their hand behind the bar .
They were friendly and shared some of the drinks they were practicing with us.

This is not the place if you are expecting cutting edge unique cocktails, it's a standard menu

Historical cocktail bar in Madrid. The overall design and furniture are exceptional reminders of how real Art Deco in Europe is much more beautiful than imitated Art Deco. Love the old school bar tenders. However is a bit thrashed now. With plastic stickers on the facade, poor lighting and a bit of a tourist attraction feeling.

Great location, and one of the busiest bars in the neighborhood. The place was pretty full, so going to the toilette was a mission each time. People were dancing in the empty spaces (there's no defined dance floor and between the bar and booths are high tables and high stools).

A group sitting at a booth stood up and I asked to sit while they danced. They never came back to sit down, but they kept their coats in a rack above the booth. So the people here were lovely, generous, and neighborly.

I thought it was pretty cool that they were trusting, and people seemed to operate on an honor system. Later that night, a new group came around and asked if they could keep their coats in our booth. Extending the good will, my husband and I became guardians of all these coats.

In the meanwhile, we asked for tequila after tequila. The service was speedy and friendly. In fact, the server ended up taking photos with my husband. And the group who had asked to leave their coats drank and danced with us. Group photos and merriment were abound.

The music was a mix of international hits, top 40s, and 80s. The crowd here ranged between late 20s to early 50 year-olds. And everyone seemed to coexist perfectly well.