For me it would have to have the following attribute¨s:

1 A good selection of bollos, pinchos etc with the morning coffee

2 Daily newspapers to peruse

3 Plenty of stools near the bar

4 Well-located teles for the important partidos de futbol

5 As little air-con as you can get away with in summer.

6 85% local customers. 15% tourist or extranjeros.

7 A large range of different aperitivos

8 Opening time from 8 am to 12 midnight. No later.

9 A good menu selection of course.

10 El dia de cansanso is Tuesday or Wednesday.

11 Interesting pictures/maps of Spain on the walls

12 Me (of course) !!!

It sounds good Just one question...

No later? Why? it's ok from Monday to Thursday, but what about the week-ends?

How is a your Madrid neighbourhood bar different to other bars cities/regions of Spain? What makes it Madrid?

Bill

Another requirement - it has to have Morcilla as one of its tapas - yum yum!!!
My preference is a bar that closes by midnight. There are plenty of places that stay open a lot later, but this changes the atmosphere.
I've stated a Madrid bar for some of the same reasons I love Madrid (free aperitivos with drinks, a good mix of people from different parts of Spain and the world, more opportunities for people to find work, no angst as whether to speak in Spanish or Catalan). Of course if your ideal bar would be in another city please feel free to say so!

Corner Cafe is a good chain for hanging out in the morning. It's a cheery place with good coffee and bakery and lots of big, bright windows to people watch. For the most part I would be hard pressed to find someplace that meets all of your expectations. Most decent places have a specialty as far as best time of day and things to get. Other popular chains for the locals are the Museo del Jamon which can be found all over Madrid.

In my opinion that exists....in the Retiro districts, somewhere like the Ibiza or Sainz de Baranda streets, you have the boulebards, the terraces, the bars, existing but under control nightlife, the park for sports, easy access to the airport,.... the pitfall is the obvious one : prices.

This place is going to be hard to find, but this is what I am looking for:

Serves coffee like the coffee found in Lisbon. Portugal know how to make a cup of coffee!

Has an interior like the Majestic Café in Oporto Portugal were the furniture speaks of elegance.

Has outdoor seats, like many of the café found in Italy's Tuscany's Hills Towns. They are quite in the morning and some come with fantastic views of Tuscany and you just sit in your chair forever.

I suppose there are places in Granada with views of Granada that have this. I know of a place I had lunch that certainly has view like in Tuscany.

Serves fresh bagels, that are hot because they came right out of the oven.

Serves freshly sneezed Florida orange juice, that is sweat.

Serves fresh pastries in the morning like you can find Paris that make your mouth water just by the look of them.

Serves a breakfast when you want to do something special on Saturday or Sunday. Like serving a stack of Blueberry Pancakes, Western Omelet with Home Fries or French Toast where the bread is 1 inch thick bread.

Plays friendly music like a Irish Bar.

Does not have sport because it is family friendly place!

Smoking is off limits like in New York City. This has been hard for me when I travel, but I am a guest in another country and I will not say one word on this when visiting.

Does not have a TV. TV is for home not a place were to want to relax, talk to people or read.

When I walk in I am greeted with a hello, how are you or a warm smile.

I know I not going to find this place but, I think I might find it in heaven.

Bill

Sorry. I JUST couldn't resist....

Bill from NYC wrote: You gave me a good chuckle today, on a day it was MUCH needed. Thanks!

There are very few neighborhood bars in Madrid which DO have stools at the bar - most are standing room only. Most neighborhood bars in Madrid don't have maps or photos of Madrid on their walls but instead have photos of families or painting reproductions or maybe soccer/fútbol team memorabilia.

Most neighborhood bars have small spaces, small bars, no chairs at the bar, maybe 4 or 5 tables, one video game or pinball machine or gambling game(s), a 15"=21" TV monitor showing the Spanish soccer game of the day, the same friendly bartender during all opening hours, gives small & free tapas with every drink, sweeps/cleans up the bar daily, allows smoking, most clients are 45 year old men and older (often into their 70s), sells beer dirt-cheap, small bathroom (probably only one) which gets cleaned "every now and then" (don't expect toilet paper), everyone knows everyone because they're the same people everynight, serves porras or churros (brought in from outside) in the morning and coffee all day long.

THAT'S my idea of a typical Madrid NEIGHBORHOOD bar. I often walk past these establishments with a kind of envy, really never daring to walk in for a beer. I know that as soon as I do, every head will turn, expecting to see a regular customer and instead see me, an OBVIOUS yankee/foreigner, OBVIOUSLY took a wrong turn from the tourist zones, PROBABLY doesn't speak any Spanish, and clearly NOT where he's supposed to be. So, for these reasons I never venture into these bars unless accompanied by my ladyfriend there. And even then I'm the object of curiosity, the topic of conversation among us - you know, why am I visiting & how long am I staying & how do I feel about politics in the USA, etcetera. MAYBE if I lived there in that neighborhood and saw the same people while out shopping (err.. well, probably not because in the neighborhoods the women do most all of the shopping and they'd not likely be spending time in the neighborhood bars) or in the streets that I might feel comfortable enough to step inside and get to know some people. But with my still-limited Spanish I don't feel confident enough to try to have a meaningful conversation with anyone without them getting exasperated with me.

Saludos, MadridMan

It would be great if you could take a 6 month sabbatical in Spain, MadridMan! Of course you could go on trips to places like galicia, Andalucia etc. But it would give you a chance to frequent a local bar and become accepted! Of course you may find that other expats (teachers, jounalists, businessmen etc) have got there first, so you wouldn't be such an unusual item!!!
Any way us here on the board can help in persudaing yr boss to allow you 6 months off?
I suppose the alternative is making this board subscription based, allowing you to be self employed!