One specific side street is dedicated to pets, with real pet shops on either side of the road, and a few people outside selling their own puppies out of cardboard boxes and sports bags. The main street, c/ Ribera de Curtidores, is the place to head to if you’d like to see antique shops in Madrid, most of which open every day of the week.

There are two extra reasons for visiting the Rastro on a Sunday morning: the first is the live music, from the organ grinder playing Chotis, a popular music and dance from Madrid, to a complete Jazz band if you’re lucky.

The second reason is food: finish your Rastro visit with either the traditional bocadillo de calamares, a battered squid baguette sold in one of the many bars lining the main Rastro strip, or head towards the atmospheric heart of La Latina for lunch in one of the many tapas bars around Plaza de la Cebada and Cava Baja.

TIPS: Go early, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., to avoid the masses. Be careful with your wallet, camera and other possessions, as this is a favourite spot for pickpockets.

Metro: La Latina / Tirso de Molina. The Rastro is on Calle Ribera de Curtidores and surrounds. See map below:

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You can think of La Latina as Lavapiés’ more stylish older sister. The neighborhood is one of the most lively in Madrid thanks to the combination of a high concentration of good tapas bars and a young, modern crowd. And it’s happening at about any time of the week. Sundays may be La Latina’s busiest day, with the morning Rastro and the afternoon spillover into the bars and plazas of the barrio. Enter any bar at about 6 p.m. and it’ll feel like Saturday night all over again.

Ben has already made a fantastic map with some of his favorite bars, but here are a few more suggestions for Sundays and beyond:

Drink: Taberna Salamanca is a tiny, old timey place on the famed Cava Baja good for a drink before heading elsewhere—the food is apparently worth it as well. Barrio Alto is a stylish yet laid-back bar that boasts cocktails and reasonably priced light meals set to jazz, funk, and more.

Eat: Taberna El Almendro deserves the first mention for the outstanding price-quality ratio and ambience to boot. Txakoli is an excellent Basque pintxos bar with two locations. Juana La Loca offers innovative pintxos in a sit-down setting. Some complain it’s overpriced, but it’s worth trying the tortilla de patata with caramelized onions.

Picnic: Grab a bocadillo from the Cervecería San Andrés and join the multitudes sitting in the adjacent plaza on a sunny day at any time of year (see photo above!). You can also head down to the lovely Plaza de la Paja to hit up the brand new second location of Viva la Vida, the vegetarian take-away buffet, and eat outside.

Debauch: One word: Contraclub. Copas and great music: funk, soul, rock, etc. No 40 Principales to be found here. Friday and Saturday it’s open ‘til 6 a.m., with free entry until 2 a.m.

What are your favorite spots in La Latina?

See map below for all places mentioned above as well as opening hours:

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Italian food is not just a pizza or pasta with a load of tomato sauce. There are written and unwritten rules as to what qualifies as “true Italian”, and the slightest pinch of god-knows-what can make or break good relations. Emma y Julia, in the heart of La Latina, gets it right. It is run by an Italian family (perhaps the name refers to the daughters, serving the plates with a smile?) and the mama simply oozes Naples. The interior is rustic, the tables are small, the wines are good, and the food is fresh and simple – as it should be (there is quite a bit of should to Italian food; be that as it may, the mushroom tagliatelle is simply to die for!) There is true Italian coffee, served in true Italian style – Emma and Julia know the nearest Italian equivalent to every Spanish request (again, subtle differences, but they make all the difference). And should you want an even more intimate atmosphere, there are more tables in odd corners downstairs.

As we said goodbye to the family in a mixture of Italian, Spanish, Dutch and English (there are only so many languages you can use in one night without mixing them up), I looked at my friend and saw intense happiness. That was really all the proof I needed.

Tel: 913 661 023. Metro: La Latina. Calle de Cava Baja, 19. See map below:

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Toma Jamon, El Viajero, Taberna del Almendro (full review), La Concha, Delic Cafe, Berlin Cabaret, La Solea, and Sanlucar.

We hope to provide in-depth reviews of all the bars soon!

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I know of no more satisfying experience than the Taberna del Almendro at Calle del Almendro 13 (in La Latina – Map). Even for people really into Spanish food, the native Madrileño cuisine is often not the most rousing experience. Forget that here. This place only does a few things, but they are done exceedingly well. The roscas and huevos rotos are satisfyingly solid, but also have a rustic flair that seems constantly ahead of the curve on avante garde cuisine. The decor is the madrid taberna of Anglo-American imagination. A tasca in a smart suit. It features a vaulted basement dining room from before the epoch of Goya, and the building itself abuts the old 12th-century city wall, traces of which are to be seen in the courtyard alongside the taberna. Oh, and the price defies expectation. I defy you to find a more fully satisfying dining experience in Madrid for the money. Oh, and the house Manzanilla is fantastic as well.

Have you got a Madrid favourite you can write in and tell us about?

¡Toma Jamon!, the name of this favourite in La Latina, means ‘Eat Ham’. And that is exactly what I do when I’m there, from the moment I get through the door, until the bottle of wine is finished and we head on elsewhere. Ask for the house Crianza, I think it’s Rioja, but who cares – it’s delicious, and in any case, we are here for the ham! A plate costs 12 Euros and comes with a large helping of thick, tomato and oil covered bread – it’s ridiculous value for stuff this good.

I was shocked on my last visit to discover that this is one of a chain of 5 other ¡Toma Jamon! bars – you would never guess, it feels like a run-of-the-mill Madrileño bar. In any case, I shall never set foot in any of the others. This one is tucked away on Calle Mediodía Grande (no. 6 – map), in the back streets of my favourite late-night Barrio, and, what’s more, Princess Leticia’s dad used to drink here…
(…before they stopped him drinking in public )