Abacería Macarena

Verdict: A Neighbourhood Abacería Worth Knowing in Chamartín

The common assumption about Calle Velázquez is that it belongs to Salamanca's polished dining circuit; white tablecloths, tasting menus, prices to match. Abacería Macarena sits at number 136, closer to the Chamartín end, the format is different. An abacería is a grocery-bar hybrid, a format that never really died in Madrid but gets overlooked by visitors focused on the city's Michelin corridor. If you arrive expecting a full restaurant experience, you'll need to reset those expectations before you walk in.

For someone who has been once, the question is what to do differently on a return visit. The answer with any abacería worth repeating is to spend more time at the bar. The drinks program at a well-run abacería is not a support act for the food; it is the point. Madrid's abacerías have historically been retail wine and spirit shops that grew a counter, which means the selection logic is closer to a bottle shop than a cocktail bar. The practical upside: you are often drinking at retail-adjacent prices, the range across Spanish DOs and local vermouths tends to be broader than a restaurant list of equivalent size.

Booking here is easy by Madrid's standards, walk-in is the natural format for a bar-counter operation like this, there is no waiting list dynamic comparable to DiverXO or Smoked Room. That accessibility is part of the value proposition. When you want a glass of something considered and a plate of something honest without the choreography of Madrid's €€€€ tasting menu circuit, an abacería answers that need directly.

Chamartín as a neighbourhood is less trafficked by tourists than Salamanca or Chueca, which keeps the atmosphere local. The streets around this stretch of Velázquez tend toward residents and office workers rather than out-of-towners, that shapes the experience at the counter. If you are coming from central Madrid, it is worth combining with other stops in the upper Velázquez corridor rather than treating it as a standalone destination.

On the drinks side, the sensory anchor at a good abacería is often the smell of the space itself, older vermouth barrels, dry sherry, the faint cedar-and-spirit note of a serious bottle collection. Whether that applies precisely here, the format suggests it should. Spanish vermouth, particularly Madrid-style, served cold with an orange slice and an olive, is the most practical entry point for a first return visit if you defaulted to wine last time.

One honest caveat: the venue data available for Abacería Macarena is thin. No confirmed hours, no price range on record, no awards documentation. That limits how precisely we can position it. What the address and format do confirm is that this is a neighbourhood abacería in Chamartín, the right choice when you want something local, low-ceremony, drinks-led, rather than another stop on Madrid's formal dining circuit.

How It Compares

Against Madrid's €€€€ dining tier, DiverXO, Coque, Deessa, Paco Roncero, Abacería Macarena is not competing. Those venues require advance booking, formal dress considerations, three-figure budgets. Abacería Macarena is the counterpoint: accessible, walk-in, priced for a midweek glass rather than a celebration dinner. If you are in Madrid for fine dining, those four should anchor your itinerary. Abacería Macarena fills a different slot.

Within the abacería and bar category, the comparison that matters most is between venues with a serious drinks selection and those coasting on convenience. A well-stocked abacería on a residential Madrid street will typically outperform a tourist-facing wine bar on breadth of Spanish regional producers and price honesty. For a fuller picture of what Madrid's bar scene offers across formats, see our full Madrid bars guide.

If you are building a Madrid trip around food and drink across price points, the practical split is this: book the tasting menu experiences (DiverXO, Coque) months in advance, use DSTAgE for a creative mid-tier option, treat Abacería Macarena as the low-pressure drinks stop that rounds out the trip without requiring a reservation. That is the itinerary logic that actually works in this city.

Practical Details

Also Worth Considering in Spain

If you are building a broader Spanish itinerary, Pearl covers Quique Dacosta in Dénia, Arzak in San Sebastián, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona. For Madrid-specific planning, start with our full Madrid restaurants guide, our Madrid hotels guide, and our Madrid experiences guide.