Madrid vegan

This article about Madrid vegan came about more or less by accident. On the trip to Gran Canaria, my connecting flight in Madrid was pushed back twice in advance. It turned out that I could spend practically the whole day in Madrid. I visited two restaurants that I am going to tell you about here.

I was only traveling with hand luggage. But it weighed around 10kg, which is why I left it at the luggage storage at the airport and only set off with a small gym bag. By the way, you can get from the airport to the city center of Madrid in about 30 minutes by train or subway. It only costs a few euros. And at the ticket machines there are usually people from the transport company who will help you to get the right ticket quickly.

Madrid vegan – the breakfast

Around noon I was in the center of Madrid and walked from Recoletos across the old town to the Palacio Real, the royal palace. On the way I looked for a place where I could have breakfast.

You have to know that most restaurants in Madrid don’t open until 1 p.m., but they usually stay open until midnight. Some take a break between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Of course, cafés open earlier, so my choice fell on the Chillin’ Café in the northern part of the old town, not far from the Plaza de España.

Chillin’ Café

The Chillin’ Café is a small restaurant with an Asian touch, which is otherwise furnished in a more industrial style. In the front area, which is a bit wider, there are a couple of smaller tables to the right. On the left is a shelf with coffee and other products that one can probably buy for the home.

In front of the large counter in the left, rear part there is a slightly larger table with high chairs (see photo at the top). Along the wall opposite the counter you will find small wall tables with two barstools each (see photo).

The food at Chillin’ Café

You get primarily small dishes such as toasts and sandwiches, pan cakes and cakes, but also dishes that can be described as lunch. The latter includes the gyozas, the Korean vegan chicken and the Japanese salad. The lunch menu between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. includes 8 gyozas, miso and a sponge cake for 9.95 euros. Prices are perfectly fine. I have not seen a single dish that costs more than 10 euros.

As you have already seen, many of the dishes have an Asian touch. Especially Korean or Japanese. Toasts are very popular in Spain, and like sandwiches and pan cakes, they appeal to an international crowd.

What is there to drink?

Of course you can also get your coffee at Chillin’. In addition to the classics, there are also exotic variations such as the rose or black sesame latte and a cold brew coffee.

A handful of soft drinks from water to a smoothie and a beer are on the menu as well as a few selected specialty teas.

And that’s what I chose for breakfast

The drink was a Cortado, which is very typical for Spain. In Austria they would call it Kleiner Brauner. In principle, it is an espresso with some milk and milk froth, i.e. a small cappuccino. Incidentally, the cortado is often served in a glass. In the Chillin’ Café it was served in an espresso cup and since the theme is Madrid vegan, of course with plant milk (see previous photo).

To eat, I ordered the Wendy’s sandwich with toasted sourdough bread, cream cheese, bacon, sliced avocado with seeds, and nutritional yeast. And because I like to make scrambled tofu at home, I really wanted to try it. Everything can be seen in the photo.

I liked it and the coffee was delicious too. The scrambled tofu was very different from how I make it. Much smoother and also less flavorful. That is of course a matter of taste.

Conclusion

As the name suggests, the Chillin’ Café is a great place to chill. Good for breakfast or lunch. The coffee is delicious and the service is very friendly.

A good place to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city and work on your laptop or use the free WiFi to send vacation photos to loved ones.

Chillin’ Café – Info

Address: C. de la Estrella, 5, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Opening hours: Mon + Tue, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. // Wed – Fri, 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. // Sat + Sun, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Phone: +34 691 53 59 46

www.chillingcafe.es

Payment in cash and by card. WIFI.

Madrid vegan – Lunch

As mentioned before, lunch in Madrid starts at 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. and goes on until around 5 p.m.. For this I chose the Mad Mad Vegan restaurant in the Chueca district. By the way, this is the most important gay district in Madrid.

Mad Mad Vegan

Interestingly, Mad Mad Vegan isn’t all that different in style to Chillin’ Café. Except that both the wood and the walls are darker. Otherwise there are also metal elements, resulting in a rustic industrial style.

The Menu of the Mad Mad Vegan

Basically it is a burger restaurant or a diner. The menu fits on one sheet including drinks. This makes it clear and you can order faster.

The appetizers are primarily finger food like the tequeños (Venezuelan sticks filled with cheese) or the cauliflower buffalo wings. But you will also find a Cesar salad and even Berlin curry sausage.

The burgers are partly with Beyond Meat and there are two chicken burgers. I went for The Mad Signature, which is made with Beyond Meat, vegan cheese, fried onions, and the special Mad Sauce. The regular fries and the Cajún fries are included with every burger at no extra charge. I chose the latter and can only warmly recommend it to you. I haven’t had fries this good in a long time. They are made with a special blend of spices. You pay an extra 50 cents for sweet potato fries, as well as for jalapeños as an extra to the burger. If you want grilled pineapple, double cheese or Vacon extra, it costs 1 euro each.

Two specials (Toronto Wraptor and The Mad Tacos) round out the offerings, and if you like it sweet, you’ll also find a few desserts like tiramisu and brownies.

The dishes are all vegan, some can also be prepared gluten-free. These are marked with a GF, but can still contain traces. Talk to the staff if you have special requests!

You can find a link to the menu in the information below.

Beverages

Mad Mad Vegan has its own beer. One blonde and one dark ale. Of course I had to try it. There is Estralla Gallicia available as well. They also offer red and white wine, some of which are even organic and all come from Spain. And if you need a schnapps after dinner, you’ll find it too.

The non-alcoholic drinks include organic kombucha, natural juices and also organic coffee and tea.

Conclusion

The burger was very tasty, the Cajún fries were awesome and I also liked the blonde ale. So a clear Madrid vegan recommendation. And afterwards you feel good because you know how much water, CO2 etc. you have saved compared to a beef burger (see picture at the top).