The thriving scrap metal collectors
Mayorista de Chatarra is a local scrap metal dealer in Lavapiés that’s been going strong for over 100 years, and especially for the last ten.
Bar En Ca’ Kiko: everyone’s favourite Rastro bar
If simply wandering around the Rastro gives you a buzz, then a visit here will make you feel like you’ve plugged yourself straight into the national grid.
Pastelería Salamat: the little Syrian bakery in Lavapiés
Owned by a Syrian baker called Jihad, Pastelería Salamat has the best selection of baklava I've found in Madrid – and some amazing Syrian flatbread too.
Mercado de la Cebada: the 138-year-old Madrid market that stays true to its roots
Mercado de la Cebada has been through some ups and downs over the last couple of centuries, but what didn’t kill it made it adapt.
Ajenjo Café: Malasaña’s best kept secret
The dust may have settled in Ajenjo Café but, with nearly 40 years under its belt, the place has developed a ghostly charm that fills your head with visions of its heyday.
The 123-year-old ‘museum’ of springs
Muelles Ros - selling exclusively springs - has been run by the same family for three generations, since 1894.
Botellón: Spain’s love-hate relationship with drinking in the street
Botellón is a favourite pastime in action, but it’s seriously testing the innate Spanish tolerance for noise and is causing friction across all of society.
Is tinned food really better than the fresh stuff?
The tinned food craze is sweeping the hipster capitals of the world but Spain has long been aware of the treasure inside these little tins.
The secret Mediterranean patio in Lavapiés
Hidden deep within Lavapiés, and almost always closed, this stunning cobbled patio took some serious discovering.
The bar that hasn’t closed in 40 years
Cafetería Hinojar has been open 24 hours a day every day for 40 years and hasn't changed at all.
The Lavapiés sweets and spices shops
Wander around Lavapiés' maze of connected high streets and find dozens of Asian spice stores firmly grounded. Gentrification is going to need to work hard to push these neighbours out.
Mercado de la Cebada’s no-frills seafood party
Every Saturday, all of the seafood stalls group together and transform the mercado's aisles into electric avenues of seafood bars.
Explore Madrid’s charming workers’ housing
Corralas encapsulate the soul of Spanish urban living, which boomed when Madrid was declared capital of Spain in 1606.
Bar El Boqueron: the last marisquería in Lavapiés
In the candy-coloured streets of this multicultural barrio lies a traditional Madrid institution serving up some of the best seafood around. It's the last marisquería in Lavapiés but step inside, back to 1949.
Madrid’s guerilla gardens
Guerilla gardens have been popping up all over Madrid since the recent crisis – people have been reclaiming disused land for use as public space by planting trees and vegetables.