Jose Alfredos – Lounge/Bar

The Lounge-iest Bar in the City

Have you been desperately searching for a bar that looks like a 1920s speak-easy, sounds like a 1970s lounge and was inspired by traditional Mexican Rancheros? We, at MAP Magazine, figured as much and out of sheer devotion to you, our beloved readers, went through the painstaking process of finding you one. In case you are curious, it’s called Jose Alfredo’s.

You may assume that you’d have to travel to the ends of the earth or at least out of the center (yikes!) to find such a rarified bar, but, luckily, it’s about 20 meters from Gran Via, smack dab in the middle of the city.

Entering the bar you may not be immediately impressed. Although is nicely decorated and well kept up, it doesn’t grab you until you venture to the back room – it’s then that you enter “the lounge zone”.

This tiered room with sofas galore is ambiently lit with crystal-ball like orbs glowing moodily from the tables. Each sofa, accompanied by comfortably padded chairs, is separated by small banisters giving your party ample room. Walls lined with mirrors amplify this spacious effect.

The music is similarly mellow, although they amp it up a bit at peak times; it almost always tends toward the 1970s groove/funk end of the spectrum.

And true to its cocktail-lounge aesthetic, the bar doesn’t disappoint offering 20 types of cocktails including Gimlets, Mojitos, Manhattans, and many more all for the pleasing price of 7 euros.

Quick historical explanation: the bar was started by a group of men who were fanatical about the Mexican ranchero singer, Jose Alfredo Gimenez. For reasons not known they decided to give the bar an old-fashioned lounge look. Three years ago, several of their employees, some of whom look hardly old enough to work in a bar let alone own one, purchased the establishment. They are similarly fascinated by music, but of a different sort – 1970s African-America inspired grooves. Hence you get this mix which can only be called… post-modern?

But whatever you call it, it works. If you are interested in getting a table arrive early or take your chances.

Jose Alfredo’s
Calle de Silva, 22
Tues-Thurs 21:00-2:30; Fri-Sat 21:00 to 3; Sun-Mon closed
(hours may change according to season)

Andrew Poole

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