Minimalist, sleek and edgy. That’s the feeling I got when I first walked into Acid Cafe, a new coffee shop that opened its doors in Barrio de Las Letras just over a month ago.
A short walk away from the Reina Sofia, Acid Cafe is secluded, hidden down one of Madrid’s many cobblestoned roads. The only thing that signals it’s a coffee shop (besides the name) is the large coffee machine that can be viewed through its glass doors and walls.
Fede Graciano, the founder and main barista, greets you when you get in and will show you the selection of coffee they have available, letting you smell the aroma. Passionate about coffee, he describes coffee beans by citrus, fruit flavors or smoother, bodied textures.
The name itself comes from a coffee description – good coffee is often described by its acidity and sweetness. As a filtered coffee lover myself, it’s a name I can appreciate.
The cafe’s selection of food is seasonal and is meant to pair with its rotating selection of coffee from La Cabra, a roaster based in Aarhus, Denmark. Acid Cafe is the only shop in Madrid that offers the Nordic roaster and the quality of the filtered coffee is excellent.
The coffee menu isn’t extensive and offers an Americano, flat white, batch coffee and filtered coffee. If you don’t want coffee, they also have chai tea and kombucha.
Graciano said he wanted to create a place in Madrid that didn’t just sell good coffee with your typical hipster menu of avocado and toast or a croissant. The cafe’s winter menu includes a creative selection of winter veggies, such as the pumpkin with beans and paprika or the Labneh (a type of yogurt cheese) with roasted tomato and cauliflower.
Their pastries are also made in house, and I particularly enjoy their vegan cookies, although I’m far from being a vegan.
They also occasionally have live DJs on Sunday afternoons, which Graciano is hoping to make a weekly occurrence.
Stepping into Acid Cafe on a Sunday reminds me of my days in London, when I would go to the local café to get out of the rain. While there may be an excuse as often to escape from the rain, Acid Cafe offers an excellent option to refuel before heading back into the arid sun.
