{"id":9056,"date":"2019-07-19T10:38:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T08:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/?p=9056"},"modified":"2019-07-24T12:18:29","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T10:18:29","slug":"cafe-gijon-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/cafe-gijon-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bars and caf\u00e9s in every city have little by little become places to chat and have good conversations, a place to talk with both friends and strangers about heaven and earth, politics, relationships and philosophy… and as the famous song Al Calor del Amor en un Bar<\/em> (The Warmth of Love in a Bar) of the Spanish group Gabinete Caligari<\/strong> says: Bares, qu<\/em>\u00e9 lugares \/ Tan gratos para conversar \/ No hay como el calor del amor en un bar<\/em>. (Bars, what great places \/ So pleasant to talk there \/ There is nothing like the warmth of love in a bar)<\/p>\n

Today, this article by ShMadrid<\/strong><\/a> will tell you more about the famous Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n<\/strong>, one of the most characteristic cafes in the capital, and, as the song says, the location where many intellectual conversations by great writers have taken place.<\/p>\n

Related article:\u00a0A Bookworm’s Guide to Madrid<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n, cafeteria for Madrid\u2019s intellectuals<\/h2>\n
\"interior<\/a>

Photo by tripu via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

In the nineteenth century cafes were pretty common in Madrid. These were the places where they held intellectual gatherings and ordinary meetings, always accompanied by pleasant drinks and talking partners of their level.<\/p>\n

Today, many old cafes have become versatile spaces, where they sell books and organise events, such as musical performances. And this can all be enjoyed by sitting comfortably at a table while having a coffee or a drink<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some examples of cafes are: Tipos Infames<\/strong>, in Carrer de San Joaqu\u00edn, 3<\/strong>, Caf\u00e9 Fugitiva Librer\u00eda<\/strong>, in Carrer de Santa Isabel, 7<\/strong> or Central de Callao<\/strong>, in Carrer de Postigo de San Mart\u00edn, 8<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The legendary Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n<\/strong>, which first opened its doors in 1888, still is a reference point for literary gatherings today, and they are frequented by many writers and intellectuals. The Premio Caf<\/em>\u00e9 Gij<\/em>\u00f3n<\/em> is an annual Spanish literary award, and its first competition took place in 1949. The competition was originally promoted by Fernando Fern\u00e1n G\u00f3mez, who was one of Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n\u2019s most loyal customers.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most special characteristic element of Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n is, that it is located outside the area where literary<\/strong><\/a> gatherings in Madrid normally take place, like for example the caf\u00e9s near Puerta del Sol<\/strong>. Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n was established by Gumersindo Garc\u00eda<\/strong>, an Asturian Indian who made his fortune in Cuba.<\/p>\n

Related article:\u00a0Madrid’s Secret Spots<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"cup<\/a>

Photo by Carabo Spain via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n was divided into two parts: one side served coffee to clients arriving at the door in carriages, the other side were garages. Eventually the great Caf\u00e9 de Gij\u00f3n would become an institution. It was not only Spain\u2019s most famous caf\u00e9, but also one of the most prestigious caf\u00e9s in the whole world.<\/p>\n

The exterior fa\u00e7ade is made of brown marble with wood finishes, and three large windows look out over the narrow sidewalk of Paseo de Recoletos<\/strong>. The restaurant has a capacity of 35 to 40 tables, and it has partially been renovated to turn it into a restaurant<\/strong><\/a>. Nowadays, Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n offers meals<\/strong><\/a> and tasting menus, but they also still serve their always delicious coffees.<\/p>\n

Enjoying Madrid\u2019s good weather is not a problem, as there is a lovely terrace outside. The location of this emblematic place is Paseo Recoletos number 21<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The tables are made of black marble, and the decorative elements are traditional to literary cafes, with wooden-lined walls and paintings that were donated to the cafe after artist gatherings. The floor in the cafe consists of a chessboard of tiles in maroon and light ivory.<\/p>\n

*Main photo by Florentino S\u00e1nchez via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you know Caf\u00e9 Gij\u00f3n? Why do you like to go there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bars and caf\u00e9s in every city have little by little become places to chat and have good conversations, a place to talk with both friends and strangers about heaven and earth, politics, relationships and philosophy… and as the famous song Al Calor del Amor en un Bar (The Warmth of Love in a Bar) of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":318,"featured_media":9058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[705,2012,767],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/318"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9056"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9101,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9056\/revisions\/9101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}