Madrid · Spain
Café de Oriente
A practical guide to Café de Oriente in Madrid: what to order for breakfast facing the Royal Palace, what the terrace costs, when to go and which charges to watch for on the bill.
Worth it for breakfast on the terrace. You're paying for the view of the Royal Palace more than the food, and if you know that going in, it works.
Café de Oriente is a Viennese-style café and restaurant on Plaza de Oriente, with a terrace that looks straight at the east facade of the Royal Palace. Father Luis de Lezama, a Basque priest, opened it in 1983, and it occupies the vaulted basements of a 17th-century convent. It’s one of Madrid’s best-known terraces and also one of the priciest for what it serves: here you pay for the view.
Our experience
It was our first breakfast in Madrid. On Friday, May 22, we got off the AVE from Granada, dropped our bags at the hotel near the Ópera at 10:00 and were on the terrace by 10:30. We ordered toast with tomato, café con leche and fresh orange juice, then went off to walk the plaza and the outside of the palace. We put it there because it’s two minutes from the hotel and because from those tables you see the whole palace we were touring inside the next day.
We came back on the morning of Monday, May 25, for a farewell breakfast before the train to Valencia. It’s in our first day in Madrid and in day 16.
A bit of history
In 1974 Lezama had already founded Taberna del Alabardero on the same plaza, conceived as a hospitality school for at-risk youth. Café de Oriente extended that project, which today is Grupo Lezama. The building keeps the basements of the Convent of San Gil, home to Bernardine monks, which stood where the plaza is now until the area was cleared in the 19th century.
Cartoonist Antonio Mingote, who drew his daily cartoon for ABC for half a century, had his table here, number nine. The kitchen earned a Sol Repsol in the 2025 guide.
Good to know
Complaints about small portions, slow service and high prices focus on lunch and dinner; breakfast comes out well. If you want the same toast for a third of the price, there are neighborhood bars on Calle del Arenal, but you lose the view of the Royal Palace and Plaza de Oriente.
What to see, in order
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The terrace facing the palace
You sit facing the 140-meter east facade of the Royal Palace, with the statue of Philip IV and the stone kings of Plaza de Oriente in front and the Teatro Real to your left.
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Toast with tomato
Toasted bread rubbed with garlic, cold grated tomato, olive oil and salt. With Iberian ham on top it becomes a tostada ibérica, for €9–12.
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Coffee and juice
Café con leche in a large cup is for lingering; a cortado is for a quick stop. The orange juice is squeezed at the bar.
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The Viennese-style interior
Red velvet, gilt mirrors, marble tables and brass. Designer Pascua Ortega refreshed it in 2016 without losing the old-café feel.
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The convent basements
Under the café are the vaults of a 17th-century convent. In the Sala del Rey, the base of a glass table is an upside-down Roman capital. If there's no private event, they sometimes let you peek.
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Oxtail cannelloni
Lunch and dinner only. If you come back for a meal, it's the dish reviews defend most: oxtail braised in Colmenar wine, rolled into gratinéed cannelloni, for €26.50.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- If bread shows up unasked and you don't want it, send it back ("sin pan, gracias"): it's charged separately, €4–5.
- The same coffee costs more on the terrace than at the bar inside. It says so in small print on the menu.
- Ask for the Spanish menu. Tourists are sometimes handed the English one, with a bundled breakfast that costs more than ordering the same things separately.
- If you're in a hurry, ask for the check when the food arrives. In Spain they don't bring it until you ask.
Do
- Go early on a weekday: at 8:30 the sun is already on the palace facade and the terrace is nearly empty.
- Ask the price of the daily specials before saying yes; they usually cost more than what's printed.
- Use the restroom downstairs before moving on: public restrooms are scarce in this area.
Don’t
- Don't hang your bag on the back of a chair facing the plaza. Keep it between your feet.
- Don't take the "lucky" sprig of rosemary or sign petitions in the plaza: they're well-known scams.
- If you come back for dinner, skip the foie and duck dishes: reviews agree they aren't worth the price.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a reservation at Café de Oriente?
Not for breakfast or a drink on the terrace. For lunch or dinner, yes, especially on weekend nights.
What time does Café de Oriente open?
The café opens at 8:30 Monday to Friday and at 9:00 on weekends. The restaurant serves lunch from 13:00 to 16:00 and dinner from 21:00.
How much does breakfast on the terrace cost?
Between €8 and €15 per person. Toast with tomato, two cafés con leche and a juice to share come to about €18–22 for two.
Is it worth it or a tourist trap?
What you pay for is the view, which no other terrace in Madrid has. Breakfast gets good reviews; complaints focus on lunch and dinner, about prices and slow service.