Pan y Pepinillos Café occupies a small space at Calle de El Escorial 2 in Madrid’s Malasaña neighbourhood, near Tribunal metro. This independent café gives coffee and breakfast roughly equal billing: you can take an interest in the filter brew without treating the food as an afterthought. The room is compact, with a few bar seats and small tables; the coffee selection has rather more room to move.
Rotating single-origin coffees come from outside roasters, including Right Side and Nomad. Espresso and milk drinks sit alongside batch filter and V60 brewed to order, with pour-over prices varying according to the bean.
Breakfast has an assertive streak. Avocado sourdough toast comes with dukkah, nuts and seeds; scrambled eggs on brioche add Parmesan, chilli and truffle oil. The eggs are clearly not travelling light. A smoked-salmon bagel rounds out the savoury choices, with cakes and pastries for a smaller appetite. The food combines bought-in artisan baking with homemade items.
Laptops stay packed away here. A coffee, something to eat, perhaps a notebook or a conversation: the café lends itself to time away from a screen. Seating is limited and visits are walk-in only, so a table is not a certainty. Outside, a small bench gives the café a modest foothold on the street, though there is no terrace.
Pan y Pepinillos opens daily from 08:00 to 20:00, but the savoury kitchen finishes at 15:00. Breakfast can stretch into lunch; it cannot stretch indefinitely. Come earlier for the brioche and eggs, or let the later visit revolve around the coffee and baking.