Toma Café 1 is now one of several Toma cafes in Madrid, but the Palma 49 address should anchor a first visit. It sits on Calle de la Palma in Malasaña, a central Madrid neighbourhood of bars, vintage shops, and side-street foot traffic north of Gran Vía. The cafe has high ceilings, white-tiled walls, hanging plants, small tables, and a counter where the barista work stays in view. The case for Toma Café 1 is still specific: Madrid specialty-coffee history in a social room built for conversation over laptop work.
Coffee
Toma roasts its own coffee and keeps the Palma 49 menu broad enough to suit both quick espresso and slower filter. The retail shelf runs through beans from El Salvador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Uganda, so the bar has more depth than a standard cafe shelf. Ask what is on batch brew or filter before falling back on a flat white.
Food
Food is stronger than a token pastry case. Toma Café 1 can handle a light breakfast or snack: cakes, pastries, cookies, cinnamon rolls, savoury toasties, avocado toast, roasted sandwiches, lemon pie, fruitcake, and vegan options all fit the coffee-led room. The limit is scale: this is still not a full brunch cafe, but the toasts and cakes can carry the visit if you arrive hungry.
The Room
The room is small-group friendly and deliberately social. Laptop-free tables and computer limits keep the front room pointed toward conversation, while the counter and retail shelf give regulars something to browse before leaving. The tradeoff is space: some seats are close, service can feel busy, and the best visit is a short sit with coffee, pastries, and beans for later.
Other Toma locations
This page stays with Toma Café 1 on Calle de la Palma. Toma 2 on Calle Santa Feliciana is another daily cafe in Chamberí, while Toma 3 + Proper Sound on Calle Raimundo Lulio works as a weekday coffee-pickup address. Start at Palma 49 when you want the Malasaña coffee-bar version of the roaster.
What people go for
Why Filter Notes has shortlisted Toma
Toma Café 1 gives Malasaña a compact counter, house-roasted espresso, batch brew, filter coffee, and a retail shelf in the same Palma 49 room. The cookies, pastries, and laptop-free tables make the visit social and short, while the small seats and busy counter keep it from being a full-afternoon work cafe.