Dinner and drinks in Madrid: a night out, step by step

A Madrid night out with dinner and drinks that works: dinner at Panthera (Miguel Ángel 21, Chamberí) and, at midnight, two options. Either you stay, because the room becomes a club, or, if reggaeton and house are more your thing, you move on to Rubicón, on Calle del Cid 7, by the Puerta de Alcalá.

The plan in three stages

1. Dinner (20:00 to 23:30). A table at Panthera, sharing plates and the first cocktail.
2. Drinks (23:30 to 00:30). Lingering over a signature cocktail while the DJ builds the tempo.
3. Club (from 00:00). Stay for Panthera's Bottle Club, or head to Calle del Cid.

The times are a guide, but there is a logic to them: Madrid dines late and clubs do not get going until after midnight. Sitting down at 21:00 gives you room to eat without rushing.

Stage one: dinner at Panthera

Panthera is open Wednesday to Sunday: Wednesday and Thursday 20:00 to 02:30, Friday and Saturday 20:00 to 03:00, and Sunday 20:30 to 03:30. The menu blends Nikkei, Mediterranean and Latin influences and is made for the middle of the table: sea bass tiradito, red prawn aguachile, scallop or red tuna and caviar nigiri, rolls and chargrilled mains like the Discarlux entrecôte. Every dish is on the menu.

To drink, there are signature cocktails from the very start. If you are not sure which to order, our guide to signature cocktails in Madrid makes it easy.

Stage two: stay put at Panthera

The simplest option is not to move at all. At midnight Panthera turns into a club, with a resident DJ and reactive lighting, and the tables become private celebration areas. We explain it in what happens at midnight at Panthera.

Stage three: Rubicón, on Calle del Cid

If the group wants reggaeton, Rubicón is on Calle del Cid 7, near Paseo de Recoletos and right by the Puerta de Alcalá. It is a club inspired by ancient Rome, playing reggaeton and house, and it calls itself the club of Madrid's «golden mile». Its motto, «cross the line, there is no turning back», comes from the myth of the river Rubicon. The dress code is smart casual.

Rubicón is a short taxi ride from Chamberí, so it works as the next stop if the group wants a change of music halfway through the night. Before heading over, check its website for which nights it opens and book a table if there are several of you. And if in the end you would rather not move around at all, staying at Panthera is always an option: your dinner table is yours until closing time.

Tips to make the night work

• Book dinner ahead, especially Thursday to Saturday.
• Dress for the last stop, not the first: Rubicón, for example, asks for smart casual.
• For a table at a club, book directly through each venue's website or WhatsApp.
• Check each club's listings before you go out: nights and line-ups change from week to week.
• The taxi ride between Chamberí and Calle del Cid is short. If you are drinking, do not drive.