Flamenco de Leones
Modern flamenco in a first-floor room on the Plaza de la Independencia. Show only, with tapas or with dinner.
Why this room
Flamenco's old café, rebuilt beside a royal gate
01
What a café cantante was
From the middle of the 19th century, Spanish cities had cafés that added a stage to the service: song, guitar and dance with a drink at your table. They were popular in Seville, Madrid and Barcelona, and tablaos took over from them in the 1960s, according to the venue's own history. Flamenco de Leones says it reinterprets that tradition, and Madrid's tourism board says it recovers the essence of the old cafés.
02
A square with a gate in the middle
The venue is on the Plaza de la Independencia, the roundabout around the Puerta de Alcalá. King Charles III commissioned the gate from Francesco Sabatini, and it was inaugurated in 1778. It stands several metres from the main entrance to Retiro Park, and the booking page says you can see it from your seat.
03
Old forms, modern hands
Madrid's tourism board says the performances span all styles of flamenco, with a modern approach that unites tradition with avant-garde artistry. The room has an interior by the Jouin Manku studio, paintings by Iván Floro and murals by Sergio Mora. The dress code is formal, and the evening is built to match.
What to listen for
Six palos to listen for
A palo is a flamenco style. The venue says its performances span all styles, so these six are a listening guide and not a running order.
- 01 Soleá
The mother of palos
Among flamenco's most basic palos, it probably began with the Calé Romani of Cádiz or Seville and usually has a single guitar. Called the mother of the palos, though it is not the oldest.
- 02 Seguiriya
The deep song
A cante jondo style that Wikipedia calls deep and expressive, purely Romani in origin and among the most important in flamenco. Its twelve counts take different accents from the soleá.
- 03 Fandango
The lilting one
A lively Spanish song and dance in triple time, with guitars, castanets or clapping. Flamenco's fandangos form a family of a different origin from the soleá.
- 04 Tangos
The bright one
Lively and one of the basic palos, sung, played or danced. The name is shared with the Argentine tango, yet the form is separate: it grew up between Cádiz and Seville, says the Instituto Andaluz del Flamenco.
- 05 Farruca
The stylised one
Took shape around the turn of the twentieth century and is usually counted among the lighter, more stylised palos. Tradition links it to Galicia, though its exact origin is not certain.
- 06 Guajira
The round-trip song
Based on the Cuban punto guajiro, a cante de ida y vuelta: a song that went across the ocean and returned. It is traditionally danced, often with a large fan.
The artists choose the programme, so an evening may hold some of these, all of them or others. The booking calendar shows the nights and start times.
Before you choose
The ticket in seven lines
Read these before you choose an option.
- The show
- Flamenco by top-level artists who blend traditional and avant-garde styles. Each night's start time sits on the booking calendar.
- The room
- A first-floor tablao above the taberna-style restaurant Patio de Leones, with an interior by the Jouin Manku studio.
- The view
- The booking page says you can see the Puerta de Alcalá from where you sit.
- The food
- Tapas with the tapas option, dinner with the dinner option. Menus change, so the booking page and the venue's website carry the current ones.
- The drinks
- Outside the GetYourGuide ticket, so plan to pay at the bar or table.
- The dress
- Formal, as the booking page lists.
- The length
- From one hour up to two and a half in all, depending on the option you choose.
The art form, the square and the park
Flamenco, the square and the park
These pictures show a flamenco company on stage in Paris, paintings of a café cantante and of a dancer, and the gate and park beside the venue. None shows the inside of Flamenco de Leones.
Choose your option
Show only, tapas or dinner
| Option | What it adds | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Show only | The flamenco show and nothing else. Drinks are extra. | A first look, or a night with another table booked. |
| Show with tapas | Tapas served with the show. Drinks are extra. | Visitors who want food but not a long sit-down meal. |
| Show with dinner | A seated dinner and the show. Drinks are extra. | A celebration, or the one big night of the trip. |
Book the evening
Three Madrid flamenco nights
Pick a night below to see open seats and start times. The first card is the Flamenco de Leones show, and the other two are separate Madrid flamenco shows for comparison.
A one-hour show in a vaulted room
An unamplified one-hour show with five artists, a short talk on flamenco history and a drink, from a different Madrid operator.
A local tablao with optional tapas
A show at Taberna El Cortijo, a tablao where the options run from show only to dinner, from a different Madrid operator.
More to book around Madrid
Plan the evening
Before you go
- 1
Where it is
Plaza de la Independencia 4, ground floor, through the carriage passage, in the Barrio de Salamanca. The plaza is the roundabout around the Puerta de Alcalá, and the flamenco room is on the first floor.
- 2
Getting there
Madrid's tourism board names Retiro as the metro station and Madrid-Recoletos on the local rail network. Retiro Park begins beside the gate, so the park itself is the approach on foot.
- 3
When to arrive
Your confirmation shows the arrival time, which is earlier than the start of the music. With tapas or dinner, arriving on time lets you finish eating before the show begins.
- 4
What to wear
The booking page lists a formal dress code. Dress for the evening, not for a day of sightseeing.
- 5
Food and drink
Choose tapas or dinner when you book if you want food. Drinks are not included on the GetYourGuide ticket.
- 6
Changing plans
The GetYourGuide ticket can be cancelled until 24 hours before the show for your money back in full, and it can be reserved with nothing paid today.
Guides to the room, the gate and the art
Guides to the room, the gate and the art
- 01 Tickets, options and the room
Tickets: show, tapas or dinner
Which Flamenco de Leones ticket to book: show only, with tapas or with dinner, what each covers and how the room and the evening work. Read the guide → - 02 The practical guide
Getting there and what to expect
Where Flamenco de Leones is, how to reach the Plaza de la Independencia, what to do around the show and how a first-time visitor should behave. Read the guide → - 03 The history behind the room
What is a café cantante?
A café cantante was the 19th-century Spanish café with a flamenco stage. How it shaped the art, what replaced it and how Flamenco de Leones revives it. Read the guide → - 04 A listening guide
Flamenco styles you may hear
Six flamenco palos explained for a first-time audience, from soleá to guajira, with what each sounds like and how to follow it in a Madrid show. Read the guide → - 05 The gate outside the window
The Puerta de Alcalá, explained
The story of Madrid's Puerta de Alcalá and the Plaza de la Independencia around it: who built the gate, what it is made of and why it matters to the city. Read the guide → - 06 The word behind the evening
What duende means in flamenco
Duende is the heightened emotion flamenco audiences wait for. Where the word comes from, what Lorca made of it and how to listen for it at a show. Read the guide →
FAQ
Questions before you book
How long does the evening last?
The booking page puts the whole range at one hour up to two and a half, depending on whether you add tapas or dinner. The calendar lists a start time against every date.
Are drinks included?
Not on the GetYourGuide ticket. Madrid's tourism pages describe the venue's own show price as including a drink, so check what your option lists before paying.
Is food included?
Only when you pick tapas or dinner. Show only comes with no food.
What should I wear?
The booking page lists a formal dress code. Smart clothes are the safe choice.
Where is the venue?
At Plaza de la Independencia 4 in Madrid, through the carriage passage beside the Puerta de Alcalá.
Is it traditional flamenco?
It blends traditional and avant-garde flamenco, and the venue says it reinterprets the 19th-century café cantante.
Will I follow the words?
The songs are in Spanish, but the venue's own text says the music reaches you whether or not you understand the language.
Can I cancel?
Yes. The GetYourGuide ticket is refundable in full until 24 hours before the show, and it can be held with no payment today.
Modern flamenco in a café cantante by the Puerta de Alcalá.
Reserve your flamenco night ↗Fares differ by night and option. Choose a date and the booking page shows the price in your own currency.