• Pay at the till first, then hand your ticket to the waiter once you get a table
• No reservations except for large groups taking a whole room on quieter days; lines at busy times usually move fast
• Open 24 hours, every day of the year, so an early breakfast or an after-dinner treat both work

A chocolate café down a narrow passageway between Puerta del Sol and the Teatro Real, frying churros since 1894. Two floors of white marble tables and a tiled counter, with porras (thicker churros) and cakes too.

Kids dunk churros into cups of thick hot chocolate, a warm stop on a cold walk through the center. A sister shop across the square sells truffles and ice cream to take away.