Madrid, recommended by the people who live there.

In Madrid, life happens on the street. Dinner is late, you hop from one bar to the next, and the evening is decided by the neighbourhood more than the restaurant. That's exactly why it's easy to end up in the wrong places — the ones with the menu in six languages. On BeLocal, the city is mapped out by the people who study there, work there and go out every night.

Tapas and tortilla, at Madrileño prices.

At El Tigre, on calle de las Infantas, 7 euros gets you a drink and unlimited food, all tapas. At Maruca on López de Hoyos, the tortilla pincho is genuinely incredible, and the portion is great for 4 euros. At Mi Tasca, you have to get the cachopo, no question. And for old Madrid, the community's favourite spot is La Isla del Planetario: very local. Simple. Nice people.

Centro, Malasaña and Chueca.

These are the neighbourhoods where the community goes out the most. Gran Café Gijón, on paseo de Recoletos, is a really cool spot, with high prices and a polished vibe. Sakuhin Coffee is the classic trendy little coffee shop. Little Dragon, steps from Plaza de España, is mentioned in the Michelin guide: low prices, highly recommended. On calle Augusto Figueroa, Gelateria La Romana is a little piece of Rome here in Madrid. And the Círculo de Bellas Artes is one of the most striking venues in Madrid.

Salamanca and Retiro.

In the most elegant neighbourhood there's Quispe, a real culinary experience. Retiro Park is always beautiful, and at CentroCentro, on plaza de Cibeles, there are free modern art exhibitions in a spectacular building. For sunset, the Temple of Debod remains unbeatable, but it fills up with people early.

Why a friend beats a ranking.

Many of the recommendations on Madrid come from people who've moved there and are discovering it day by day: honest places, real prices, even the nights that didn't go so well. No anonymous ratings, just people you can follow.