La Bicicleta — Restaurant in Madrid

I've been going there with my laptop to get some work done and without it to just relax, since I live close and they have good coffee, although pricey. The other day I went to have a coffee and read an article from a journal I had found on my spare time. The waitress asked me if I had a laptop with me and I said no. She sat me at a table and after an hour went by, she came over to tell me that I would have to buy something more in order for me to continue sitting there, and that that were their rules. I was shocked, didn't know what to say. Never happened to me before, even when I actually went with my laptop. I wasn't even "working", just reading, no laptop no tablet. I said I'm sorry I didn't know that, to her answering: well now you do. In all actuality I might have ordered something from their overpriced menu but her rude and condescending behavior was so off-putting that I just wanted to finish my coffee and get out of there. It felt like they wanted to kick me out. The place was also half empty. Great attitude to keep a regular and neighbor, but they don't care, there will always be people that will keep coming in since it is very well located and has that hipster style. From my experience in Madrid, all these places should be avoided, they are pretentious, expensive and cold, with staff working under bad conditions and owners making them being rude to customers and doing the dirty job for them so they can maximize their profits. No wonder why they have a 4 star rating, although they have good baristas and drinks. It should go below 4, maybe then they will rethink their business model and customer engagement and not rely on the physical advantages of the establishment. I wonder would they try to kick out someone after an hour for carrying a serious demeanor but just watching funny cat videos on their phone? Absolutely ridiculous, felt so bad...

This review is for coffee geeks who are considering La Bicicleta as an option to have specialty coffee. I wouldn't say La Bicicleta is a specialty coffee shop. They are more focused on food and other drinks, than on coffee.

I ordered a filter coffee, and the person at the counter asked if I meant an americano(!!!). I explained I was looking for filter, and asked which methods they had. He still seemed a bit confused. Another person behind the counter overheard us and told me they have a Moccamaster for filter. At a specialty coffee shop, I'd expect maybe handbrews, or aeropress, etc, or even a batchbrew, but I'd definitely expect the people working there to understand what I was talking about.

The cup was okay-ish. Not great, but not bad. I'm leaving 2 stars as a specialty coffee shop, because the coffee was definitely better than at regular cafés. It was freshly ground beans, not supermarket charcoal, of course. Oh, the cup costed 3,60eur. Rather pricy for Madrid and for the quality it offered.

Regarding food, I was also considering a late breakfast bite, and just wanted some buttered bread to munch while sipping mu cup. They said they couldn't make that. They only have more filled toasts or sandwiches, and the cheapest one was 9eur! That's rather overpriced for Madrid. So I didn't order food.

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the service was a bit odd. The person helping me left the cashier suddenly while I was ordering, and someone else came after a while and asked me again for my order. I guess they were busy with people who were starting to order lunch, as it was around 12:20.

Perhaps a good place for lunch and drinks, but not so much if you're specifically looking for...

A good environment to study... if you are lucky! Unfortunately, the staff isn't very kind and helpful. We came here on a weekday around 12 to study online, since the cafe offers this option from 9-5, we were allowed to sit only in a very bad table without good chairs (not even a back) although the rest of the tables were empty with the excuse that they are for bigger companies. A few minutes later two other people joined to study but they were sited in a regular table (the one we got refused to sit). As the time went by, more and more people came with computers and were placed into regular tables leaving us wondering why we were refused repeatedly to be sited in a normal table... The service and the communication with the staff was inadequate. We felt like there was a differentiation because we were not Spanish, I hope this isn't true as this would make everything a lot worse..It's a pity because it's a beautiful cafe...

• a response for the business reply to my review: It's kind of insulting to speak generally about me without remembering really my case. First of all, we were there for just 2 hours and we didn't order coffee but matcha and something to eat, I don't see how the fact that we were studying has anything to do with our consumption. However, the problem as stated before was not that, was that you treated other people who I repeat were also studying differently, offering better tables and maybe even a better service... From the reviews I understand that you are going to miss more than few of your customers but if you don't care...