Madness Coffee (Alicante)

Madness Coffee is Alicante's own specialty coffee roastery, tucked into a former town hall office building in the heart of the old town, roasting its own beans on site since it opened. It is one of only a handful of true specialty roasteries in the city, and locals treat it as a regular stop rather than a one-off photo op.

Why visit Madness Coffee

Madness Coffee was Alicante's first microroaster, set up inside a former city hall office building on a narrow street in the old town. The team calls themselves "coffee designers" and builds the whole menu around a fresh-fresh philosophy: seasonal green beans, roasted on site every Tuesday, and served as close to that roast date as possible rather than sitting on a shelf for months. The two-floor space keeps a nostalgic, vintage feel with plenty of quiet corners — chemex drop-lights, portafilter sinks and coffee-sack upholstery all built from the same material the coffee itself arrives in. It's easy to miss if you're not looking for it, but the wait staff and regulars know it well — the kind of place locals return to rather than a one-visit stop.

Roastery

Roasted on site

Green coffee beans are brought in by origin and roasted in house every Tuesday — Alicante's first microroaster.

Building

A former city office

Housed in a former Alicante town hall office building, with two floors and a nostalgic, old-cinema atmosphere.

Eat

Brunch and pastries

Sourdough bread, homemade jams and a full brunch menu, with dishes like scrambled eggs with avocado and salmon regularly recommended.

Drink

Beyond the espresso

Pour-over and filter brews from single origins, craft beer from Murcia's Yakka Brewery, Fritzkola sodas, a wide tea selection and both dairy and plant milks.

Upstairs

The first floor

A quieter lounge above the main bar, filled with old coffee machines and wall art created by artists with Down syndrome.

Reputation

Well rated

Rated 4.4 out of 5 on Google from thousands of reviews, and 4.9 on Restaurant Guru — consistently praised for coffee quality and an unhurried atmosphere.

Where the beans come from

Beans are sourced directly by origin from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia among others, then roasted in small batches on site. Because the roast rotates with what is actually in season, the exact single origins on offer change through the year — the table above is a snapshot of what regularly shows up, not a fixed menu.

A sample of the single-origin coffees that rotate through the menu
Origin	Tasting notes	Usually served as
Anserma, Caldas (Colombia)	Chocolate, red fruit, caramel	Washed, works well with milk
Ethiopia	Bright, floral, fruit-forward	V60 pour-over
El Salvador	Balanced, nutty, gentle acidity	Filter
Brazil	Low acidity, chocolate, nutty body	Espresso base

What people order

Brunch is the other half of Madness Coffee's reputation, and the eggs Benedict — served with salmon and avocado — comes up in review after review as the dish to get. The house "Madness scrambled eggs" is the other regular favourite. Beyond brunch, the pastry case runs to cinnamon rolls, croissants and cake, and the drinks list stretches well past coffee into craft beer, fresh juice, milkshakes and a yoghurt-with-fruit option that several reviewers note is harder to find elsewhere in the city. On the coffee side, a V60 pour-over from whichever single origin is currently roasting is the way regulars order, though the espresso-based drinks and a café bombón both have their own following.

Barista pouring a V60 pour-over coffee at Madness Coffee in Alicante — A V60 pour-over in progress at Madness Coffee.

Beyond coffee: the drinks list

Madness Coffee's menu reaches well past espresso and pour-over. Yakka Brewery, a craft brewer based in Murcia, supplies several beers on tap or by the bottle — a genuine alternative for anyone visiting with a non-coffee-drinker in the group. German Fritzkola sodas sit alongside a fairly wide tea selection, and the milk options extend to the usual plant-based alternatives without treating them as an afterthought. It is the kind of drinks list that suggests the owners think about the whole café experience rather than just the espresso machine, and it is one reason mixed groups — where not everyone wants a coffee — tend to come away happy.

Design details worth noticing

Madness Coffee was built by people who clearly enjoy talking about coffee as much as making it, and that shows in small design choices scattered through the space rather than in any single grand gesture. Coffee-sack fabric covers some of the seating, portafilters have been repurposed into sink fixtures, and even the restroom carries a coffee-machine detail that regulars point out to first-time visitors. None of it feels forced or theme-park-like — it reads more as a working roastery that happens to also be a café, rather than a café decorated to look like one. The ground floor stays busy and a little loud through the morning rush; the quieter first-floor lounge, with its older coffee machines on display, is the better bet if you want to sit and work or read for a while.

In the old town

Madness Coffee sits on a narrow street in Alicante's Casco Antiguo, the old quarter that climbs in tiers toward the Santa Bárbara Castle above the city. It is easy to walk past without noticing — there is no large sign pulling passers-by in, and the street itself is more residential than touristic. That is part of the appeal for regulars, but it also means first-time visitors should have the address ready rather than expecting to stumble on it by chance. The Explanada de España and the port are both a short, flat walk away, making it a natural stop either before heading up into the old quarter's steeper streets or on the way back down afterward.

Practical information

Address: Calle San Nicolás 4, Bajo, 03002 Alicante — in the old town, a short walk from the Explanada and the port.
Getting there: walkable from the Explanada de España and Casco Antiguo; no dedicated parking, best reached on foot or by public transport.
Hours: Monday–Friday and Sunday 8:30am–10pm, Saturday 8:30am–1am — the latest closing time of the week, worth knowing if you want coffee late.
Phone: +34 965 77 92 10.
What to try: a single-origin pour-over or the cold brew, alongside a brunch plate such as eggs Benedict with salmon and avocado.
Good to know: the roastery roasts every Tuesday, so beans are freshest early in the week if you want to buy a bag to take home.

Frequently asked questions

Does Madness Coffee roast its own beans?

Yes — it was Alicante's first microroaster, and green beans are still roasted on site every Tuesday.

Is it good for breakfast or brunch?

Yes, brunch is a major part of its reputation, with the eggs Benedict and scrambled eggs dishes most frequently recommended.

Can I buy the coffee beans to take home?

Yes, beans roasted in house can be bought whole or ground for a moka pot — freshest just after the Tuesday roast.

Is there seating upstairs?

Yes, a quieter first-floor lounge with old coffee machines and wall art by artists with Down syndrome.