Flamenco at Tablao Torres Bermejas

Seeing flamenco in a tablao is one of the evenings people remember longest from Madrid, and Torres Bermejas is one of the most reliable places to do it. The tablao sits on Calle de Mesonero Romanos, a narrow street a few steps from the Gran Vía and the Callao end of the centre, and its interior is the first thing that strikes you: a room dressed in the style of the Alhambra, with horseshoe arches, carved plaster, coloured tiles and warm lantern light, built around a small wooden stage. It has been part of the city's flamenco circuit for decades, and the house has long been associated with serious performers rather than tourist cabaret. The format is the classic tablao one. A cuadro of artists, usually a guitarist or two, one or more singers and several dancers, performs a show of about an hour that moves through different palos, the styles of flamenco, from slower, deeper pieces to fast, percussive ones. There is no microphone wall between you and the stage; you hear the guitar strings, the singer's breath and the dancers' heels hitting the boards, and the intensity of a good solo dance at that distance is hard to describe until you have felt it. Tickets come in several forms, from show-plus-drink to options with a set dinner, and the room fills with a mix of visitors and locals. What you are paying for is the quality and authenticity of the performers, not spectacle: there are no costume changes every five minutes and no backing tracks, just live music. Flamenco is from Andalusia rather than Madrid, but the capital has been one of its great stages for over a century, because the best artists come here to work, and a night in a tablao is the easiest way to understand why the art has such a hold on Spain.

Choosing your ticket: the show-plus-drink option is the best value and leaves you free to eat elsewhere, which matters in a city with so many good tapas bars. The dinner options are convenient if you want one booking for the evening, but in general you eat better in a nearby bar and come to the tablao for the music. Shows run in the evening, sometimes with more than one sitting a night, and seats are allocated by arrival or by ticket category, so arriving a little early is wise if you want a view close to the stage. The show lasts about an hour. Book ahead on weekends and in high season, when sittings sell out.

Etiquette and what to expect: the artists perform at very close range, so keep phones down during the dances; flash photography is discouraged and most of the power of the performance is lost through a screen anyway. Applause at the end of each piece is normal, and you will hear the shouts of encouragement, the jaleo, from the performers themselves and from aficionados in the room. Do not expect a narrative or a theatrical production: a tablao show is a sequence of songs and dances, each one complete, building in intensity. If one dancer or singer moves you, that is the point. Children are welcome at many sittings, but the late hours and the seriousness of the performance suit teenagers better than small children.

Making a night of it: Torres Bermejas is a short walk from Gran Vía, Callao and the Puerta del Sol, so it fits easily into an evening of tapas in the centre. Have an early vermouth and a few plates around the Plaza de Santa Ana or the Barrio de las Letras, see the show, and then head up to a rooftop for a final drink or out to Malasaña if you want a late night. Couples will find it one of the most atmospheric evenings in Madrid, first-time visitors get an essential Spanish experience, and nightlife lovers get the perfect opening act before a long Madrid night.