Asturian-born Gumersindo Gómez returned from Cuba in 1888 to live in Madrid, where he would go on to invest money that he had earned abroad. On 15 May of that same year, he opened the coffee shop Gran Café de Gijón, a name honouring his home town in the north of Spain. Gómez could never have imagined that his café, located in the Castellana area, would eventually be regarded as "the last literary café in Madrid".
Famous authors and intellectuals such as Canalejas, Ramón y Cajal, Pérez Galdós, Romero de Torres, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, Cossío, Cañabate, Gerardo Diego, Torrente Ballester, Sastre and Cela, among others, have all sat around tables here to discuss an endless range of topics. In 1914, the establishment was sold to Benigno López Jabato under three conditions: that he would hand over 240,000 coins of the time (around euro;10,000), that the café would continue to have the same format, and that its name would not be changed. To this day, Gran Café de Gijón is still a meeting place for social gatherings, debates and talks.
The century-old coffee shop has been mentioned on numerous occasions in books and films and has also been portrayed in paintings by prestigious artists: Crónicas del Café Gijón by author Marino Gómez Santos, The Night I Arrived at Café Gijón by writer Francisco Umbral and La Ronda del Gijón, a collection of testimonials featuring 17 figures linked to Gran Café de Gijón, gathered by author Marcos Ordóñez.
It has a particularly attractive terrace area. Having recently reopened, it provides an ideal spot on the Paseo de Recoletos to enjoy the sun and bustling life of the city at any time of the day.
In this new stage, Café Gijón is determined to strengthen its cultural vocation, with an active programme that encompasses literature and other art forms such as visual arts and music, with a pianist playing live every day from 6 pm to 9 pm, reclaiming its role in Madrid's intellectual life.
