The next morning I cheat a few blocks and start at the Covadonga cantina (Calle Puebla, 121), a couple of blocks off Insurgentes. Once the Club Asturias, and reputed to serve a different snail recipe every week, the place looks like a sprawling Spanish bar of the 1950s, with uniformed waiters bustling, and dominoes bashing on to tables as old Spaniards tuck into brandy. It comes as no surprise that since independence, almost two centuries ago, a noble core of Spanish descendants kept a grip on key posts in industry and government here.

This ancient salon is a great at accommodating large groups, whether it's your extended family or the whole neighborhood watching the World Cup. Though there's a full bar and a food menu chock full of Spanish classics, you're here for the ambience more than anything else, so keep it simple. Order a tequila, rum and Coke, or a carajillo, and if you get hungry, stick with a plate of French fries.

Covadonga underwent a bit of a renovation, transforming this traditional cantina into an elegant and somewhat trendy space. The antique bar and wooden tables are usually full of people – from daytime domino-playing men to young dancers at night. The food is delicious, with the tortilla espanola a popular option.

At Covadonga, there’s no music, just overly bright lights and many of Roma Norte’s coolest chattering to a loud buzz. Sip a tequila bandera style: paired with shot glasses of lime juice and sangrita, a tomato and citrus-based drink – together the colors of the Mexican flag.

By day, the Covadonga's denizens are generally old men playing dominoes and eating traditional Asturian delicacies like tortilla espanola, but by night it's a whole different demographic that flocks here. Young locals arrive around 7pm to begin their night out with a few beers—and shots—among friends. It's an old cantina—a traditional drinking den—and the futbol is always on TV, the waiters wear prim black vests over starchy white shirts, and the interiors haven't had a makeover in what feels like 50 years.

People in cantinas always seem to be having a good time,” observes David after we relocate to one of his all-time favourites, El Paraíso, in Santa María la Ribera. The middle-aged couple next to us are in the midst of a make-out session. El Paraíso is one of the temples to all-day boozing that feed you along the way: caldo de camarón, a spicy shrimp broth; ceviche; even a paella as you bop along to ranchera music on the stereo.

This combination of Spanish restaurant and Mexican cantina was opened by Spanish Civil War refugees in the 1940s, and retains much of its rather grand original decor. In recent years it has become a hugely popular part of the Colonia Roma social scene, especially the street-level cantina. The food range still mixes Spanish tapas and classics dishes such as paella with Mexican botanas and other local dishes.

La Cantina Covadonga es un clásico de la Roma, conocida por su ambiente relajado y su mezcla de sabores españoles y mexicanos. Aquí, las tapas se combinan con los tacos, creando una experiencia culinaria única. Su ambiente casual la convierte en un punto de encuentro popular entre los locales.

Long a standard for ex-pat Spaniards, Covadonga has become trendy among hipsters who frequent the place on the weekends, as well as for large group dinners on occasional weeknights. On any given night, you're just as likely to see smartly dressed old-timers playing dominoes as you…

Another classic Spanish/Mexican salon/cantina, Covadonga has been around since 1940. Daytime finds mostly old men playing dominoes with an eye to whatever game is on TV, while nighttime beckons the trendy. The service can be delightfully bizarre.

Covadonga is a classic cantina, popular with both the old-timers who come here for dominoes and drinks and a youthful Roma crowd.