Small delis offering delights from across the five continents, customised salads, creative cuisine, hot and cold dishes, coffee, champagne, a cigar... the chance to take time out to enjoy the cuisine and read the papers, in your own private island of calm, away from the bustle of the big city.

They say that Winston Churchill invented the concept of brunch when, after working all through the night, he combined breakfast and lunch in a single meal, thereby paving the way for what is now a delicious culinary and cultural journey. In Madrid there are a handful of hotels and restaurants that offer this Sunday morning speciality: a chance to relax and maybe recoup your strength after the excesses of the night before. Of course, this is the capital of Spain, and it runs on the Spanish schedule: rather than opening at eleven as the English might expect, for most Madrid brunches, serving starts at one o'clock. There's no rush!

Ten brunch dates in Madrid

Hotel Palace (Plaza de las Cortes, 7). Phone: +34 913 60 76 67. www.westin.com/palacemadrid

Hotel Intercontinental (Paseo de la Castellana, 49). Phone: +34 917 00 73 00. Web: www.ichotelsgroup.com

Hotel Urban (Carrera de San Jeronimo, 34). Phone: +34 917 87 77 70. www.derbyhotels.com

Cafe Oliver (Almirante, 12). Phone: +34 915 21 73 79. www.cafeoliver.com

Castellana Ocho (Castellana, 8). Phone: +34 915 78 34 87. www.castellana8.com

Baby Beef Rubaiyat (Juan Ramon Jimenez, 37). Phone: +34 913 59 56 96. www.rubaiyat.es

Areia Colonial Chillout (Hortaleza, 92). Phone: +34 913 10 03 07. www.areiachillout.com

Ene Restaurante (Nuncio, 19). Phone: +34 913 66 25 91. ww.enerestaurante.com

Cafe Hispano (Paseo de la Castellana, 78). Phone: +34 914 11 48 76.

Restaurante Stendhal (Santa Engracia, 24). Phone: +34 914 45 81 61. www.restaurante-stendhal.com