At 14:00 every afternoon there's an extraordinary sight in Malasaña, one of Madrid's most upmarket neighborhoods.

A queue forms as people wait in line at a local restaurant and butcher's shop. All restaurants and bars are closed in accordance with the state of emergency, but Casa 28 has opened its doors to the homeless. 

CGTN Europe spoke to one homeless man who said: "I live far away from here. Where I live we can't get food. It's impossible to even get a piece of bread. The only soup kitchen I know there is closed, that's why I come here to get food."

Wanting to inspire others

Casa 28 is owned by Argentine Adrian Rojas, who, like many chefs from his country, specializes in meat. His regular customers have not been here since the lockdown began. However, moved to action by images of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey, he decided to help those largely forgotten in this crisis.

"People complain about having to sit at home on the couch and watch movies. Imagine if you didn't have a house and you don't have any food. There is no way to eat any food?" said Rojas. 

"The only way to solve this is for people to take action. What I want is for other people to look at me and say 'Look at what this guy is doing.' That's all I want to demonstrate. 'Look what this guy can do with a pot and three kilos of beans. He can feed 60 people. Maybe I can help, too,' Rojas continued. 

Unhappy residents

But Rojas's act of giving has not been without its critics. Local residents have complained about the large number of people going to his restaurant, possibly bringing with them an increased chance of infection. 

So far, the only real support for the homeless during this crisis has come from churches... and now Casa 28. Rojas first opened his doors on 16 March, just after Spain went into lockdown. He began with a huge pot of frijoles (Black bean stew) and has since expanded the menu as word got around.

He doesn't consider himself wealthy and says he's still in debt after opening the business just over a year ago, but he says he's not looking for any credit.

However, with Spain implementing a stricter lockdown from 30 March, it remains uncertain whether Rojas will continue to be allowed to feed the homeless of Madrid.