How to choose a Spanish menú del día
Read the courses and inclusions before ordering a set lunch, and check whether the offer applies that day.
A menú del día can be a useful way to make lunch the main meal of your day in Spain. It usually offers a limited choice at a set price, but the exact courses and inclusions belong to that restaurant's menu.
Read the whole offer before sitting down. Check the day, serving hours and any supplement. A weekday lunch menu may not be available on a public holiday or for an evening meal.
Work out what the price includes
Look for the choices under first course and second course, then see what happens with dessert and coffee. Sometimes you choose one or the other. Bread and a drink may be included, limited to certain options or charged separately.
Ask a clear question if the board is brief. Confirming whether water or coffee is included is easier than trying to reconstruct the offer after the bill arrives.
If one dish carries an extra charge, include it before comparing the meal with another restaurant. The lowest headline price only describes the basic version of the offer.
Order for your appetite
You can choose a lighter first course if the second is substantial. Two large fried or heavily sauced dishes may be more than you want before another afternoon of walking.
Check the ingredients in soups, stews and vegetable dishes if you have dietary requirements. A short menu name may not mention meat stock, fish or a garnish. Ask about the prepared dish rather than assuming it can be changed easily.
Spain's official guide to opening and meal times places typical restaurant lunch service roughly between 1pm and 4pm. Individual kitchens set their own hours, so confirm before planning a late arrival.
Leave time to enjoy lunch
A set menu can still take time to serve. Avoid putting it between two bookings with only a short gap. Choose a café snack on a rushed travel day and save the longer lunch for when you can sit comfortably.
For a different meal pattern, our included-tapas guide explains how drinks and small plates work in places such as Granada. That arrangement should not be confused with a fixed-price lunch.
Fit lunch around the city
In Granada, leave a proper gap between lunch and a fixed Nasrid Palaces entry. In Valencia, a rice lunch may be the main food event of the day, with a minimum order and preparation time of its own. On a train-transfer day, choose somewhere near your route and say when you need to leave. A set menu stops being convenient if you have to rush the second course.