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El menú Facts and links |  |
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Essentially restaurants in Spain are listed in one of five categories, according to how many forks they've been awarded. The more forks a restaurant has, the higher the quality and the price. Many restaurants offer two types of good value menus: el menú del día, the daily menu, is a fixed meal, with a daily speciality at a fixed price, while el menú turístico, tourist menu, offers selected local dishes. Both can be very cheap, with el pan, bread, el vino, wine, and sometimes el postre, dessert, included. El almuerzo, lunch, is served from around 1.30pm to 3pm and it is considered the main meal of the day. It consists of el entrante or el primer plato (literally "first dish") the starter, el segundo plato (literally "second dish") the main course, and finally el postre, dessert. La cena, dinner, is from around 8.30pm to 11pm, although in some tourist areas restaurants do serve meals slightly earlier. Many cafeterias and bars also serve food, often in the form of platos combinados, complete meals on one plate. These meals are often pictured on the walls of the cafeteria or in the menu so you can see exactly what the meal is before you order. If the bar or cafeteria serves portions of food you should ask for una ración, a larger portion. Most bars also have a two-tier price system for food: one price for sitting or standing en la barra, at the bar, and another for sitting en la mesa, at a table and being served. |
With restaurants and cafés on almost every corner in Spain, ordering a meal can seem like a daunting task. However menus feature many basic similarities that should help you find your way around.