How to read a menu in Spain

Tapas bar or restaurant: two ways to order

In a tapas bar you order a few plates at a time, standing at the bar or sitting at a table, and keep ordering as you go. Prices often come in three columns — tapa, media ración, ración — so two people can try four or five dishes as medias raciones. See tapa vs ración. You usually pay at the end; the bartender keeps count.

In a restaurant the carta follows the course order above, but sharing starters is normal. Arroces (rice dishes) are often for a minimum of two people and take 20–30 minutes, so order them early.

At weekday lunch, most locals eat the menú del día: pick one first course and one main from short lists, then dessert or coffee, with bread and a drink in the price.

Spanish mealtimes run late

Lunch (la comida) is the main meal, usually from about 14:00 to 16:00. Dinner (la cena) starts around 20:30–21:00 and runs past 23:00. Many kitchens close between lunch and dinner, but tapas bars keep serving, which is how you eat at 18:00. A sign saying cocina non-stop or cocina abierta todo el día means hot food all afternoon.

Regional menus: pintxos, Catalan and beyond

• Basque Country and Navarre: pintxos line the bar counter. Take a plate, help yourself or ask, and tell the bartender what you had when paying; some bars count the cocktail sticks. Hot pintxos are ordered from a board.
• Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearics: menus may be in Catalan: entrants (starters), primers, segons, postres, pa amb tomàquet. Valencian paella means chicken, rabbit and green beans; seafood rice is listed separately.
• Andalusia: fried fish (pescaíto frito), salmorejo and gazpacho. In Granada, and in Jaén and Almería, a small tapa often comes free with each drink.
• Galicia: pulpo a la gallega, shellfish priced by weight, and pimientos de Padrón.
• Madrid: cocido madrileño (chickpea and meat stew), callos, and squid sandwiches (bocadillo de calamares).

Reading prices and the bill

• IVA is included. Consumer prices must be final; see IVA incluido.
• Bread and cover can only be charged if the menu or price list shows them; in Andalusia a separate cover or service charge isn't allowed at all. If nobody told you, you can ask for the line to be removed.
• Terrace and bar prices differ. A table outside can cost more; see suplemento terraza.
• "S/M" or "según mercado" means market price; ask before ordering. Andalusia bans this wording, so menus there must show a real price, often per kilo.
• Tap water is free. Since 2022, restaurants must always offer free tap water (agua del grifo).
• Complaints: every establishment must give you an official complaint form (hoja de reclamaciones) if you ask.

Reading a Spanish menu with MenuGuide

Snap the carta or the menú del día board and MenuGuide translates every dish into your language, with the Spanish name kept underneath so you can point at it. Prices are converted to your currency, and each dish shows ingredients and allergen and diet flags — AI estimates, so with a serious allergy always confirm with the staff. Add dishes to your order, then show it in Spanish or let Speak My Order read it aloud.