Country menu guides
What is the menú del día in Spain?
The menú del día is a fixed-price set lunch served in Spanish restaurants and bars, mostly on weekdays. For one price you choose a first course (primero) and a main (segundo) from short lists, then dessert or coffee, and bread and a drink are usually included. It's how many Spaniards eat lunch on a working day, and the best-value full meal in most towns.
- On the menu
- Menú del día
- Meaning
- Set menu of the day — a fixed-price lunch of first course, main course, dessert or coffee, usually with bread and a drink.
What's included
A typical board outside the door reads like this:
- Primeros — three to six choices: salad, soup, lentils, paella, pasta, vegetables;
- Segundos — three to six choices: grilled chicken, pork, hake, a stew, sometimes a steak;
- Postre o café — flan, fruit, rice pudding, or a coffee instead;
- Pan y bebida — bread and one drink: wine, beer, water or a soft drink.
Some menus include both dessert and coffee; others put a small supplement on coffee. Where a regional rule applies, as in Andalusia, menus must state whether bread, drink and dessert are included.
How it shows up
Look for a chalkboard or printed sheet by the entrance: Menú del día — 14,50 € — IVA incluido, sometimes with de lunes a viernes (Monday to Friday). Weekend versions (menú de fin de semana) exist but cost more. A dish marked suplemento 3 € or +3 € costs extra on top of the menu price — usually the steak or seafood option.
The price varies a lot by city and neighbourhood, so compare a couple of boards before you sit down.
Where it comes from
It's usually traced back to the menú turístico of 1964: a fixed-price meal that Spain's Ministry of Information and Tourism, under Franco, required restaurants to offer, partly to attract foreign visitors. The obligation faded, the name changed, and the menú del día became a daily habit for local workers.
What to do
- Ask ¿Tienen menú del día? when you sit down — it's often only on the board, not the carta.
- Order one primero and one segundo each; sharing a single menú between two is often not allowed, or costs a supplement.
- Choose your drink: wine often comes as a glass or a small bottle.
- Snap the board with MenuGuide to see each choice translated, with allergen flags (AI estimates — confirm a serious allergy with the staff).
Frequently asked questions
Is the menú del día only at lunch?
Usually, yes. Most restaurants serve the menú del día at lunchtime on weekdays, roughly from 13:00 to 16:00. Some offer it on Saturdays or have a pricier weekend menu, and a few tourist-area places offer a set menu at dinner too, but in the evening you normally order from the carta, the regular à la carte menu.
Does the menú del día include drinks?
In most places it includes one drink, typically a glass or small bottle of house wine, a beer, water or a soft drink, plus bread. Coffee is sometimes included instead of dessert and sometimes charged as an extra. Because practice varies, check the board: it should say what is included, for example "pan, bebida y postre incluidos".
Can two people share one menú del día?
Generally not. The menú del día is priced per person, and restaurants usually expect each diner to order one. Some places allow sharing for a small supplement, others refuse it outright. If you're not very hungry, a single plato combinado or a couple of raciones from the carta may be a better fit.
