How to translate a Spanish menu to English

How to translate the menu

1. Set English and your currency. In MenuGuide, confirm English as the language you want menus in and the currency you want prices converted to.
2. In Latin America, let the app know the country (optional). Menus in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Colombia all print prices with "$". If you allow country detection (country only, only while the app is open), MenuGuide reads the symbol as the local peso; otherwise set the currency yourself.
3. Photograph the carta one page at a time. Hold the phone parallel to the page and avoid glare on laminated menus. Photograph the menú del día board or the tapas list separately: they're often handwritten and change daily.
4. Check portion sizes before you order for a group. Tapa, media ración and ración are different sizes of the same dish. The original Spanish name stays under each translation, so you can match it to the board or point at it.
5. Order in Spanish. Add the dishes to your order and show it to the waiter in Spanish, or tap Speak My Order and let the app read it aloud.

Prices and currency on Spanish-language menus

• Spain (euro). Prices use a decimal comma: 12,50 €. Menu prices must include VAT (IVA incluido), so nothing should be added at the end. Some bars charge more for a table on the terraza than at the counter, and bread brought to the table can appear on the bill as pan or pan y cubierto, which should be shown on the menu; if you don't want it, say so when it arrives.
• Weight and market prices. Seafood, chuletón steaks and octopus may be priced per kilo or per 100 g, and S/M means market price. Ask what your portion will cost.
• Mexico and much of Latin America ("$"). The peso sign looks like the dollar sign: $150 in Mexico City means 150 Mexican pesos. Some menus add MXN or M.N. (moneda nacional). A few tourist places quote US dollars as USD, so check which currency you're paying in.
• Tipping. In Spain service is included and tipping is optional: rounding up or leaving a few coins is normal. In Mexico a tip of around 10–15% is customary at sit-down restaurants; check the bill for propina or servicio before adding one.

How Spanish menus are organised

A typical carta in Spain runs entrantes or para compartir (to share), ensaladas, carnes (meat), pescados y mariscos (fish and shellfish) and postres (desserts), with drinks at the end. Bars list tapas, raciones and bocadillos, and in the Basque Country the counter is covered with pintxos. On weekdays, look for the menú del día board outside at lunchtime.

Our guide to Spanish menus covers the sections, charges and words in detail, and the guide to Mexican menus does the same for antojitos, tacos and the comida corrida set lunch.

Spain or Latin America? Same word, different food

Spanish is the menu language of about twenty countries, and food words differ between them:

• tortilla is a potato omelette in Spain and a corn or flour flatbread in Mexico;
• torta is a sandwich in Mexico and a flat cake in Spain;
• patatas (mainland Spain) and papas (Latin America and the Canary Islands) are both potatoes;
• gambas (Spain) and camarones (Latin America) are both prawns or shrimp;
• zumo (Spain) and jugo (Latin America) both mean juice;
• cacahuete (Spain), cacahuate (Mexico) and maní (much of South America) all mean peanut, which matters if you're allergic.

Allergens to watch for on Spanish menus

Almonds and other nuts hide in sauces such as romesco and in the cold soup ajoblanco; shellfish goes into many rice dishes and fideuà; wheat turns up in batters (rebozado, a la romana) and breadcrumbs. Restaurants in Spain must be able to tell you which of the 14 EU allergens a dish contains, so ask for the carta de alérgenos.

MenuGuide flags dishes that may contain the allergens you've chosen. Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.