Menú del día
The weekday-lunch set menu: a starter, a main, a dessert or coffee, bread and a drink, typically €13-22. The default working-lunch format in Spain.
The menú del día is the weekday-lunch set menu offered at almost every working-Spanish restaurant. Standard structure: a first course (primero) from a list of three to six options (salad, soup, pasta, lentils), a main (segundo) from another list (fish, meat, rice), a dessert or coffee, bread, and a drink (water, glass of wine or beer). Prices range from €13 in a no-frills bar to €22-28 in a more ambitious restaurant. It runs Monday through Friday, usually 1pm to 4pm, and is how most of working Spain eats its midday meal. The format is a legal residue of a 1964 Franco-era decree that required restaurants to offer a fixed-price worker's lunch.
How it's served
At lunch, never dinner. You sit down, the waiter brings bread and asks what you want; the courses arrive in order. The whole meal usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. Drinks are included up to a standard limit (one bottle of water or beer or a single glass of wine).
Regional variation
Catalonia calls the same thing menú del migdia or menú diari. Basque equivalent is the menú del día too but often features more pintxo-influenced first courses. Tourist-heavy areas price the menú higher (€18-25 in central Barcelona) while small inland Catalan towns still offer it for €13-15.
- Origin
- Spain
- Etymology
- Spanish for 'menu of the day.'
- Also called
- menú diari, menú del migdia
Where to try it in Barcelona
One restaurant on Guidavera mentions menú del día in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What's a 'menú del día'?
The Spanish weekday-lunch set menu: starter, main, dessert or coffee, bread and a drink for one fixed price (€13-22 in most of Spain). Offered Monday to Friday at lunch only, usually 1-4pm. The default way working Spain eats its midday meal.
How much does the menú del día cost?
€13-22 in most of Spain, with no-frills bars at the lower end and ambitious restaurants at €22-28. Tourist-heavy zones in central Barcelona and Madrid run higher; inland towns are often cheaper. Drinks (one glass of wine, one beer or water) are usually included.
Is the menú del día available at dinner?
Almost never. The menú del día is specifically a midday lunch offer, usually 1pm to 4pm, Monday through Friday. Dinner restaurants run their à la carte menu, or sometimes a more expensive evening tasting menu, but the cheap fixed-price menu is a lunch-only tradition.
Related terms
- SobremesaThe post-meal stretch where you stay at the table talking, drinking coffee or a digestif, with no rush to leave. A protected cultural institution.
- RaciónA full plate of food meant to be shared, halfway between a tapa and a main course. The default order size when sitting at a table.
- Bib GourmandThe Michelin Guide's value distinction: a quality meal at a moderate price. Capped per country (around €40 in Spain) and announced alongside the annual star ceremony.
- FondaAn older Spanish word for a small inn-restaurant, often serving traditional regional food. Once a roadside establishment with rooms above; now usually just the restaurant.
- Menú degustaciónTasting menu: a multi-course set sequence (often 10-25 courses) at a fixed price, with no à la carte option. The default format at most modern fine-dining restaurants in Spain.