The menu del dia is one of the great things about eating out in Spain. An affordable three course lunchtime meal, usually with a drink and if you choose the right place, some fantastic food. Some restaurants also offer a menu del noche on the same principle.
The origin of the menu del dia dates back to the time of Franco when it was decided that the workers should be able to get a good value nutritious meal. Whatever your views may be on Franco?s regime, this was one of the good things to come from it, and thankfully the tradition remains.
Typically a menu del dia will offer three courses and a drink included, usually half a bottle of wine per person. Most places will offer a small beer or a soft drink instead of wine if you prefer. A plate of salad may well be included or bread with alioli or sometimes both. Coffee may also be a part of the menu but often is charged as an extra. Spanish people love their bread and will often ask for more with their meal, this will not usually cost any extra, so if you like your bread, ask for more. A lot of places will not give you a written menu to choose from, instead the waiter will come to your table with a pad with today?s choices written down and will tell you what there is. Food will usually be basic but good, don?t expect too many frills, that is not the idea of it, and certainly do not expect a leisurely 2 hour lunch, especially if the place is busy.
If you are out and about and looking for lunch and it is around 2pm, check out a restaurant that has loads of vans and workers vehicles outside. The Spanish are very good at finding restaurants that offer good food and good value, find a busy restaurant and you can be pretty certain that you will get a good meal. Spanish people are not quiet at the best of times, so don?t expect a quiet lunch, but enter into the spirit of it and you will enjoy yourself.
We have eaten in many Spanish restaurants and quality does vary but if you are getting a three course meal with wine included for 10? then even a basic meal represents good value, some don?t see it that way but I will come to that later. We used to go quite regularly to a restaurant in Castalla which offered a great meal, but get there after 2pm and you had to queue for a table. The wait was never long as the service would put McDonalds to shame for fast food. The waiter used to run around and your plates would often slide to a halt in front of you rather than be placed, and when you finished you hardly had time to put your knife and fork down. Consequently your meal did not take long but it was great value and good fun as well.
Chinese restaurants have taken to the idea of the menu del dia as well, and it is not uncommon to find a meal with wine for 5 or 6?, ridiculously cheap, not much choice maybe but great value.
We have had some fun with some of the dishes served up to us and how to approach eating what was in front of us. We had a seafood soup one day which had small crabs in it. We tried to open them up to see if there was any meat in them but realised we were doing it wrong when a Spanish man picked them up and just sucked the insides out. On another occasion we were served up with some small fish, which we thought were to be eaten whole. This we were doing and finding it hard going and a bit crunchy until we realised by watching someone else that you should pick up the fish and just nibble the flesh off and leave the rest.
However, some people will never be satisfied and I am reminded of hearing an ex pat talk about a restaurant a few years ago. He was moaning like mad about the meal, mainly because his main course was just a chicken portion and chips, ?where was the bloody veg?? was the main argument. I know the restaurant and have eaten there, menu del dia included 3 courses, salad, bread, half a bottle of wine and coffee and cost under 10?. The food was always very good there and very few Spanish restaurants give you much veg with your meal anyway. I somehow doubt the pillock would have been happy wherever he ate.
Source: http://www.arealspanishlife.com/2012/03/menu-del-dia.html
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