Eating out in Spain

Generally speaking, the Spanish tend to eat at later times than those we are used to in the UK. It is quite normal for lunch to be served from 1.30 - 3.30pm, and dinner any time between 9.30pm - midnight.

If you can find somewhere that will serve you earlier than these times - and this may prove to be far from easy - you will most likely be dining in near solitude, or at least only in the company of other tourists.

Menus

Set menus of the day (menu del dia) often provide the best value. Typically these will offer at least three courses and a certain amount of choice, and quite frequently wine is included in the price. Items marked SP (segun peso) on the menu indicate that the food in question is charged by weight.

What to expect

How your meat is cooked is very important, and it is useful to know the Spanish terms used. Poco hecho  is rare, en su punto  is medium, and bien hecho  is well done. As to the method of cooking, a la plancha is grilled and frito is fried. And when it comes to tipping, when a service charge is included it should be shown on the menu. If it is not, an absolute maximum of 15% is more than sufficient - depending, of course, on the standard of service you have received.

Bars, Cafés & Tapas

If you can't find a restaurant open early enough, and you just can't wait to eat, there are plenty of alternatives - in fact throughout Spain there are so many bars and cafés serving good quality food that restaurant opening hours may begin to seem almost like an irrelevance. This is particularly true if you become hooked on that great Spanish institution, the tapa. You will find bars serving a wide range of these finger foods open for most of the day. Tapas may be served hot or cold, and the variety of ingredients is almost infinite.

All kinds of fish and shellfish are common, as are various hams, salad foods, cheeses and mushrooms. Quite often the preparation will involve fair amounts of olive oil or garlic.

For most Spaniards tapas are merely a social prelude to a large meal, but they are extremely more-ish, and if you want a larger portion of any one you can always order a ración.