Eating at a restaurant, from set menu (menú del día) to bill

Terms used

• Menú del día — The menú del día is a fixed-price weekday lunch with a starter, main, dessert or coffee, bread and a drink.
• Ración — A ración is a full-size plate of food meant to be shared at the table.
• Media ración — A media ración is a half portion of a ración.
• Bizum — Bizum is a Spanish mobile app for sending money instantly between bank accounts using phone numbers.

Key rules

• Booking: Book for weekend dinners, Sunday lunch and groups; weekday casual lunch rarely needs it.
• Menú del día: It is a weekday lunch deal with bread and a drink included, usually not offered at weekends.
• The bill: Waiters won't bring it unasked, so ask with "La cuenta, por favor."
• Tipping: Tipping is optional; rounding up or leaving 5 to 10% for good service is plenty.

Do you need to book?

Book for Friday and Saturday dinners, Sunday lunch, groups, holidays and popular or tourist restaurants. For a weekday lunch at a casual place, you usually can just walk in.

You can book by phone, on the restaurant's website, by WhatsApp or through a reservation platform. On the phone, say: "Quería reservar una mesa para cuatro personas el sábado a las nueve, a nombre de..." and add your name.

Mealtimes are later than you may be used to. Lunch runs from about 13:30 to 15:30. Dinner starts around 20:30 or 21:00.

The menú del día

The menú del día is a fixed-price lunch served on weekdays, Monday to Friday, roughly 13:00 to 16:00. The busiest time is 14:00 to 15:00.

It usually gives you:

• A choice of starter (primero), often 3 to 6 options.
• A choice of main (segundo), with a similar number of options.
• Dessert or coffee. Some menus make you pick one.
• Bread and one drink: wine, beer, water or a soft drink.

VAT is normally included in the price. The price is on the board outside or on the menu. Expect more in big cities and tourist areas than in small towns, and check the current board because prices rise every year.

At weekends the menú del día is often not offered. You may get a pricier weekend menu instead. Evening versions are rare, but some places have a menú de noche, so ask.

Ordering and sharing dishes

Sharing is normal. Tapas are small plates. In some regions, such as Granada, León and Almería, a tapa often comes free with a drink. A ración is a full plate meant for sharing, and a media ración is a half portion.

Useful phrases:

• "Para compartir, una ración de croquetas."
• "Queremos pedir varias cosas para compartir."
• "¿Cuántas raciones recomiendas para tres personas?"
• "Media ración, por favor."

Ask for extra small plates ("platos") and cutlery. Dishes arrive as they are ready, not course by course, so don't expect a strict order.

Asking for the bill

Waiters rarely bring the bill unasked. Bringing it early would feel like rushing you. When you are ready, make eye contact, raise a hand or mime writing in the air, and say "La cuenta, por favor." Friendlier options are "Cuando puedas, la cuenta" or, for a group, "Nos cobras?"

In most bars you pay at the end, when you leave, though some busy or tourist bars ask you to pay on each round.

Splitting the bill

Most places accept it. Ask "Nos puedes cobrar por separado?" or say "Cuenta separada, por favor." Some busy or small places dislike itemised bills, so ask when you order. The easy alternatives are to divide equally ("a partes iguales") or for one person to pay and the others to send money by Bizum.

Tipping

You don't have to tip. Service is included in the prices and staff are paid wages. For good service, round up the bill or leave small change in a bar, about 1 euro or less. In a restaurant, 5 to 10% is a kind gesture, and 10% is generous. Leave cash on the table or add it when you pay by card. Tipping is more common in tourist areas.

If you have allergies or a special diet, the phrase card below gives you the words to use.

Choosing between options

Which way should you eat and pay?

• Menú del día: Weekday lunch: a fixed price with a choice of starter and main, then dessert or coffee, plus bread and one drink, VAT included.

• Order from the menu: Evenings, weekends or when you want dishes to share, paying for each dish.

• Pay the bill together, split by person: A group where everyone ordered similar amounts: divide equally ("a partes iguales") or ask for separate bills.

• One person pays and the others send money by Bizum: A busy or small venue that dislikes itemised separate bills.

Choose the menú del día on weekday lunchtimes for the best value. Tipping is never required, since service is already included in prices.

Timeline and deadlines

• Arrive for the busiest lunch period: between 14:00 and 15:00

• Look for a different menu at weekends: on Saturday and Sunday, when the menú del día is often replaced by a pricier weekend menu or tasting menu

• Ask whether an evening set menu (menú de noche) exists: in the evening, where it is rare but some places offer it

Checklist

• Book a table by phone, website or WhatsApp for Friday and Saturday dinners, Sunday lunch, groups, holidays and popular restaurants.

• Skip booking for weekday lunch at casual places, where it is usually not needed.

• Check the menú del día price on the board: about 13 to 16 euros on average in 2025, and 15 to 20 euros or more in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián and tourist centres.

• Order dishes to share by saying "Para compartir, una ración de croquetas" or ask "¿Cuántas raciones recomiendas para tres personas?".

• Ask for the bill with "La cuenta, por favor" when you are ready to leave.

• Ask "Nos puedes cobrar por separado?" if you want to pay separately, or agree to divide equally ("a partes iguales").

Allergy and diet phrase card for Spanish restaurants

Show this card to the waiter, or read it out. Spanish restaurants and bars selling non-prepacked food must give you information on the 14 regulated allergens for every dish, free of charge and before you finish buying. They can give it in writing or by speaking to you. You are entitled to ask.

Start with this

Soy alérgico/a a… (I am allergic to…) ______. Es muy grave, puede provocarme una reacción grave. (It is serious. It can cause a severe reaction.) ¿Tienen la carta de alérgenos? (Do you have the allergen sheet?) ¿Puedo hablar con el cocinero o con quien conozca los alérgenos? (Can I talk to the cook or someone who knows the allergens?)

Use "alérgico" if you are a man and "alérgica" if you are a woman.

Questions to ask about a dish

• ¿Esto lleva…? (Does this contain…?) ______
• Sin trazas de…, por favor. (No traces of…, please.)
• ¿Puede haber contaminación cruzada? (Could there be cross-contamination?)
• ¿Se fríe en el mismo aceite? (Is it fried in the same oil?)

The 14 allergens in Spanish

Point to the ones that apply to you.

• Cereales que contienen gluten (trigo, centeno, cebada, avena): cereals with gluten
• Crustáceos: crustaceans (prawns, crab)
• Huevos: eggs
• Pescado: fish
• Cacahuetes: peanuts
• Soja: soy
• Leche (incluida la lactosa): milk, including lactose
• Frutos de cáscara (almendras, avellanas, nueces, anacardos, pistachos, etc.): tree nuts
• Apio: celery
• Mostaza: mustard
• Granos de sésamo: sesame seeds
• Dióxido de azufre y sulfitos: sulphur dioxide and sulphites
• Altramuces: lupin
• Moluscos: molluscs (squid, mussels, snails)

Coeliac and lactose

• Soy celíaco/a. (I am coeliac.)
• Necesito comer sin gluten. (I need to eat gluten-free.)
• Tengo intolerancia a la lactosa. (I am lactose intolerant.)

Fried food is the usual trap. Croquetas, battered fish and chips can share oil with gluten, egg, fish or milk, so ask about the fryer.

Vegetarian and vegan

Dishes that look vegetarian often are not. Watch for:

• Green beans or broad beans with jamón, and spinach with jamón or panceta.
• Lentils and chickpeas cooked with chorizo, morcilla or tocino.
• Tortilla or croquetas with jamón or tuna.
• Pimientos del padrón fried in shared oil.
• Rice and soups made with fish or meat stock (caldo).
• Salads with tuna (atún).
• Beans and stews cooked with lard (manteca).

Say:

Soy vegetariano/a, no como carne ni pescado, tampoco jamón ni caldo. (I am vegetarian. I don't eat meat or fish, or ham or stock.) ¿Lleva jamón, carne o pescado? (Does it contain ham, meat or fish?) ¿El caldo es de carne o pescado? (Is the stock made with meat or fish?)

Halal, no pork, no alcohol

No como cerdo, ni jamón, ni panceta, ni manteca de cerdo. (I don't eat pork, ham, bacon or pork lard.) No puedo tomar alcohol, ni vino ni cerveza en la cocina. (I can't have alcohol, including wine or beer in cooking.) ¿Lleva alcohol o vino? (Does it contain alcohol or wine?)

Pork and wine or brandy turn up in stews, sauces and tapas. Halal-certified restaurants are mostly in large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and in Andalusia, often kebab, Moroccan or Pakistani places. In ordinary Spanish restaurants halal meat is rare and staff may not know if a dish is halal. Outside big cities, fish, vegetable and egg dishes are the safer choice.

Tips

• Say your needs when you sit down, before you order.
• If the answer is a guess, ask for the cook or the allergen sheet. Do not eat the dish on a guess.
• If you have a severe allergy, carry your medication.

Frequently asked questions

Do waiters bring the bill without being asked?

No, waiters rarely bring the bill unless you ask for it, because bringing it early would seem like rushing you.

Can I ask for dishes to share and a half portion?

Yes, sharing is normal, and you can ask for a "media ración" (a half portion) of a dish. Say "Queremos pedir varias cosas para compartir" and ask for extra small plates and cutlery.

Can I pay separately when eating in a group?

Yes, most restaurants and bars accept separate payments, but some small or busy places dislike itemised bills. Ask when you order, or say "Cuenta separada, por favor". Another option is one person paying and the others sending money by Bizum, a phone payment app.

Do I have to leave a tip in a Spanish restaurant?

No, tipping is not expected, because service is included in prices and staff are paid wages. For good service, 5 to 10% is normal in a restaurant, with 10% being generous. In bars, round up or leave small change.