Where to Eat Lunch in Madrid: Menu del Dia for Beginners
Lunch in Spain is the main meal of the day and it’s serious business. Follow these tips to enjoy an authentic Spanish lunch like a local!
Getting the hang of the Spanish meal schedule can be a bit of a challenge. What you need to know is that breakfast is early, lunch is late and dinner is later. To have great food in restaurants and cafés you need to go at the right time. The right time for lunch is right around 2pm. Most restaurants open for lunch service between 1:30pm and 4pm.
At a recent lunch, I chose grilled cod and a friend had a steak and fries for our second courses at a great little place near Plaza de España.
The best way to eat lunch (especially during the week) is the Menú del Día. Menú del Día is a set lunch menu with several options for first course, several more options for the second course plus something to drink, bread and dessert or coffee. All this, for between 10€ and 15€. Menú del Día is offered at restaurants throughout Madrid and the rest of Spain. Look for chalkboards outside of restaurants to see what’s available. Some restaurants offer a special Menú on Saturdays and Sundays, or you have to order off the their regular carta (menu).
A chalkboard with the Menú del Día outside of a restaurant in Madrid that specializes in Asturian cuisine (Asturias is a magical land of mountains and beaches, along the north coast of Spain, we’ll talk more about this place in another post!). During the week you’ll see boards like this all over Spain!
When you sit down for Menú del Día, the waiter will either tell you the options or you’ll get a small printed (or handwritten menu). You’ll order a drink, normally a beer, a bottle of water (sparkling or still) or a glass of wine is included. Then choose your first and second courses. After you’ve finished the second course, the waiter will ask what you’d like for dessert. Note that normally, coffee OR dessert is included in the menu price. When a dessert is casera, it’s homemade and always a great option.
These garbanzo beans cooked with chorizo and morcilla are a perfect example of a hearty bean dish served as a first course in the colder months.
The first course options center around vegetable, bean, rice and egg dishes. The second course is normally meat, chicken or fish, that has been grilled, fried or stewed with a potato or salad garnish. As most food in Spain is highly seasonal, menu options depend on the weather. In the winter, expect first course offerings like bean or lentil stews, creamy vegetable soups, eggs scrambled with different toppings and large batch, paella-style rice. In the warmer months, you’ll see choices like gazpacho or salmorejo (gazpacho’s thicker cousin), melon with ham and all kinds of salads.
Gazpacho with the traditional garnishes: chopped up peppers, cucumber and chunks of bread. When the temperatures soar, I’m ordering gazpacho for lunch, it’s one of the true pleasures of Spanish summer.
The second course typically includes meat, fish and chicken dishes. This can be something simple like a grilled filet of beef, pork or chicken with French fries/salad. Or more complex dishes like a whole baked fish or chunks of fish or stewed meat in rich sauces. There are also comfort classics like albóndigas (meatballs) cooked in a carrot and onion sauce, perfectly fried calamari or the Madrid classic, cocido (a hearty stew with meat, chicken, garbanzo beans, potatoes and carrots).
A perfect chunk of grilled merluza (hake) with homemade French fries and little pimientos de padrón.
And then there’s dessert. Dessert can be anything from a slice of melon to a piece of homemade cheesecake. Again, usually seasonal. Fruta de temporada (seasonal fruit) will likely be just that, a piece of fruit on a plate. Helado (ice cream) will be a bowl of ice cream or an ice cream bar. Flan and natillas are variations on the custard theme. Then there are the cakes. Chocolate cake, cheesecake, Tarta de Santiago (an almond cake from Galicia) are all pretty standard. If you see torrijas (Spanish French toast), get them!
Homemade blue cheese cheesecake from La Burlona. I love the mini slice since I had already eaten a bowl of salmorejo, a plate of pulpo with potatoes and a poached egg and a basket of bread.
Some of my favorite places for Menú del Día:
La Burlona: Modern interpretations of Spanish classics, near the Reina Sofia museum
Casa Macareno: Classic Spanish dishes with some modern touches in the heart of Malasaña
Terramundi: Amazing Galician food near the Prado Museum
La Charca: Beautifully prepared traditional dishes near Templo de Debod
Pro-tips:
You can usually choose two first courses (great for vegetarians as there are usually more meat-free options for the first course).
You can always ask for a glass of water (un vaso de agua) except along the Mediterranean Coast where the water tastes a pretty weird and restaurants prefer to serve you bottled water.
Menú del Día is not just for traditional Spanish cuisine. Especially in Madrid and Barcelona and other big cities, where there are great international cuisine options, most restaurants offer a lunch option in the Menú format.
Menú del Día is normally served between 1:30pm and 4pm.
In Spain, when you would like the check ask for “la cuenta por favor.” Servers won’t bring a check until asked, as no one wants you to feel like they’re kicking you out. If you’re in a hurry, ask for your check when you order dessert.
Key terms:
A la romana: breaded and fried
Al ajillo: in a sauce made with tons of finely chopped garlic
A la plancha: grilled
Estofado: stewed
Guiso: a stew
Crema de verduras: Crema de _____ is a pureed soup made with different vegetables. There is usually no cream.
Casero(a): Homemade, especially important for desserts
If you have any questions about where to eat lunch in Madrid or Would like some Madrid travel tips, feel free to get in touch!