Welcome

I think we had been living in Spain for more than a year before I fully understood the wonders of the Menu del Dia.  We moved here in August of 2019, just a few months before being quarantined during the pandemic.  We didn't own a car yet - all of our journeys were limited to what we could accomplish via train, which inside Catalunya, is still quite impressive.  We were also quite limited in our Spanish and even less in Catalan.  Even after five years, I still manage to order a lunch dish incorrectly sometimes visibly grimacing when my plate arrives.  

American travel guru and public television personality Rick Steves sings the praises of the Menu del Dia when travelling in Spain calling it "the traveler's friend".  Who wouldn't love a great mid-day meal that includes a starter, a main dish, a dessert, bread, olives, and something to drink for a ridiculously low price?  As wine is priced so low in Spain, we always note when you are offered not only a glass of wine as your beverage choice, but also when the server places the remaining bottle on the table and walks away.  No one likes to see good wine go to waste.

Lots of restaurants offer a Menu del Dia, but not all of them.  But if they do, they're often promoted on a sandwich board street-side before you walk in the door.  With five or so choices for your starter and five or so choices for your main dish, you can generally build a great lunch for yourself whether your a meat lover or a vegetarian.  It's hard to have a conversation with local friends without somebody bragging about what a great Menu del Dia they had last week at some new restaurant.  We also take note if the restaurant allows dogs - generally, you can bring your dog if there is outdoor seating.  Only sometimes can you bring your dogs if you go inside.  Our dog Rocky LOVES restaurants that have a chicken dish on the Menu.

We really enjoy eating a big lunch, especially if we're travelling.  We eat more in the middle of the day and tend to pick around the refrigerator at night.  If we find ourselves in a new town we've never visited before, we always look around for a restaurant that offers a great Menu.  Being retired helps to fully enjoy lunch the way the Southern Europeans tend to enjoy lunch:  slowly.  I thought a long time ago how nice it would be if there was a place where a person could go to read about great Menus del Dia throughout Spain.  This blog exists to summarize our experiences at restaurants offering these great value lunches.  I hope to include a map with pointers indicating the restaurants we've visited with links to those reviews.

Thank you for reading.  Comments are welcomed.