{"id":116,"date":"2014-10-24T14:47:34","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T13:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.aurigacrown.com\/blog\/?p=116"},"modified":"2014-10-24T14:47:34","modified_gmt":"2014-10-24T13:47:34","slug":"menu-del-dia-decoding-local-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.aurigacrown.com\/blog\/menu-del-dia-decoding-local-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Menu Del Dia: Decoding The Local Lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Lunch time can be long and languid in <a href=\"http:\/\/en.aurigacrown.com\/blog\/spain\/\">Spain<\/a>, particularly in the hot summer months, and <strong>is usually served a lot later than in the UK<\/strong> \u2013 usually between 1 pm and 3 pm. If you fancy egg and chips or an all-day breakfast, then the many English bars and cafes along the coast will be happy oblige, but if you\u2019re looking for a taste of the real Spain, then head into town and try whatever\u2019s on the <em>Menu del Dia<\/em> \u2013 delicious, authentic value for money.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Restaurants started serving \u2018<em>El Menu del Dia<\/em>\u2019 as <strong>a way of feeding hungry workers a balanced meal on a budget<\/strong>. With three courses, bread and a drink for a minimal price, it would very often be the only meal eaten during the day so it had to be filling and it had to be cheap \u2013 usually using whatever produce was available at the time.<\/p>\n<p>These days El Menu del Dia usually includes a choice of starters (El Primer Plato), a main course (El Segundo plato) and a dessert (El postre). Some may also offer a drink, all for a set price of anything between 6,50 Euros and 15 Euros, with the average being around 10 Euros. <strong>Most restaurants serving El Menu del Dia will do so alongside their normal menu<\/strong>, so you still have the choice if you\u2019re only looking for a light bite to eat, or your taste buds just aren&#8217;t tickled by what\u2019s on offer.<\/p>\n<p>Starters are often a soup, salad or pasta, with the main course being a meat or fish dish if you\u2019re on the coast. You\u2019ll usually find the Menu del Dia on a chalkboard outside, and usually only in Spanish. This isn&#8217;t necessarily to exclude visitors from trying \u2013it\u2019s just quicker and easier and usually only locals will opt for it anyway. This is a great opportunity to test your <a title=\"Learning to Speak Spanish\" href=\"http:\/\/en.aurigacrown.com\/blog\/learning-speak-spanish\/\">Spanish language skills<\/a>\u2026 or if you\u2019re really uncertain as to what\u2019s on offer, think of it as a mystery meal!<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve recently read a few general rules of thumb regarding the Menu del Dia which we thought we\u2019d share to help you <strong>make the best choices for an authentic Spanish lunch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0If you\u2019re not sure about the restaurant, wait until 2 pm. <strong>If it\u2019s packed, it\u2019s a winner<\/strong>.<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0If the menu board displays photos of the food to help you identify it, then avoid. This is a good idea in general.<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0If the main course is pizza or pasta, again, avoid.<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0If you\u2019re in a busy tourist area, <strong>head away from the crowds and down the side streets<\/strong>. You\u2019re more likely to find better Spanish cuisine there than anywhere else.<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0If you\u2019re on the coast, expect seafood. Not just fresh fish, but real seafood that may be ugly and have extremities attached.<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0<strong>Be brave<\/strong>, even if your Spanish is sketchy. You might end up trying something you wouldn&#8217;t normally eat.<\/p>\n<p>Tell us about your experiences of the Menu del Dia. <em>Where your best experience was and what did you have?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lunch time can be long and languid in Spain, particularly in the hot summer months, and is usually served a lot later than in the UK \u2013 usually between 1 pm and 3 pm. If you fancy egg and chips or an all-day breakfast, then the many English bars and cafes along the coast will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[47,46],"class_list":["post-116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spain","tag-lunch","tag-menu-del-dia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Menu Del Dia: Decoding The Local Lunch - Auriga Crown Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to find the best restaurants in Spain to order a delicious &quot;Menu del Dia&quot;. Get three courses, bread and a drink for a minimal price.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/en.aurigacrown.com\/blog\/menu-del-dia-decoding-local-lunch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Menu Del Dia: Decoding The Local Lunch - Auriga Crown Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to find the best restaurants in Spain to order a delicious &quot;Menu del Dia&quot;. 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