A little before lunchtime on every working day across Spain, evidence of one of the lingering—if less notorious—legacies of the Franco dictatorship is carefully traced in chalk, marker pen, and printer ink. Beckoning to hungry workers from blackboards, whiteboards, and pieces of paper hastily taped to windows, the competitively priced menú del día—or daily set-price lunch—has been part of everyday Spanish life for more than half a century. But while 4 million menús are still served each weekday, Spain is slowly losing its appetite for the familiar ritual.
Back in 2009, the country’s best-known chef, Ferran Adrià, went so far as to pronounce it dead—a victim of changing eating habits, economic downturns, and bistro-style restaurants trying to charge €20–€30 (£17–£25) for what should be a simple starter, a hearty main, and a choice of pudding or coffee… with bread and a drink thrown in.
Seventeen years later, however, the diagnosis seems a little premature. A new book by Spanish food journalist Lakshmi Aguirre charts the history and evolution of the menú and argues that while the tradition is indeed in hot water, it hasn’t quite had its chips.
Her book—Menú del Día: Everyday Scenes of a First Course, a Second Course and Pudding—begins with the unpalatable fact that it all began with a tourist menu dreamed up in the mid-1960s by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s information and tourism minister, Manuel Fraga. The regime was keen, in the aftermath of the “years of hunger” that followed the Spanish civil war, to show foreign visitors that food was plentiful, good, and affordable. So it was that establishments serving food should offer “a starter of soup, a main course chosen from at least three options and based on egg, fish, or meat and accompanied by a side dish, and a pudding based on fruit, something sweet, or cheese.”
The price was set at between 50 and 250 pesetas, and to stop unscrupulous restaurant owners from watering down the drinks, the law stipulated that the accompanying quarter-litre of wine had to be “reds and whites from Spain that are pure, clean, pleasant on the palate and with an alcohol content of not less than 12%.”
In the early 1970s, the menú del día was rebaptised to make it look less like an attempt to woo—and sometimes gouge—tourists, but also to give ordinary Spaniards the idea that they, too, could indulge. It is now so ubiquitous that many in Spain have no idea of its genesis. “When I was working on the book and people asked me about the menú del día, I’d mention Manuel Fraga and lots of them would throw their hands up in shock,” Aguirre said. “Some people know, but the vast majority don’t. It says a lot about us Spaniards; we forget very quickly.”
Researching the book, which includes personal reminiscences and a hefty selection of recipes, led Aguirre to consider the place of the menú in the popular consciousness. “It’s part of our history, yet it’s changed over the years, reflecting the evolution of Spanish society,” she said. “It originated from something as terrible as a dictatorship, and today it has become a deeply ingrained custom. We feel a sense of nostalgia as we realise it’s fading away.”
Aguirre says restaurants serving a menú del día should be a centre of community gravity “where families with limited financial means can afford to eat out.”
The threats to the set lunch, whose average price today is €14.70, are many. Increasingly time-poor, many Spaniards now opt for a quick lunch, eating food from home at work or popping to a supermarket for a ready meal to microwave in a soulless canteen. Rising energy and food prices arThis makes it harder for small, family-run restaurants to offer a rotating daily selection of starters and mains. All of which explains the rise of the “dish of the day,” which offers restaurants a cheaper alternative to the traditional choice of three or four mains, and the growing diversity of some menus, which now feature Latin American staples reflecting Spain’s changing demographics. “Menú del día purists reject such options, but it has always reflected the society that consumes it – and that’s exactly how it should be,” Aguirre said. “Spain today isn’t the same as it was in the 1980s; it is far more diverse and pluralistic, and as a result diners have changed too. The menú del día exists for those who need it, for people who may come from many different backgrounds.”
Aguirre’s menú of choice would be a simple but well-cooked vegetable stew followed by hake in green sauce or baby squid in ink, and then leche frita (fried custard) or rice pudding. But, as she points out in her book, the surroundings are almost as important as the cooking. Her benchmarks for a good menú del día spot include simple dishes, a regularly changing menu, chips that aren’t frozen, a chorus of regulars, and “a chalkboard free of any trace of words such as avocado, burrata, tartare, truffle or sourdough bread.” That chalkboard should ideally be written “by someone who’s never heard of lettering,” and bonus points are awarded if the owners’ child is doing their homework at a table in the back.
As it hobbles slowly towards what may be its demise, the menú del día has become something that transcends a filling and reasonably priced midday meal. “What’s being lost is a meeting point,” Aguirre said. “A centre of community gravity where families with limited financial means can afford to eat out, and where those who live alone can find some company during a meal, which remains a deeply social activity. It’s a place where joys, sorrows and problems can be shared, or where you can simply enjoy a bit of breathing space, as well as a place for those who live far away or who don’t have time to go home for lunch.” The true privilege of the menú, she added, lay “not just in being able to pay for a meal, but also in having the time to enjoy it.”
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Its part of our history Can the menú del día survive Spains changing eating habits
1 What is the menú del día
Its a fixedprice lunch offered by many Spanish restaurants You usually get a starter a main course bread a drink and dessert or coffee all for one set price
2 Why is it called part of our history
Its a tradition that dates back decades especially to the mid20th century and it became a daily ritual for workers families and friends Many Spaniards see it as part of the countrys food culture
3 When did the menú del día start
It became widespread in the 1960s and 1970s when workers needed affordable filling lunches near their jobs Fixedprice menus were a practical solution
4 Why is it popular
Its cheap fast and predictable You know the price before you sit down and you get a full meal without thinking too much about it
5 Who eats menús del día today
Traditionally office workers and locals but now also tourists remote workers and people looking for good value Lunch is still the biggest meal of the day for many Spaniards
6 Why is the menú del día under threat
Eating habits are changing more people snack eat later work from home or order delivery Costs are rising and younger diners often prefer lighter or more flexible options
7 What are the main problems restaurants face with it
Thin profit margins rising food and energy costs staff shortages and fewer weekday office workers Some places cut quality or portions to stay profitable which hurts the menus reputation
8 Is the menú del día only for lunch
Yes mostly Its usually served at midday roughly from 1 to 4 pm and is rarely offered at dinner
9 Is it good value for money
Usually yes A full meal with a drink for a fixed price is often cheaper than ordering la carte The key is checking whats included some places charge extra for certain drinks or desserts
10 What does a typical menú del día include
Often a choice of two or three starters two or three mains fish
