Menú del día
Not many of us can afford to splash out on something special every day, even when we're on holiday. That's when the menú del día comes to the rescue of the cash-strapped tourist.
In fact, the menu del dia has its origins in the menu turistico. Introduced decades ago with the express intention of encouraging tourism, the idea was so popular among locals that it spread throughout Spain, and was re-christened the menu del dia. It is simply a fixed price menu, offered at lunchtime, and virtually every restaurant and bar in the land does it. Look for the blackboards outside each establishment. You'll get 3 courses (primero or 1°, larger than a typical starter), segundo or 2° (smaller and with fewer accompaniments than a typical main course), and dessert (postre), often very simple, like a pot of yogurt or a piece of fruit, but almost everywhere offers crema Catalana, the local version of creme brulee.
Also included is a drink. It's not unusual for the 'drink' to be a whole bottle of wine! Bread is always incuded, and coffee may be included, or you can have coffee in place of the dessert.
If you're paying more than about 10 Euros for your menu del dia, you'll expect something special.
You can find the menu del dia everywhere, but if you book a morning trip on Gemini, you'll return to the marina in perfect time to enjoy the menu del dia in La Barca Salamanca, one of the best restaurants in the marina. At 12 Euros it's amazing value.
By the way, if you ask for the "menu", this is what you'll get. If you actually want the price list (what we'd call the menu in English), ask for the "carta".
