Do some/all/a few/no menus in Spain have English translations on the food descriptions? Is it dependant on the region or type/class of resturant we are in?

Aside: I really hope I don't end of asking the CLASSIC question ie - It's August in Canada, can we go snow skiing on my vacation? Somebody tell me if I do! Then we can all laugh about it!

It definitely depends on the class of restaurant you're in. The mid-to-higher-end restaurants will usually have English language menus. I've only encountered very few low-end restaurants with "Menú del Día" with English menus.

A lot of the bars which offer these "Menú del Día" meals will ONLY have them written in Spanish on the chalk board outside the restaurant or posted just outside the door.

You'll find more of the restaurants in the tourist districts will have English-language menus but few/none in the smaller cities or villages.

Best of luck!

Saludos, MadridMan

Even having been here 4 years , I sometimes see things on the chalboard menus i´ve never heard of and just order it for the adventure hehehehehe .. But I read a great book last year by a guy called Pete McCarthy .. The book´s called McCarthy´s Bar ... It´s hilarious ! But he has some interesting things to say .. His rules of travel are : Never pass a bar that has you name on it . Never eat in a restaurant with laminated menus . Never ask a British Airways Stewardess for another glass of wine until she´s good and ready . Never try and score dope from Hassidic jews while under the impression they´re Rastifarians .
Hardly relevant to the subject here except that I would strongly advise not to eat in the Plaza Mayor itself .. Have a drink there for sure , as i´ve done many times , but those laminated , multi lingual menus will cost you double ( or more ) than restaurants a few steps away on the side streets .
And you HAVE to try " Bocadillo de Calamares " .. It´s very famous here in Madrid .. A fried squid sandwich . Delicious !!! Steve

Good advice Steve *L* I'm afraid I won't be able to buy dope though - I wouldn't recognize a Hassidic jew unless they hit me in the face, and if they think they are Rastifarians, well, even if they hit me, I'd not recognize them! Thanks.

I'll probably understand a bit of Spanish food names, but very little. Maybe I'll luck out with the wait staff being able to translate in many cases. Our visits to Mexico will help me out and I'm bringing a "spanish phrases" book too. I looked into taking Spanish here locally, but they want $200 each. My limited Spanish will have to do us! (I'm trying to pick up a bit more from my daughter in law before I come visit, too.)

And just to clear something u .. I haven´t used dope since I was a teenager !! Now .. at my age , it would be a mistake hahahaha .. you´ll do fine when you get to Spain .. Just have an open mind ! Fried pigs ears , deep fried brains , blood sausage .. it can be a bit daunting ... In Madrid , one very popular dish is "callos" .. In British English we call it tripe .. stommach ,, intestines etc ... I normally eat ANYTHING .. but i found tht dish a little challenging hehehehehe

I will remember CALLOS!
ref: dope - I kinda figured! Me either! Humour sometimes is lost in translation on the internet! *S*

English language menus: top tier restaurants only. Not for the casual Tourist!
Morcilla is Spanish for the Blood Sausage. It's also quite popular in Ireland as Blood Pudding or Black Pudding. The best in Spain comes from the Principality of Asturias. I think it's a throwback to when the Celts (Castreños) ruled that part of Spain.

I have eaten Callos. Best served with a hot sauce. It's like eating a rubber bladder.

Chorizo is usually a safe bet: sausage similar to 'hot links.'

Take a chance with Menu del Día! If you don't like the Entree, you can always survive on Pan y Vino.

Postscript: You're less likely to get food poisoning from eating a Menu del Día than ordering a la Carte. I got a case of food poisoning (salmonella) from something I ate on Rua de Franco in Santiago's Historical District and another near the Prado de San Sebastian Bus Station in Sevilla.

My Irish friends swear their black pudding is the best ! When I went to school in Scotland ( for a year ) we were forced to eat black pudding with bacon and potatoes . I HATED it .
But I loved the traditional Scottish Dish of haggis !
Now I eat as much black pudding ( Morcilla ) as I can here in Spain . Funny how your tasteschange with age . MM I know is a morcilla lover too !
Chorizo I love and you can buy it in varying levels of spiceyness . I especially like it cooked in Asturian cider with good chunky bread mmmmmmmmmmm .

Steve

give it a good wine and I eat anything. Food is not to be waste ::)

Hi all! Email me @ bucher54321 at yahoo dot com and I will be happy to forward my Excel spreadsheet of Spanish to English menu words.

I DO NOT speak much spanish, so I can't vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the list (and I welcome all critiques and corrections btw!!!!!!!!!!) but I LOVE FOOD and this has helped me out to gain at least 5 pounds every time I set foot in Spain.

I have about 450 +/- words so you won't miss any tasty treats! You can print it out and keep it in your purse/wallet/pocket for easy reference.