I keep reading about the Menu del Dia.
Is this available during the day only/evening only or both???
Am i right it is a "set menu" consistng of a starter, main course, dessert and wine??

Where will I get the best "Menu del Dia" in Madrid?

[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Hi notyor! I just did a search of this forum (see the SEARCH link above/right) using "Menu del Dia" as my keywords and found the " lunch on a schedule (in Madrid) " thread which will likely answer your questions. These "Menú del Día"s are only weekday lunchtime set-menu specials.

Just visited Madrid, Sevilla, Malaga, Granada and Cordoba, and if I were you, I would avoid the "menu del dia" or "plato del dia", because from my experience in each of these cities, these daily specials give you adequate quantity, but the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Terrible food atleast from my experience. Mind you, I just picked restaurants at random that seemed to have interesting "menu del dia", which includes a primero plato or first plate and then a second plate and finally a postre or desert. A drink was usually also included. So, unless you just want to fill your tummy at the least possible price, I would avoid them.

Well, the thing is, every restaurant in Spain has a 'menú del día', (either cheap, reasonable priced, or expensive), so I don't think one can generalize at all; it enterely depends on the restaurant.

Notyor, since you're staying in calle Huertas, here are some places at less than one minute walking distance from your Hostal:
MACEIRA, on calle Jesús 7 AND calle Huertas 66, which would be my first choice, but it's hard to get a table and you can't book in advance. PEREIRA, in calle Cervantes 16, no tapas here but good traditional Spanish homecooking. TERRA MUNDI, on Lope de Vega 32, great prices and plenty of room. And for a more international flavour and a little more money, ASIA SOCIETY, across from Terra Mundi(Lope de Vega 37).
Oh! and, we discovered one place (the MMan's gathering gang) last week, is LA TAPERIA DE HUERTAS, on calle Santa María 28; they have 22 different tapas at 250 pesetas each, small portions of course.

For breakfast don't expect bacon and eggs, pancakes, etc....unless you go to VIPS, there's also one very close to where you're staying. You can have a croissant with ham, toasts with jam, churros or 'porras' with chocolate or 'café con leche', that sort of thing, in many places, two very nice coffe houses nearby are SALON DEL PRADO, on Calle Prado 4, and CAFE DEL PRINCIPE on Plaza de Canalejas.


¡Qué aproveche!

[ 02-04-2002: Message edited by: pim ]

It's true what PIM says, can't really generalize, I went to a little restaurant at Alcala de Henares, we tried their Menu del Dia, they had filet of some fish, can't remember the name, so we all ordered it, pretty cheap by the way, and believe it oor not,. the fish was as fresh as can be, tasty as can be, and everyone was absolutely satisfied, and also it happened at the Pueblo de San Lorenzo del Escorial, (not the Monasterio del Escorial itself, but the Pueblo with the same name nearby, and we had a dish of Ternera which was truly satisfying, tender and nicely condimented, and, of course, also at the Madrid neighborhood where I was staying, we did not find any problems with the Menu del Dia, not even my Aunt's grandchild that is extremely picky for the food he eats, and as funny as it may seems, three days after arriving back in Miami, we went to a supposedly famous restaurant here, and the pork dish we ordered was infamous, meat was uneatable, so, again, PIM, you are right about that!

In my 2 1/2 week trip to Spain last fall we tried the menu of the day the majority of the time for lunch and sometimes even dinner. In the majority of cases it was a great meal at a good price. I'm very picky and like good quality food, so I was very surprised. There were a couple of times we were disappointed but there were many more that we weren't - of course, this could also be said for ordering right off the menu. I generally went to restaurants at random but avoided the ones with menus in 5 languages that were smack in the middle of a tourist area. I'd usually stroll through an alleyway and investigate an area nearby but not on the main drag.

Normally, the 'menu' is only available for the midday meal. Look for chalkboards in front of tabernas indicating what the menu del dia is and the price. When in Madrid, eating 'on the cheap,' my main meal of the day is a 'menu del dia' around 3 PM. Later, I might do tapas.
Yes; to your second question.
As for where to find the best 'menu del dia' in Madrid, it varies depending on the day of the week and what type cuisine (cocina) you prefer that day. I usually wait until mid-week for seafood. I enjoy cocina Madrileña and Asturiana ... so it also depends on one's personal taste.