How does everyone handle the late dinners (7-9pm) with a child that is used to eating dinner at 5pm and going to bed around 7:30pm? I need tips and tricks to get him adjusted to such a late dinner and bed time. We are currently living in Western Europe so are already adjusted to the time zone that Spain is in. We've been to countries where the usual opening times for restaurants were 6pm and that was really hard for our son. He would be complaining that he was tired by the time food arrived. We will be visiting Madrid, Segovia, Granada and Barcelona in March this year for reference.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8344 posts
As all the mentioned cities are major tourist destinations finding a place to eat early shouldn’t be much of a problem. It may only be a cafeteria, but you should be able to find something. Most restaurants won’t open until 8pm or later.
Another option is to pick up some snacks at a grocery store to tide him over for a couple hours.
In Madrid, markets like Mercado San Miguel are really food halls that are open throughout the day and have a variety of options. It is always busy.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
5143 posts
Maybe eat a big breakfast and a very late lunch?
Posted by
Bilbao
998 posts
It´s funny how different our schedules are...a kid that age would not go to bed before 9pm here, even later. An early hour lik 0730pm is not even close to our dinner time, which is normally (weekdays) around 0900 or 0930, and little kids would have dinner around 0830pm. Do not worry, plenty of places to eat something, dinner is not our main meal of the day and we do not care that much about it, it´s lunch that really, really matters (we have lunch around 2pm, a starter, a main, dessert -which is usually fruit- and a coffee, for about one hour, properly sitting down). Dinner may be an omeletter, or a soup, or something light, but definitely not of much importance in most places in Spain.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you MikelBasqueGuide! This does make me curious, what time do kids go to school in Spain. Our son's school starts at 8:30 am. How do schools there handle siesta? That is why I love travel, discovering how people have handled similar situations differently or how they've had to adjust due to differences in climate, light, etc. It's definitely taught me there is no right way.
Posted by
Bilbao
998 posts
Kids at this age start between 0830 and 9pm. If the go to bed at 0930, they get up at 0700-0730 normally, so it's 9-10 hours of sleep, more than enough in this country's way of thinking. Lunch around 0130pm, and if the little ones they do take a nap.
Do not be surprised to see toddlers, babies and small kids on the streets with their parents near midnight time on weekends. And during festivals, well past that time, we let them sleep in their chairs. Perfectly fine and acceptable in Spain.
Posted by
9790 posts
We love Spain and but are retired and now in our late 70s. No way do we wait until 10pm to dine.
When we visited Barcelona about 8 years ago, I used TripAdvisor to find the top restaurants there. One was walking distance from our hotel. We arrived there about 8pm, but it didn't open until 10pm.
After that, we tending to just do tapas at 6pm as a main meal. It worked for us.
I know that some more touristy restaurants in Spain do open for dinner earlier, but they usually are rated as well.
Posted by
new york
1224 posts
I often do what Cala suggested: I eat breakfast at my hotel, and book a table for lunch at the latest hour that the restaurant will take reservations (often kitchens close at 3 or 4pm). So If I book a table for 3:30pm, I will be served around 4/4:15/4:30, and finish my lunch around 5/5:30pm (if I'm eating alone). So similar to eating an early dinner in the US. Then I have the evening to wander around, sightsee, take a few tapas, relax..
I admire you for exposing your child to different cultures, and their dining hours....I think that bodes really well for his future.
I've not found many tapas restaurants that open
Posted by
Portsmouth
5925 posts
We've been travelling to Spain with our children since they were babies (they're now 21 and 18) and we quickly learned to make lunch the main meal of the day. I don't like to eat a meal as late as 9 or 10 pm as I don't think it's a healthy way to eat so invariably we tend to have something light around 6ish. Most restaurants won't be open at this time but there are plenty of places to find something light and simple to eat at that time. We also stay at resorts where the accommodation has a full kitchen which was a godsend when the children were very young.
Expect to find young children playing in squares quite late at night whilst their parents socialise in bars and cafes. I love to sit and watch kids playing football in the square or clamber about on playground equipment whilst their parents relax and enjoy the company of friends and relatives over a coffee or glass of wine. Good weather and warm evenings make this possible and it's one aspect of Spanish culture that I love. You may find that your child adapts well to this once they see the other children playing.