I've seen some videos about the menu del dia in Barcelona and it looks like such a good deal. But the portions look pretty generous. My husband and I are not big eaters. Is it acceptable to order one meal from the menu del dia and share it?
I don't know about sharing, but I've had many menu del dia in my day, and I doubt I've ever considered a portion to be 'generous'. Sensible, maybe, but they're generally servings that would be considered small at any restaurant in the US.
I agree with Scudder. We often get the menu del día on our trips to Spain and while the portions are sensible, I doubt most are large enough for sharing. What we will occasionally do when not overly hungry is get one menu del día and a salad and share those. We just swap plates part way through rather than asking for separate plates.
We check out the meals/plates of other diners.
We prefer to share.
We have found that most restaurants are very accommodating when you order a bottle of wine with the meal.
We had no problems in Barcelona.
"Menu del Dia" is a prix fixe seasonal set meal, served at lunch time, combining three courses (primer plato, segundo plato, y postre). The portions are not large (even by Europe standards) and are meant for a single person, can't imagine sharing. They are very affordable 12-16 euros for the whole course. You can try to share one "menu" between two grown adults, but that is very odd and will raise eyebrows, so don't be surprised if many places refuse.
You can try to order one "menu" for one person and then a smaller a la carte item for the other person, then share everything, that may be a work around.
No, definitely not. Menú del día is widely available all over Spain, weekdays and lunch only, and it´s intended for people that can´t go home for lunch so they can have a homemade meal before returning to work. Or for anybody that does not want to spend much in a la carte and a good daily menu is more than enough. In many places it includes half a bottle of wine per person, in others it´s just a glass, in others wine is not included. But it´s so very cheap that sharing it is not an option, price is ridiculously low given that you get a first, a second, a homemade dessert, plus bread, water and wine.
Don’t do it. There’s frugal and there’s cheap. Restaurants would not love this at all.
Thanks for the helpful replies. But I don't appreciate it when someone insinuates that I'm being cheap. Believe me, money is not the issue. We just have small appetites and hate to see food wasted.
And you had a valid question. I have a small appetite, too, but these meals are fine. Sharing is a lot less common in Europe except maybe a first course or a dessert.
As a reply to your comment on money not an issue (which I assumed as right, given that prices are very cheap), I do recommend to look for restaurants that offer the "plato del día", which is basically a half menú del día. It offers a first OR a second, plus dessert, so it´ll suit your appetite and you will not feel you´ll be wasting food.