The other day (and I've heard it before as well) I was told by a Spanish person that restaurants are obliged by law to provide a "menu del dia". I rather doubt that it's true.

Anybody know?

And if it is true, what exactly is a "menu del dia"?

Absolutely true.

It has to be a 'set' menu of (normally) 3 or more courses and reasonably priced.

Only if they open at lunchtime which is why many only open in the evening.

Just go into some local restaurants and sample them.

Some are good others terrible

My local Chinese does one at €4.90 Choice of 3 starters, 3 types of rice, 3 mains and a choice of sweets along with a drink.

I also get offered a free drink after the meal, but I think that is not offered to all.

It looks a bit confusing, it's easy to find sites that say, no it isn't, others say yes it is, and even one that says "Los restaurantes clasificados como de lujo" are exempt.

I've had some good MDD's, but most have been completely, well, soso.

Chinese have certainly been amongst the better MDD's we've had, both in taste and value for money. Plus the service is always spot on, they are efficient and pleasant.

Menu del dia was introduced by Francos government in the sixties, it was intended to be a substantial and economical workers meal.

Some sources say that it was introduced to stop workers returning home and then having a siesta (ie too much down time). Other sources say that it was introduced soley so that workers could eat cheaply.

There is no longer a legal requirement to provide it.

Corte Ingles offer what they call Menu of the Season.
My local at €10.95 and generally a good choice and value.
The one in Jose Banus is dearer and crap.
In Madrid on the Gran Via it's €12 in the week and €17 on a Sunday.
If you can get a table on the balcony the view alone is worth that price.

They're still knocking them out at 5 euros a shot here.

No longer called menu del dia though,....now called menu del crisis.

I don't see them a lot around here but have sampled a few in other places usually priced around 8/9 euros 3 courses normally with 3/4 choices each time and 99% of time been really good.

You can get a really good one round my way for 7 euro.

3 courses with good choice plus a bottle of wine or water, though the ones I mention at 5 also have 3 courses plus a bottle, but no choice,also there's three course takeaways at 5 with choice, but no bottle, can't be bad.

It seem that that the obligation to provide MDD is up to the individual regions.
and not as I generalised in my earlier post.

Madrid has to provide it during the week and luxury reataurants are excluded

Balearic islands don't have to offer it

Catalunya doesn't have to either but where it does it must also be in catalan

So I guess it depend where you live.

Only one of those answers can be true.

Of the 15 or so restaurants (as opposed to bars doing food which would bring the total to 25) in our village, only two offer MDD.

I've had loads of them. I was really after a definition rather than a description.

That's the nearest I can see to what I would call a definition. Now all we have to do is define 'set', 'course' and 'reasonable'.

Our menu is 'set' - it's always the same barring daily specials, we offer three courses and you could have a three course meal for 12.50 - does that qualify as reasonable? Would our service qualify as MDD? Is it acedemic anyway as it appears not to be compulsory?

Also a poster said in another thread that he knew of MDD's at 40 Euros plus. Does that count as reasonable?

It seems to me to be much more of a marketing exercise than a legal requirement.

My earlier post crossed with yours.