🥘 Eating well in Madrid for under €15

The menú del día

Lunch, Monday to Friday, roughly 13:00–16:00. Starter, main, bread, a drink and dessert or coffee for one price — usually €12–16 in the centre, less outside it. It is the single best-value meal in Spain and most tourists never order it because it is chalked on a board in Spanish.

Rule of thumb: if the board is handwritten and there is no photo menu, it is probably good.

Markets: the two kinds

• Mercado de San Miguel — beautiful, historic, and a tourist food court. €6 for three olives. Go, look, take the photo, eat elsewhere.
• Mercado de San Fernando (Lavapiés), Mercado de Antón Martín, Mercado de Vallehermoso — these are where people actually eat. Better and about a third of the price.

Practical rules

• Standing at the bar is cheaper than sitting at a table, which is cheaper than the terrace. Same food.
• A caña is a small draught beer, roughly €1.50–2.50, and often comes with a free tapa in the older bars.
• Menu prices include tax and service. Tipping is rounding up, not 20%.
• The €1 "pan y aperitivo" charge is normal, not a scam.
• Avoid anywhere on the Plaza Mayor itself with a photo menu and a man outside inviting you in.

Prices are typical for 2026 and drift upwards — treat them as a guide, not a promise.