Why lunch in Spain is at 2 pm

Arrive in Madrid at noon looking for lunch and you'll find the tables laid but almost nobody eating. In Spain, la comida, the main meal of the day, usually starts around two o'clock and can easily run until four.

To someone used to a sandwich at the desk at half past twelve, that sounds late. To most people in Spain, it's simply lunchtime. Once you see how the whole day is arranged, two o'clock makes a lot of sense.

The Spanish day, hour by hour

Meals in Spain are spread out differently, with a small breakfast, a big lunch and a late, lighter dinner. Times vary by region, season and family, but a typical day looks something like this:

1. 7–9
   am
   el desayuno · breakfast

   Light and quick: coffee and toast, often tostada con tomate, rubbed with tomato and olive oil.

2. 11
   am
   la media mañana · mid-morning

   A coffee break, sometimes with a small bocadillo. In some regions this snack is called el almuerzo.

3. 2–4
   pm
   la comida · lunch, the main meal

   Two courses, bread, then dessert or coffee. The longest, most social meal of the day.

4. 6
   pm
   la merienda · afternoon snack

   Something small to bridge the gap to dinner, especially for children after school.

5. 9–10
   pm
   la cena · dinner

   Lighter than lunch, and late by most countries' standards.

So why so late?

There's no single reason. Three things work together.

The clock. Geographically, most of Spain sits in line with the UK and Portugal, but since 1940 it has used Central European Time, the same as Paris and Berlin. The clock runs ahead of the sun. In Madrid in summer, the sun is at its highest at around two in the afternoon, so a 2 pm lunch is really a midday meal.

The working day. Many jobs have traditionally followed a jornada partida, a split day with a long break in the middle, when people could go home to eat. Plenty of offices now work a shorter jornada continua, especially in summer, but the lunch hour has stayed put.

The heat. Especially in the south, early afternoon is the hottest part of the day, a sensible time to be indoors, at the table, in the shade. The famous siesta is less common than the stereotype suggests, but the slow afternoon rhythm is real.

«La comida no tiene prisa.»

What's on the table: el menú del día

On weekdays, many bars and restaurants offer a menú del día, a fixed-price lunch with a few choices for each course. It usually includes:

A first course (often a salad, soup, rice or pasta), a second course (meat or fish), bread, a drink, and dessert or coffee. It's one of the best-value ways to eat well in Spain, and one of the best places to practise your Spanish.

Words you'll hear at the table

Tap the speaker to hear each one in Castilian Spanish.

After lunch: la sobremesa

When the plates are cleared, nobody rushes off. The coffee arrives, maybe a chupito, and the conversation keeps going. That time is la sobremesa, literally "over the table", and there's no neat English word for it. On a Sunday with family it can last longer than the meal itself.

Try it