Menú del día: what is it and why should you try it?

First and foremost, what is a menú del día?  Excellent question.  As the name suggests, it’s a Central or South American restaurant’s daily menu that is generally offered from Mondays through Fridays between 12:00-3:00pm (the exact time may vary depending on the restaurant).

I first encountered a menú del día in Colombia, and from the first time I tried it, I was forever converted.  It is a convenient way to try several selections from the restaurant without breaking the budget.  

The food is usually not spectacular, but it is it filling, very reasonably priced, and a good way to try local dishes and flavors.  

But what is it? 

A menú del día generally includes an appetizer, entrée, drink, and occasionally a dessert.  Depending on the restaurant, the drink and dessert are usually set items.  Sometimes you have a choice for the appetizer.  And you almost always have a choice between 2 or 3 entrees.  

Now for all of those rules, I have seen many exceptions as well.  I have had a menú del día that is a completely set menu with no options.  And I have had menus where I can choose between up to 10 entrées.  There’s no set standard, and it all depends on how each individual restaurant operates.

Appetizer 

The typical appetizer is either a soup or a salad.  I’d say about 80% of the time it’s a soup.  There was one restaurant in Lima that offered mini arepas, which was a nice surprise.  But a soup is the norm.

A standard in Peru that I didn’t find in many other places is for a salad bar to be included with the menú del día.  The plates are very small, so you can’t over load, but it’s a nice way to get a few extra vegetables added to the meal.  In my experience, the salad bars always had a cooked potato (Peru is known for their over 3,000 types of potatoes!), a few steamed vegetables, a few raw vegetables, and some salsas or dressings.  They are not an extravagant salad bar like you may see in the Unites States, but it just existing was a nice surprise.

Entrée

As mentioned above, sometimes you will have no option for your entrée and sometimes you will have a plethora of options.  If I’m painting in broad strokes, the entrees were typically a rice + protein dish or a noodle dish.  

Drink

The drink is always a slightly-sweetened herbal tea or a juice of the day.  Very rarely-maybe once or twice- I had an option for my drink.  More commonly, it’s batched brewed and automatically brought with your meal.  

Dessert

Getting a dessert was really rare, and it was just small portions of a sweet bread or a fruity jam-like sweet. They were much smaller than the other courses, but it was a nice way to finish the meal with a little something sweet.

How much does it cost?

The price of a menú del día is relatively inexpensive.  For reference, it tends to be about the same price as a single entrée off of the a la carte menu (the regular printed menu a restaurant offers).  In exact numbers, the lowest I paid was about $2 USD and the highest was about $7.  So, for the same price as one dish, you can get an entire meal.  It’s a great way to try new things and explore local cuisine you may otherwise miss.  

If you’re traveling on a tight budget, perhaps consider a menú del día for lunch, leaving yourself more room in the budget for dinner.

How is the service?

The hours when the menú del día is offered tend to be extremely busy.  Many locals flock to the restaurants during these hours to take advantage of the lunch menu, so the restaurants normally fill up quickly.  On several occasions, I had to sit with a stranger because there weren’t enough tables.  I loved when that happened because it’s such a great way to meet locals, have a chat, and practice my Spanish.  That said, you don’t have to chat if you’re not in the mood.  

Because the restaurants are so busy, service is direct and to the point.  The server will come to take your order (which actually may happen after the drink and appetizer is delivered if the first course is set), and it’s best to know what you want when they come so they can keep their flow.  If it was a vegetarian restaurant instead of vegan, I would just be sure to confirm which entrees were fully vegan before ordering.

Why choose it over the set menu?

Beyond the price, the menú del día is an opportunity for restaurants to show some creativity with seasonal produce.  These menus gave me the chance to try things I never saw offered on the a la carte menus.

I’m always a sucker for a sampler menu, so to have 2-3 courses and a drink?  I’m in!  Especially as a solo traveler, I don’t have another person to split food with, so I usually can only try one dish.  Two if I’m really hungry.  But the menú del día, while large, is still manageable for a single person.  It’s a great way to have some variety in the meal without having to pay for and eat 3 individual menu items.

The portions are excellent.  Just because it has 3 courses doesn’t mean that anything is small or ‘tasting menu size’.  They are full plates of food.  There were many times I had to take half of my entrée to go because I couldn’t finish it.  Which means I got two meals for the price of one on those days!

How is the quality of the food?

Decent.  I won’t lie to you, there was only one time that I thought a menú del día meal was exceptional.  There were some meals that I thought were pretty good.  And there were some that were not to my taste at all.  If you’re looking for culinary masterpieces, the menú del día probably isn’t for you.  

This style of meal is usually quite simple without many frills.  There’s not a heavy emphasis on spices or unique flavor combinations.  It’s food that can easily be made in bulk and served quickly.  

So.  If you’re looking for a great culinary experience, it’s probably safer to order off of the a la carte menu.  If you’re up for an adventure and willing to eat whatever is served to you, the menú del día is worth a try.  

Personally, I’m not a picky eater, so I almost always just asked my server what entrée they would recommend.  It worked out because they are more familiar with the menu and it pushed me to try things I would otherwise not know to order.  Also, because the menu is always in Spanish and features local dishes, there were times I straight up didn’t know what I was ordering.  As long as it was vegan, I was down to try anything.

How to know if a restaurant offers it?

Sometimes it’s on a sign outside, sometimes it’s listed on the actual menu, and sometimes the server will verbally list the options.  Additionally, there are some restaurants that exclusively serve the menú del día during these lunch hours while others offer it in addition to their typical a la carte menu.  

If in doubt, you can just ask the host or server, but it’s generally well-marked as you enter the restaurant.  

Final Thoughts

A menú del día isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  If you solidly want to know that you’re getting the best of the best that the restaurant has to off, go for the a la carte menu.  If you’re up for an adventure and you’re ok eating food that is filling and a great deal but may not be the most flavorful, try the menú del día.  No matter the meal, I always walked away pleasantly satisfied.