Food prices

[Susanna Nel]

Hi everyone. Could you please give me approximate prices for an average restaurant dinner (not pilgrim's meal), restaurant lunch (bocadillo ?) as well as breakfast, supermarket lunch (bread, cheese, cold meat, fruit, etc), and most important beer and wine (red and white)? Thank you thank you!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Restaurant dinner can be anywhere from 6 Euros to 150 Euros, depending on the restaurant.
Bocadillos run anywhere from 3 to 6 Euros.
Bread can be as little as 35 cents a loaf, you can buy cheese and meat by the slice.
Fruit is cheaper in Spain than in the USA imo.
Beer is 1 to 2 Euros
Wine is usually 1 Euro a glass of tinto - you can buy boxed wine for around 1 Euro

It's really a difficult questions. Here are a few blogs I did on food:

Desayuno/Breakfast: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Desayuno

El Almuerzo/Lunch: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Almuerzo

Tapas and Pinchos: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Tapas

 

[Robo]

Hi everyone. Could you please give me approximate prices for an average restaurant dinner (not pilgrim's meal), restaurant lunch (bocadillo ?) as well as breakfast, supermarket lunch (bread, cheese, cold meat, fruit, etc), and most important beer and wine (red and white)? Thank you thank you!

Very hard question. Depends what you want to eat.
'Average' dinners (not Pilgrim menus) maybe e15-25
Breakfast. what do you eat?
You can get bacon, eggs, toast, fresh juice, coffee for maybe 8.

We tended to eat Pilgrim menus a lot (maybe 50% of time) for lunch and dinner because
a) The non Pilgrim menu food often wasn't any better
b) The Pilgrim menus were better value.

If we found good food we would stray from the Pilgrim menu....

At the risk of causing a riot
If you like good food, Spanish food can be dull on the whole.
At least along the CF.

And Yes there are a few exceptions. The roast lamb, Tapas, a good Paella.....

Look out for the Menu del Dia at lunchtime.
These are usually much better than Pilgrim menus and only cost a few euro more.
One of the best meals we had, was a Menu del Dia in Roncesvalles at Casa Sabina.
In the dining room to the left of the bar.

One thing we have found, is that meal price is no indicator of quality..........
We had Pilgrim menus that were excellent and others that were barely edible.
We had a la carte meals that were awful, and some that were great!
For example the Parador food in VillaFrance del Bierzo was very mediocre.
The Pilgrim Menu in Vega de Valcarce at Meson Las Rocas was one of the best quality meals we had!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

One reason why pilgrim meals are so popular is because they are served so early by Spanish standards. The meal can be finished before the albergues are closed, about the same time the locals think about dinner. If you want a regular dinner you may have to stay in hotels and forego early morning starts

 

[Robo]

One reason why pilgrim meals are so popular is because they are served so early by Spanish standards. The meal can be finished before the albergues are closed, about the same time the locals think about dinner. If you want a regular dinner you may have to stay in hotels and forego early morning starts

I know a lot of people say that Rick, but we found we could get dinners earlier at most places.
I think only once we had to wait till 7 pm, and that was a popular place in Pamplona.

(Afternote: My experience at this stage is on the CF only)

 

[adrianflude]

You could always do a spot of research yourselves on supermarket prices, you know your own tastes:
https://www.alcampo.es/compra-online/

This restaurant booking site give menu prices, websites for some restaurants:
https://www.eltenedor.es/

And of course there's always the combination of Google and Trip Advisor

¡Buen Camino y Aproveche!

 

[lissie45]

Restaurant dinner can be anywhere from 6 Euros to 150 Euros, depending on the restaurant.
Bocadillos run anywhere from 3 to 6 Euros.
Bread can be as little as 35 cents a loaf, you can buy cheese and meat by the slice.
Fruit is cheaper in Spain than in the USA imo.
Beer is 1 to 2 Euros
Wine is usually 1 Euro a glass of tinto - you can buy boxed wine for around 1 Euro

It's really a difficult questions. Here are a few blogs I did on food:

Desayuno/Breakfast: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Desayuno

El Almuerzo/Lunch: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Almuerzo

Tapas and Pinchos: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Tapas

I'd love to read your blog - but I'mgetting a message
This blog is open to invited readers only

 

[lissie45]

I know a lot of people say that Rick, but we found we could get dinners earlier at most places.
I think only once we had to wait till 7 pm, and that was a popular place in Pamplona.

I wouldn't want to eat any earlier than that - surely most albergues are open until at least 11pm?

 

[Davey Boyd]

I wouldn't want to eat any earlier than that - surely most albergues are open until at least 11pm?

No, most are light out at 10pm. And don't be late in because many municipal albergues will lock you out. Private accommodation and hotels don't have a curfew though.

The curfew can cause problems with pilgrims eating out as the Spanish eat a lot later than is usual than say the UK. Hence the pilgrim menu's are served earlier.

Davey

 

[KinkyOne]

I wouldn't want to eat any earlier than that - surely most albergues are open until at least 11pm?

Better be inside the municipal albergues at 10pm.
Two years ago I was in Burgos and asked hospitaleros if by any chance I can be back at 10:15pm because of the Euro 2016 soccer championship match. They smiled and said it's no problem and that they had to do some cleaning anyway. I returned at 10:13pm and the doors were shut. I phoned, I knocked, nothing.

I went and grab a kebab and then sat across the street in a bar to have a beer allowing myself to calm down and prepare for a sleep in a nearby park when two local ladies told me that someone from inside the albergue is asking who wanted to enter. There are side doors to the left which are not really for the albergue but could be opened from the inside. This young couple heard me knocking and my phone calls also so they put two and two together. They opened the door for me but then we still had to climb some fences and walls to get into the albergue

Rather long story but could give you the picture of rules in municipal albergues.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I'd love to read your blog - but I'mgetting a message
This blog is open to invited readers only

Oh yeah... rats, let me change the settings.
Try now - and please PM me after you read it so I can change the settings back?

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I know a lot of people say that Rick, but we found we could get dinners earlier at most places.
I think only once we had to wait till 7 pm, and that was a popular place in Pamplona.

On the CF maybe, I was pushed to find anything decent in Bezanos, Mino and Sigueiro before 9pm.

 

[Vacajoe]

Waked April/May 2018 and spent about 20€ a day each on food and drink — that was a combination of restaurant, cafe, and grocery store purchases. We found plenty of variety by not only doing the menu del dia and pilgrim menus, but also packing a picnic in small towns and trying non-Spanish “ethnic” restaurants in the larger cities.

Specifically, 10€ - 12€ would get you a set menu meal that included a bottle of wine EACH and enough food that one didn’t need another full meal that day. At stores, good wine was 5€, bread 1€, olives .5€, and a stack of average jamon and cheese for 6€.

Or you could splurge and spend hundreds of euros on a meal, but save that for celebrating in Santiago!

 

[Marbe2]

We often got the menu dia or ate ala carte. While it is true that sometimes the pilgrim menu was decent or even good, for the most part, IMO, the menu del Dia was better. When neither the del dia or pelegrina meal seemed desirable, we ordered ala carte. Sometimes we got the main meal, alacarte for what the whole Pelegrín meal cost. We did not want wine every night anyway. We just got water and coffee. We had plenty of opportunity to obtain basic desserts like Santiago torte, ice cream fruit and chocolate from stores so we had no need for desserts at the meal. We had a wonderful del dia steak in Leon for under 20 euros with salad and fries. Water and bread extra...was about 45 euros for a really good steak meal.

 

[Robo]

On the CF maybe, I was pushed to find anything decent in Bezanos, Mino and Sigueiro before 9pm.

Good point!

 

[Kanga]

There are so many foreigners walking the CF that the locals are pretty used to us asking for an evening meal at a time the Spanish consider is weird - ie about 7pm. But it is not so on the other lesser walked caminos, when you are likely to be told the kitchen does not open until much later. Whenever possible I try to follow the Spanish custom and have my main meal at about 2pm or 3pm in the afternoon, so a late lunch when I've finished walking. Then I only need something light, a yoghurt or fruit, before bed. But I do agree that if you want to share a meal with other pilgrims it is more difficult, unless you cook yourselves, in the albergue. Or if everyone is prepared to have tapas instead.

As to the quality of the food, I've never been led astray by my "ask the ladies in the plaza" technique for finding a good restaurant. Approach any group of three or four mature women, and they love to give you the benefit of their local knowledge of the best place to eat. Sometimes a little discussion and disagreement among them, but always a good outcome.

 

[Susanna Nel]

Thank you everyone! What would we have done without this site and all you wonderful people??

 

[Davey Boyd]

Thank you everyone! What would we have done without this site and all you wonderful people??

We may be nice, but you do realise we are all insane? I mean "hey, lets walk across Spain in the middle of summer" is a bit bonkers. Mad dogs and Englishmen comes to mind!

Seriously though, you are going to love it!

Davey

 

[Deleted member 12253]

As a fast walker i usually finish 1 to 2 pm. After shower etc head for restaurant and Menu del Dai. Always very good and watch where locals eat. I never touch pilgrim menu

 

[Jeff Crawley]

We may be nice, but you do realise we are all insane? I mean "hey, lets walk across Spain in the middle of summer" is a bit bonkers. Mad dogs and Englishmen comes to mind!

Seriously though, you are going to love it!

Davey

Not wanting to take the pith but what you need is one of these:

 

[Yambor17]

Restaurant dinner can be anywhere from 6 Euros to 150 Euros, depending on the restaurant.
Bocadillos run anywhere from 3 to 6 Euros.
Bread can be as little as 35 cents a loaf, you can buy cheese and meat by the slice.
Fruit is cheaper in Spain than in the USA imo.
Beer is 1 to 2 Euros
Wine is usually 1 Euro a glass of tinto - you can buy boxed wine for around 1 Euro

It's really a difficult questions. Here are a few blogs I did on food:

Desayuno/Breakfast: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Desayuno

El Almuerzo/Lunch: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Almuerzo

Tapas and Pinchos: http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/search?q=Tapas

Your blogs are very helpful. I appreciate them, thanks!