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Do people in Madrid eat dinner at midnight?

In Spain, lunch is the biggest meal in the day and generally eaten in the early afternoon or afternoon, before or during siesta (which is a lunch break in Spain). Dinner is lighter and eaten very late, normally between 9 pm and midnight.



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Punctuality is not highly important in Spain. People can arrive half an hour late to a social function with no questions raised. If someone turns up late and apologises, people are likely to respond with something like “no pasa nada” – meaning “It's not that important”.

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Why do they eat so late in Spain? Spain's famously late mealtimes are due to the fact that the country has been geographically in the wrong time zone since World War II! During all that time, Spaniards have eaten at the same time they always have in regards to the position of the sun in the sky.

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Don't go to a night club before 1am A big night out in Madrid will never begin before midnight and even then, it starts with some pre-drinks at home or a bit of a tapas bar crawl. The night clubs and late-night bars will be empty until 1-2am.

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Tipping in Spain works differently: The customer actually has the option to not leave any tip at all. However, restaurants expect a 10% tip on each bill—although it's not a formal rule, and that percentage is much lower than tipping practices in other countries.

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Lunch is the mid-day meal, or la comida as it is called in Spain, and it is the largest meal of the day. It usually comes with multiple courses, eaten between 1:30 and 3:30 pm.

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Dinner: 9–11 PM Cena, or dinner, is usually much lighter than it would be in many other countries. If eaten at home, a Spanish dinner often consists of a salad; a plate of cured ham, sausages, or aged cheese; or even just yogurt and a piece of fruit.

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Dinner: 9–11 PM Cena, or dinner, is usually much lighter than it would be in many other countries. If eaten at home, a Spanish dinner often consists of a salad; a plate of cured ham, sausages, or aged cheese; or even just yogurt and a piece of fruit. Restaurant and bar dinners are another story.

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No sorbas (Don't slurp): While in other countries such as Japan, this is considered polite, it's rude to slurp in Spain. No eructes (Don't burp): Just like slurping your food, burping is considered rude in Spain. Some people definitely burp in public, but trust us, no one likes those people.

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If you don't leave Spain after 90 days, you would be in an irregular situation. In other words, you would be in the country illegally. Thus, in the eyes of the immigration law, you would be committing a serious infraction that could result in significant penalties and/or fines.

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