What time is dinner in Granada?

One aspect of Spanish culture that usually shocks visitors are our late mealtimes here. Locals won't eat lunch until 2 p.m. at the earliest, and their 6 p.m. meal is more like a late afternoon snack—dinner won't be served until 9 or 10!



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When it comes to Spanish eating customs, keep in mind that when eating out in Spain that most restaurants won't open until around 8pm. At the weekend, it's also common for Spaniards to eat even later beyond 10pm.

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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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Lunch: 2–3:30 p.m. Merienda (Mid-afternoon snack): 5–6:30 p.m. Aperitif: 8–10 p.m. Dinner: 9–11 p.m.

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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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As a result, Spaniards who would eat at 1pm or 1.30pm continued to eat at their usual time (now 2pm or 2.30pm), continued to have dinner at 8pm (now 9pm) and continued to go to bed at 11pm (now midnight).

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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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Evenings in Granada begin at 11:00 PM; after dinner and a stroll, it's time to go out for a drink. Granada's nightlife has something for everyone, so for a laid-back atmosphere, visit any pub that serves drinks. There are also establishments with live music as well as nightclubs for dancing until dawn.

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A day (of eating) in the life of a Spaniard
  • Spaniards LOVE their food! In fact, the typical Spaniard probably eats more times throughout the day than most people around the world. ...
  • Spanish Meals: ...
  • El Desayuno – Breakfast. ...
  • El Almuerzo – Brunch. ...
  • La Comida – Lunch. ...
  • La Merienda – Late-Afternoon Snack. ...
  • La Cena – Dinner.


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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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In Spain, you can simply say la cuenta, por favor (the check, please) when you catch your server's attention. Another common phrase many locals use is ¿Nos cobras cuando puedas? (literally Can you charge us when you can?). Either one is a perfectly fine way to ask your server to bring the bill.

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During World War II, Franco moved Spain's time zone ahead one hour to Central European Time in solidarity with Nazi Germany. Because of this, the sun also tends to set pretty late in Spain, which is part of the reason dinner (and nightlife) tends to start so late.

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Other habits to avoid when dining in Spain is to not place your elbows on the table, do not slurp your food or burp in public. All these actions are considered bad etiquette in Spain. For example, slurping your noodles in places like Japan may be acceptable. But in Spain, it is rude to do this.

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  1. Take the time to engage in some small talk when meeting people. ...
  2. Ask where in Spain your counterpart is from and talk about your (good) impressions of that city or region. ...
  3. Try to stay for a few hours after a meal to talk (la sobremesa). ...
  4. Speak up when you have something to say.


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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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