COMPARTIR :
Le Merienda: the Spanish Meal You’re Missing
08 de Octubre del 2026
Spain is notorious for eating dinner at an incredibly late hour, around 9 pm on the early side and as late as 10:30 p.m. For many non-Spaniard, this is impossibly late.
I understand, I married into a Spanish family in 2014 and have sometimes struggled to hold out for that late dinner. Often by 7 or 8 p.m., I’m starving even after having eaten a two-course dinner at 2 p.m.
Let me tell a the “secret” no one seems to understand about Spain. I say secret in scare quotes because it seems to have been perpetuated among tourists that you can’t anything to eat in Spain at, say 6 p.m. when the average Brit or American is hankering for something solid to put in her stomach.
Let me correct this mistaken understanding of Spanish eating norms right now.
Spaniards do eat in the hours of approximately 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., to give the widest time frame.
This is the hour of la merienda, the afternoon snack.
It’s not served in tapas bars (sually) but rather in cafeterias (most commonly).
What is La Merienda?
It’s a small meal, either savory or sweet, and can be anything from just a pastry or a piece of toast to as much as chocolate con churros, a sandwich, a smoothie, a serving of tortilla de patatas, a waffle, or even another light dish. Eat it with your beverage of choice--a cup of coffee or tea, or a beer, wine, or juice.
The peak hour for this meal is 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
As I said, la merienda is most often served in a cafetería, which don’t, in contrast to restaurants or tapas bars, typically serve larger meals like full lunch or dinner.
Another good place to get a merienda is a bakery or pastry shop that also has a dine-i cafeteria n area. Good examples of this in León, where I live, are La Flecha, Albany, and El Valenciano. There you can get bread and pastries to take home or dine-in on their baked goods and menu items made in the kitchen.
Some restaurants and bars do also serve meriendas. For example, Correos, a bar in Astorga on the Camino de Santiago, serves chocolate con churros every afternoon starting at 7 p.m. Every dinning establishment operates according toits own business model, but in most cases they are happy to show you the menu or answer a question about what’s available before you sit down at a table.
The main take way from this article, is that you don’t have to hold out until 9 p.m. to get a bite to eat in Spain. Find some place serving meriendas, and you’ll avoid the hangar that might otherwise threaten to make for an unnecessarily miserable few hours on your Spanish vacation.
Here are some of my favorite places for a merienda in Madrid. This is me talking about la merienda.
Arquibar https://arquibarmadrid.com/
El Jardín Secreto de Slavador Bachiller https://www.restaurantesalvadorbachiller.es/index.php/el-jardin-de-sb/
Adorado Bar https://www.adoradobar.es/
Addtionally, here are some food tours I recommend in various cities of Spain that will help you better understand Spanish food and dinning.
Madrid Food Tour and Culinary Class: Combines a food-focused city tour with a cooking class
About Bridget Ryder and Cultural Travel Spain
I'm a travel agent and writer living in León, Spain. I'm an award-winning jouranlist and love sharing insights and stories of Spanish history and culture. As a travel agent, I can help make you next trip to Spain a seamless and unforgettable experience. I work with everyone from solo travelers to large groups. Contact me today.
