The push for a food revolution in Madrid – opening restaurants earlier to cater for tourists eating habits

Spanish eating habits mean families go out to eat at 9pm or 10pm. But a top Madrid politician wants the city to better serve tourists such as Brits who want to eat earlier, writes Graham Keeley from the city

Outside dining in Madrid (Getty Images)

Hungry British tourists can often arrive at Spanish restaurants in the early evening only to find the kitchen is closed.

Forced to survive on tapas until the restaurant finally opens, holidaymakers can struggle to adapt to Spain’s famously late eating habits.

Dinner often only starts at around 10pm and can go on until the early hours at least. The thought of tucking into an evening meal at Anglo-Saxon hours seems unthinkable to most Spaniards.

At lunchtime, things are no better. Most Spaniards settle down for a long relaxing almuerzo (lunch) from 2pm to 4pm. If brandy comes out, this can last even longer.

However, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the populist conservative Madrid regional leader who has been tipped to one day become Spain’s first female prime minister, has proposed the unthinkable: opening restaurants earlier to suit the tourists.

Once considered a backwater compared to slick Barcelona or the pleasures of the Costas, Madrid’s tourism industry is now booming after the city promoted luxury hotels which drew foreign holidaymakers.

This year, international tourists are expected to bring the Spanish capital €16bn (£13.4bn) in income, compared with €13bn (£10.9bn) last year.

Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso wants more tourism, not lesss (AFP via Getty Images)

Keen to capitalise on this growing and lucrative market, Ayuso is not averse to persuading restaurateurs to change culinary customs forged after the civil war. In 1940, the dictator General Francisco Franco moved the clocks forward so fascist Spain was aligned with Nazi Germany. It meant lunch started at 2pm instead of 1pm as before.

In what will amount to something of a social revolution, Ayuso is in talks with restaurateurs to persuade them to change their hours to meet the needs of tourists.

“We coined a war cry, welcome tourists,” she told a recent meeting to celebrate Madrid’s gastronomy. “We understand that we also must adapt to those who honour us with their visit and trust us.”

Ayuso, a libertarian who defied the ruling Socialist government’s strict lockdown during the pandemic and opened restaurants as early as possible, has suggested eateries open from 12pm to 1pm and during the evening from 6pm to 7pm.

“We are not talking about imposing any time on restaurants but simply, within the freedom of restaurant hours, we want to be receptive to the customs of international tourists,” a Madrid regional government spokesman said.

It is music to the ears of Fabio Peral, 46, part-owner of Amici Restaurant in central Madrid.

“This is fabulous. I find that eating at 11pm at night is not healthy. A lot of time tourists go to eat, and the restaurant is closed. We have two waves of eating [in our restaurant]. The tourists come in at 7pm and the Spaniards come in at 9-9.30pm,” he said.

Dining in central Madrid (Getty Images)

“If they are expanding the hours then it helps me maximise my restaurant. You are catering for both markets.”

Peral, who was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, but has lived in Spain for 18 years, applauded the way Madrid welcomed tourists while its great rival Barcelona has witnessed a series of anti-tourism protests.

“It shows what Ayuso is doing for the city and Madrid and catering for the tourists. We are hosting the Spanish Grand Prix in 2026 and the World Cup in 2030,” he says.

“We are not squirting water pistols at tourists like they did in Barcelona,” he adds, referring to an incident in July when tourists were soaked by protesters.

However, Peral said changing restaurant hours will only work for central Madrid, not outlying areas where Spaniards are the only diners.

Simon Hunter is a long-time Madrid resident who works for Walk and Eat, organising tapas tours for foreign tourists in Madrid.

“I often get feedback from tourists saying that the restaurant wasn’t open until 8pm or asking what time it opens. They are usually Americans who are used to eating at 5pm or 6pm,” he tells The Independent.

“For them, it takes quite a bit of time to get used to the local customs where people do not eat until 10pm. American children are used to going to school at 7am so they will eat at around 5pm.”

Restaurateurs, for whom Ayuso is generally regarded as a hero, greeted the Madrid leader’s plans with caution.

El Padron is a classic menu del dia restaurant in the popular tourist area of Malasaña in central Madrid, which serves a three-course meal for around €15. Its owner, José García Vazquez, is not convinced about the idea.

“I am not sure this is going to work because it will mean bringing in extra staff. It might work if you are a big restaurant but not if you are a small place like ours,” he says.

Anna Mayer, a food writer for Spanish newspaper El País, believes making Madrid’s restaurants open to suit tourists may create a division between them and local people.

“If I was to go to Sheffield, I would adapt to the local customs and not expect them to adapt to me,” she said. “I think this will create a culture of tourism at all costs and will cause resentment by local people towards tourists.”