Cheap weekend set menu in Valencia: what it costs and what the price leaves out

The €10 or €11 menú del día, Spain's fixed-price lunch, is a Monday to Friday affair. On Saturdays and Sundays, what Valencia's restaurants offer is something else, the weekend menu, and those published in 2026 range from €10.95 to €29.95.

This page brings together what the food guides from 2022 to 2026 say, what the price does not include and what changes when the weekend falls during Fallas.

How much does a weekend set menu cost?

The two ranges do not contradict each other: the €12 to €22 one covers neighbourhood menus, while the €10.95 to €29.95 one adds tourist restaurants and special offers. What does not exist is a source with a single method for comparing every restaurant.

A warning about the second row: the figure comes from a 2026 selection that we could not tie to a specific restaurant. Take it as an order of magnitude, not a price.

Why does the menú del día disappear at weekends?

Because it is a working lunch formula. It is served mainly Monday to Friday, between 13:00 and 16:00, and public holidays count as weekends.

Saturday is patchy and Sunday unusual. Many of the €10 or €11 menus that appear in lists carry the small print "working days only, public holidays excluded", and presenting them as a Saturday menu would be misleading.

What does the price leave out?

The guides do not always say what the menu includes, and that is where a cheap menu and one that only looks cheap part ways. Before you sit down, ask:

• whether a drink is included, or only water;
• whether coffee replaces dessert or is extra;
• whether bread is charged;
• whether rice dishes carry a supplement or require at least two people;
• whether the terrace has a surcharge;
• whether the menu requires a booking.

A weekend menu advertised without a drink or coffee and an evening menu with a drink included can end up costing the same. Comparing only the figure on the board means comparing two different things.

Do Saturday and Sunday work the same way?

No, and it is the mistake that spoils the most meals. A restaurant may serve on Saturday and close on Sunday, or offer a menu at lunchtime but not in the evening.

• A historic tavern in the centre opens on Saturdays from 9:00 to 15:30, closed on Sundays.
• A restaurant group limits its weekend menu to from 13:00 to 16:30.
• Another restaurant excludes its weekend menu on public holidays, at Christmas, in August and from 13 to 19 March.

Another nuance: dining-room hours are not kitchen hours. A place open until 1:30 may close its kitchen at 23:00, which matters if you arrive late from a concert or a castillo.

What if the weekend falls during Fallas?

Then the cheap menu stops being the priority. The centre is closed to private traffic from around 15:00 on 16 March to around 4:00 on 20 March, taxis drop you far away and some restaurants suspend their menu.

With a booking, allow 30 to 45 minutes to reach your table at peak times: that is a cautious estimate, not a published figure. And choose a place near what you are going to see, not a cheaper one on the other side of the city.

The hospitality sector reported an average spend of €24.40 per bill during the 2026 Fallas, according to an industry survey. It is not the price of a menu, but it shows the level for the week.

The full two-day budget, with accommodation and transport, is in how much a weekend in Valencia costs. The Central Market, a good alternative for eating standing up on a Saturday, opens 7:30 to 15:00, closed on Sundays; the other opening hours are in what to see in Valencia depending on the day.

Photo: Javier Gzz Zapatero, CC BY-SA 3.0 es, via Wikimedia Commons

What isn't published

• 2025 weekend menu prices on a consistent basis.
• Whether a 2017 or 2022 price still applies: it cannot be assumed.
• The price rise during Fallas: plausible, but with no published figure.
• The full list of restaurants open on Sunday evenings.

For the plan for the rest of the weekend, see what to do in Valencia this weekend; to spend less on everything else, free things to do in Valencia.

Sources

Valencia Directa, restaurants with a Sunday menu in Valencia (2026). 20minutos, ten restaurants with a cheap menu in Valencia (2022). Salir.com and Hello Valencia, menús del día in Valencia. Valencia Trip, menú del día guide. Websites and menus of Raco de l'Arnau, Fum de Llom, Bodega La Pascuala and Grupo Saona (2026). La Razón, hospitality during the 2026 Fallas (20 March 2026). Valencia Secreta, 2026 Fallas road closures.