On a Spanish menu, a tapa is a small plate for one person, a media ración is a half portion, and a ración is a full plate made for sharing. Many bars print two or three prices next to each dish, one for each size. On one menu, for example, croquetas might cost 3.50 euros as a tapa, 6.50 as a media ración and 11 as a ración. There is no standard size. Portions change from bar to bar, so check the price and look at what the next table is eating.
Last updated October 31, 2026
The Spanish dictionary of the Real Academia Española defines a ración as a portion of food served in bars, taverns and restaurants. On a menu, it means the full size of a dish. Raciones are made to share. The plate goes in the middle, and everyone takes some. In English, you can read ración as "full portion" or "sharing plate". The plural is raciones.
Here is what each word usually means. The real size depends on the bar, so use this list as a guide, not a rule.
Many menus and chalkboards show one dish per line, with two or three prices after it. The columns are often called Tapa, ½ Ración and Ración. The first price is usually the smallest size. If a column has a dash or nothing in it, that size isn't served for that dish. Some dishes, like a whole octopus or a big plate of prawns, only come as a ración. "S/M" stands for según mercado, which means market price. You see it most on seafood. Ask the price before you order it. Some bars also charge a different price for tables on the terrace.
There is no fixed rule, but here is a simple start. For two people, try three or four tapas or medias raciones, or two raciones. Then order more if you are still hungry. Ordering in rounds is normal in Spain. It also means your food arrives hot. If you are not sure, ask the waiter: "¿Es mucha cantidad?" (Is it a big portion?). They will tell you if one ración is enough for two.
Usually not. In most of Spain, you pay for each tapa. Granada is the famous exception. The city's tourism office says that in most bars there, a free tapa comes with each drink. You don't choose it in every bar. Some bars bring a different tapa with each round.
You don't need full sentences. Say the size, then the dish, then "por favor". These lines work in any bar in Spain.
A few more words come up on the same menus. Knowing them saves you a question or two.
Take a photo of the menu in MenuVista. You get each dish back with its original name, a translation and a short description of what is in it. That tells you what patatas bravas or boquerones are. It does not pick the size for you. Check the column headers on the menu (tapa, media, ración) and choose the size yourself before you order.
Busy bars are loud, and size words are easy to mix up. In MenuVista, Show to Waiter puts the dish name on your screen in Spanish, so the waiter can read it. Show to Waiter is free. Point to the size you want, or say it with the phrases above.
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Take a photo of the menu and MenuVista shows you each dish in your language, with a short description. Free to try. No account needed.
Free to try. No account needed.
