¿Te gusta el café? - Do you like coffee? 

If the answer is yes, then Spain is the right place for you because Spaniards LOVE coffee! And knowing how to order coffee in Spain is an essential part of daily life.

Whether you’re on the go or have time to sit and enjoy a coffee in a local “cafetería” or “terraza” (definitely the preferred options in Spain), it is a good idea to know exactly what you’re ordering, and what your options are in case you want to change things now and again!

So, what types of coffee are most popular in Spain?

Café solo 

A strong espresso shot, typically taken after the main meal in the middle of the day. It is sometimes offered instead of a dessert as part of a "menu del día".

Café largo (Americano)

This is the closest to filtered coffee that you’ll find in Spain.

Cortado

This is an espresso with a splash of steamed milk.

Café con leche

Literally, "coffee with milk" is probably the most popular coffee served in Spain. A bit stronger than a ...

Not so long ago, I was on a family holiday in Cádiz (southern Spain) and having lived in the UK for quite a number of years now, I realise how the words “please and thank you” are completely ingrained in me as a mark of being “a polite woman” in the country where I live, but to the point of sounding weird and foreign in a Spanish context at times!

Let me give you a bit more background…

I was calling a restaurant to book a table and after each of my requests I kept saying “sí, por favor” (yes, please, but literally translated “yes, by favour”) to which the manager of the restaurant (an incredibly funny, typical jerezano gent as we could witness a few hours later) eventually replied: claro mujer, ¡y sin favor también! (Of course woman, and without a favour too!)

That really made me laugh (recognising my own Englishness) and then it led me to reflect on the Spanish use of “por favor” or “by favour” as something that you say to someone when you want them to go that extra bit further for...