Why doesn't the waiter bring the bill in Spain?
Because bringing it unasked would be like showing the customer the door: in a Spanish restaurant you are left in peace until you raise a hand and say la cuenta, por favor (in a bar, ¿me cobras?). First come coffee, perhaps a carajillo with brandy or rum, and a chupito that varies by region.
Coffee, a drink, and the bill that never comes
First dessert, then coffee: solo, cortado or con leche. A carajillo — coffee with a splash of brandy or rum — is a classic of the long sobremesa. After the coffee there may be a copa or a chupito, a small shot, which is sometimes on the house; what is in the glass depends on the region.
In a restaurant, the waiter will not bring the bill until you ask for it. Bringing it unasked would be like showing the customer the door, so visitors who think they have been forgotten have not: they are being left in peace. Raise a hand and say la cuenta, por favor; in a bar you will hear ¿me cobras?
- The waiter does not bring the bill until it is asked for; bringing it earlier would be like throwing the customer out.
- A cortado is an espresso cut with a little milk; a carajillo is coffee with a splash of spirits.
- What comes in the chupito depends on the region: orujo in Galicia, pacharán in Navarre, hierbas in the Balearic Islands.
El camarero no trae la cuenta hasta que se la piden.The waiter does not bring the bill until you ask for it.
La cuenta, por favor.The bill, please.