What Time is Dinner?
When I was growing up in suburban Philadelphia many years ago (I’m not going to say how many years ago), when the 5 o’clock whistle at the local fire department blew, it was time to go home and get ready for dinner. For some folks, dinner at 5:30 or 6:00 pm is what they do everyday. If that is also your routine, be prepared for a change of pace when you travel abroad.
The mediterranean lifestyle in the southern parts of Europe (including parts of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and also parts of south-eastern Europe like Croatia, Serbia and so on) includes a very late dinner. These people are starting to sit down to dinner when I am thinking of going to bed. If you go into a restaurant for dinner before 9:30 pm (if it is even open), be prepared to be the only person there. Families with children will start coming in around 10 pm, others will arrive around 11 pm. This mediterranean tradition also spills over into South America.
In northern Europe, dinner times are not as extreme, with families eating around 7 pm. A typical restaurant reservation time in Germany is 8 pm.
If your stomach starts grumbling at 6 pm, be sure to pack a light snack. On the other hand, maybe jet lag will also affect your stomach and you will be fine!
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Customs and Culture, Travel
3 opinions for What Time is Dinner?
Kelly
Nov 16, 2007 at 4:41 pm
This is great advice! It took me a few days to settle into the Italian way of doing things when I studied in Rome, but I’m glad that I did. There’s something very satisfying about living like the locals for a bit - and it’s wise to figure out things like opening/closing times for stores and restaurants.
Chris
Nov 18, 2007 at 1:04 pm
The same applies to breakfast. My first time in Madrid I was out and about at my customary 7 am looking for breakfast, to no avail. Not surprising, given the late dinner, but by the time anything opened I was starving.
Ridwan
May 21, 2008 at 8:16 am
In my country, The Netherlands, dinner is on average as early as 18.00 (6.00 PM). In August, it can still be way too hot to have dinner. As a tourist, after 21.00 you risk finding no food (especially in villages)! Now I read that the Dutch are not the only folk that takes dinner very early.
My experience is that when I plan to eat around 18.00, I am a little hungry in the late evening. When I visited Paris (France), dinner starts at 19.30, but a typical reservation time is 21.00.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: