Restaurant pricing - English vs Spanish

[jd950]

A discussion in another thread raised a point that, despite frequent trips to Cozumel over a number of years, I had never considered…a number of restaurants list higher prices for food on their English language menus than on their Spanish language menus. I don't tend to go to big-name chain restaurants and bars or the ones that cater to cruise folks. I generally like the ones that get discussed here all the time. My Spanish is such that I can usually deal with a Spanish menu, but I have to work at it a bit, and if I have enjoyed a couple margaritas first, my confidence in my Spanish ability increases significantly but I suspect my actual comprehension does not improve.

So, I would rather not deal with Spanish menus unnecessarily. Can anyone elaborate on which restaurants list higher prices on their English language menus? Hopefully this not one of those forbidden topics among the Cozumel cognoscenti.

 

[Mossman]

Ask for one of each. That way you can compare prices and improve your Spanish.

 

[DjDiverDan]

It's not that the prices are necessarily higher on the English menus, it's just that they are converted at the exchange rate used by the restaurant, which is invariably a wose exchange rate than the official rate. Most restaurants will bring you a tab that lists your total in both dollars and pesos. Just pay the pesos.

 

[gopbroek]

Or if you are lazy download Google Translate to your phone and use the camera for a translation on the fly.

 

[MMM]

I can't say that I've noticed different prices between English and Spanish menus. I always pay in pesos though. Given how the rate is fluctuating, I imagine restaurant owners have a hard time keeping menu prices current when they list in US$ (which most English speakers would probably want). I've become pretty good at reading Spanish menus and shopping for food in Spanish. (I love reading labels, so you learn a lot that way too.) The other day, I made brownies using a recipe in Spanish!

 

[Mossman]

The other day, I made brownies using a recipe in Spanish!

Una copa de marihuana deshebrada...

 

[El Graduado]

Not only can the prices vary between items in the English and Spanish versions of the menu in the same restaurant, the items offered on the two menus can vary quite a bit as well.

Usually, there are more items offered on the Spanish menu.

In addition, the poor English translations are harder to decipher than translating Spanish. For example, I've seen listed on Cozumel menus: King Crap. Chicken Condom Blue, Meat on Sticks, Hammered Sea-Snails, Wallpaper Fish, and many more mouth-watering dishes that probably weren't as bad as they sounded in English.

 

[AdivingBel]

I ran into a situation where the restaurant posts a daily menu on Facebook in Spanish. I translated it and went to the restaurant and placed my order. The server acted as if they didn't know what I was talking about, gave me the "no ingles" and handed me the English menu. I didn't feel like wrestling match at the time. Since I was staying across the street, I tried again later in the week. I got the same result, but this time I asked for the manager, got it straightened out, and got the meal I requested at the online menu price. The moral of the story is sometimes you have to "nicely" bang your head on the wall to get what you want in Coz. It was a good lesson. I luv diving in Coz.

 

[mmmbelows]

King Crap. Chicken Condom Blue, Meat on Sticks, Hammered Sea-Snails, Wallpaper Fish,

The table presentation of those items would be very interesting, I've got a good mental picture for what the chicken condom blue would look like, but the wallpaper fish has me stumped

 

[mmmbelows]

Or if you are lazy download Google Translate to your phone and use the camera for a translation on the fly.

That's very interesting, the phone ap version will translate a picture?