Vegetarian Menus and ordering food in Spain 

Set menus 'menus del dia/ del noche' can be particularly frustrating to navigate, as they are generally competitively priced selections offering a choice of 3 or 4 starter and main courses... and usually with nothing remotely veggie friendly as an entree.  Rather than pay more for an a la carte salad than a 'menu' steak, see what you can negotiate.  For example there may be some veggie options on the starter list, and you could ask to have one of them 'para segunda' (as a main course) instead.   Remember to check that your ensalata is indeed 'todo vegetariano' and doesnt have ham or chicken sprinkled all over it.

Verduras a la plancha is a great option for vegetarians and vegans, consisting of thinly sliced veggies, grilled on the hot plate with liberal quantities of olive oil.  You can usually make a great meal of this especially with fresh crusty bread and ali-oli.

Also for ovo-vegetarians, tortilla is usually available everywhere, hot or cold, in bocadillos, ensalatas...  But buying organic or free range eggs anywhere can be difficult, so you need to draw your own conclusions about the ethical provenance of the eggs in your tortilla.  Or find eggs in a market where you can talk to the farmer about his animal welfare!

When in delis or cafes, beware of pastry/pizza type options that look like they are tomato or spinach based - but often contain small amounts of 'jamon' or 'atun', used almost as seasoning, and often not appearing in the menu description.  If you are travelling you will be better off buying the bits yourself and making a quick bocadillo, freshly baked bread is available everywhere.

Be careful too of bean-based dishes in restaurants - they might look like an obvious veggie option but all to often may be made with chicken or meat stock, so don't forget to ask!  Same goes for tinned bean dishes in shops.

For easy and reliable restaurant choices, Italian food is available everywhere, and there is always at least one vegetarian option on any pizza menu - sometimes more, and customisable - as well as a good chance of a vegan pasta dish or two.  And it tends to be fresh, healthy and reasonably priced too... so you cant argue with that!

For fast/street food, one surprisingly good option is in fact to try a kebab shop.  If you can avert your gaze (and nose) from the revolving reconstituted carcass in the window, you can often find fantastic felafal and salad, for a quick cheap meal on the go.