AIBU to go to a restaurant just for dessert?

That is my favourite way to go to restaurants, especially if they serve chocolate gnache of any kind. Can't resist so lovely 🍰

Exactly that - also people eat a lot later in Spain, so what the OP may have seen as end of the night is probably still peak dining time for many Spanish diners so the restaurant could be anticipating more walk ins wanting to eat a full dinner.

Also restaurant are entitled to structure their offer how they wish - some just aren't set up to be random casual dining places. We ate at a lovely and very good value restaurant in Toulouse recently. They just did two evening sittings - 7pm and 8.30pm and they had a set price menu of two or three courses and there were two options per course. That was it. That approach was how they were able to sell innovative and very high quality food for a reasonable price (32 euros for three courses!)

There was no way you would be able to walk in there and just order desert.

Because if it's dinner time they can use the table for a €100 worth of dinner instead of €30. The OP said they were tired and weren't going to stay late, but how were the restaurant to know that? They could have sat there for hours with one ice cream between them.

Can't understand why any restaurant would turn away an opportunity to make a sale. 🤷‍♀️
Although, tbf, I have asked up front to the hostess before being seated if it was okay to just order a starter and a glass of wine, or dessert and a coffee. I used to do that going out with girlfriends when we wanted to go out, but didn't have much money. We'd usually get seated in the bar area, which was fine, and were never rushed out. It was a great way to check out a variety of restaurants.

I too have done this - but not during peak dinner time. And I always said before we took the table that we only wanted dessert and coffee. Most places were very happy to accommodate us, but one wasn't, so we just went down the road to somewhere else.

It's up to the restaurant if they allow this or not. You should have asked, rather than assumed.

Obviously up to the restaurant. Some more casual places would be OK with this, while you obviously wouldn't rock up to the Ledbury and just order dessert (I hope). Some places might be OK with it at certain times but not others.

And it's obviously not the norm so given the lack of hard and fast rule, what you should have done is ask before being seated rather than just expect the restaurant to serve you a reduced menu.

I've done this, but with drinks - was at an inconvenient half-hour loose end around 5pm, nearest acceptable pub was too far away, just wanted a nice glass of wine. Near-empty mid-range restaurant that seemed to lean into wine bar vibes as well - asked if it was OK if I just had a drink, they said it was. But I'd never have gone in, been seated and only then ordered a drink with no food.

I'm surprised you couldn't find a pastry shop or gelateria. Spain is not short of dessert-only establishments.

YABU and yes, you were rude. €30 is nothing compared to a dinner that could get €€€s from.

Surely this is what those amazing Spanish and Italian ice cream shops with fifty flavours to choose from are for?

In a seven night holiday you could try 21 flavours…..

We’ve done this lots of times but we ask before being seated if it’s ok to just order drinks and pudding.

YABU. If you are planning just to have dessert then you should check that is ok and explain you don’t plan to linger before being seated. Restaurants run on tiny margins and you might be stopping them seating a group that would be paying for a full meal and wine etc - i.e approx 4 times as much.

Depends where in Spain it is. Tourist areas are more flexible but remember they eat later out there.

Of course there is! In Spain this is generally 9pm - 10.30pm.

Is there a peak dinner hour?

What time was it? Peak dinner hour? Or when most would have been on dessert anyway?

It's up to the restaurant- maybe there isn't so much profit in dessert and coffees only, but it's up to the business.
They are under no compulsion to serve you at all-they can refuse service if they just don't like the look of you, which is why the court cases on this subject usually turn around beliefs religious/political- you have a right to your beliefs, but even then they usually lose , because you have no right to be served.

I think it is pretty odd to go to a restaurant in prime evening service time for just a dessert. They were perfectly within their rights to refuse you a table.

As others have said most Southern Euroepan towns and resorts in summer have cafes and ice cream parlours open until late in the night if you wanted to get something sweet. Also it's Spain, surely there were a few late night churros stalls?

I actually had this in the UK a couple of years ago in Zizi’s. Just wanted a dessert and a couple of cocktails but go told we needed to order a main too. Odd as a couple of cocktails and a dessert alone would have been the price of one of their cheaper meals

YABU.

Yes I've had this experience before. I find if it's a fairly touristy place then you need to ask what you want before they seat you as some will expect a 3 course meal and I've had the same reaction as you when I say I only want coffee and desert

I think it's fine to go to a restaurant for just a dessert, or just a starter or whatever. But it's also fine for the restaurant to only want customers who are ordering at least a main meal.

I would always check with the person who greets you at the door.

You are taking up a table. They expect you to eat more than a dessert. They are not a fast food outlet. I am not surprised she asked you to leave. They would take it as an insult. And think you were being odd.
Service in much of Europe is very different to the American style. The unwritten rules and approach to dining are not the same.

We do this all the time, usually abroad as well, Starter in one restaurant, mains or some more starters in another and then dessert in another

However we do always say 'can we just have coffee and cake'.

Spanish/Italian/French people are quite rigid about food and what you serve and when you have it and what you have it with.

I think that’s fair enough for peak tourist season, some places have to make a lot of money in a few months because they often close over winter. You could have been sitting around for hours. You should have asked as you arrived.

Different places have different rules. In bars and coffee shops it’s fine to just have dessert and a drink, in the uk there even dessert cafes but if it’s principally a place to serve main meals and it’s the time of day for eating said meal many will have a minimum cover charge, a requirement to order a main meal or something similar even if not prominently displayed. They can’t risk you sitting there for an hour with cake and a drink for €10 when another customer would spend €30+. Now if they weren’t busy it may seem shortsighted however people tend to eat very late in Spain so perhaps they were hoping for more lucrative customers!