How to Order Food in Spanish: A Step-by-Step Guide for Travelers

Any trip to a foreign country, whether for business or for fun, can’t go without visiting different food places. While many restaurants, pubs, and bars provide services in English, knowing some phrases in a native language can not only help you practice basic skills but also enhance your overall experience. Today, we’ll talk about ordering drinks and food in Spanish. So buckle up, and let’s dive in!

Step 1: Greetings and Seating

The first thing you do in most food places you visit is greet the waiter or a host, ask for a table for your party, or confirm a reservation. So, here are the phrases you need to know before proceeding and ordering in Spanish.

• Hola, ¿tienen una mesa disponible? – [ˈola, tjeˈnen ˈuna ˈmesa dispoˈnible] – Hello, do you have a table available?
• Somos [number] personas. – [ˈsomos (number) peɾˈsonas] – We are [number] people.
• Tengo una reserva a nombre de [Name]. – [ˈtenɡo ˈuna reˈserβa a ˈnomβɾe de (Name)] – I have a reservation under the name [Name].
• ¿Cuánto tiempo hay que esperar? – [ˈkwanto ˈtjempo ai ke espeˈɾaɾ] – How long is the wait?
• Nos gustaría una mesa para [number]. – [nos ɡustaˈɾi.a ˈuna ˈmesa ˈpaɾa (number)] – We would like a table for [number].
• Disculpe, ¿puedo ver el menú? – [disˈkulpe, ˈpweðo βeɾ el meˈnu] – Excuse me, can I see the menu?

Step 2: Navigating the Menu

Now that your party is seated, you will most likely get the menu to get acquainted with. Once again, although most places offer English versions, knowing how to order food in Spanish will help you simplify this process and avoid misunderstandings. In the list below, we’ve compiled the most common menu items and other things to pay attention to.

• Entradas – [enˈtɾaðas] – Appetizers.
• Platos principales – [ˈplatos pɾinθiˈpales] – Main courses.
• Postres – [ˈpostɾes] – Desserts.
• Bebidas – [beˈβiðas] – Drinks.
• Especialidades de la casa – [espesiaˈliðaðes ðe la ˈkasa] – House specialties.
• Sopas – [ˈsopas] – Soups.
• Ensaladas – [ensaˈlaðas] – Salads.
• Carnes – [ˈkaɾnes] – Meats.
• Pescados y mariscos – [pesˈkaðos i maˈɾiskos] – Fish and seafood.
• Acompañamientos – [akompaɲaˈmjentoz] – Side dishes.
• Pan – [ˈpan] – Bread.
• Vinos – [ˈβinos] – Wines.
• Cerveza – [θeɾˈβeθa] – Beer.
• Refrescos – [reˈfɾeskos] – Soft drinks.
• Agua con gas / sin gas – [ˈaɣwa kon ɡas / sin ɡas] – Sparkling / still water.
• Vegetariano / Vegano – [βexetaˈɾjano / beˈɣano] – Vegetarian / Vegan.
• Libre de gluten – [ˈliβɾe ðe ˈɣluten] – Gluten-free.
• Tamaño grande / mediano / pequeño – [taˈmaɲo ˈɣɾande / meˈðjano / peˈkeɲo] – Large / Medium / Small size.
• Sin [ingredient] – [sin (ingredient)] – Without [ingredient].
• Con [ingredient] – [kon (ingredient)] – With [ingredient].

These are the common menu sections and items you can see in most places. Knowing them helps in understanding the position and making an order smoothly.

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Step 3: Ordering Food in Spanish

After deciding on what meal you want to try, you can finally make an order. Of course, there are some useful Spanish phrases for it, too, and we are ready to share them with you.

• Para mí, [dish]. – [ˈpaɾa mi (dish)] – For me, [dish].
• Voy a tomar [dish/drink]. – [boj a toˈmaɾ (dish/drink)] – I’ll have [dish/drink].
• Me gustaría [dish]. – [me ɡustaˈɾi.a (dish)] – I would like [dish].
• ¿Qué me recomienda? – [ˈke me rekomjenˈda] – What do you recommend?
• ¿Puedo pedir [dish] sin [ingredient]? – [ˈpweðo peˈðiɾ (dish) sin (ingredient)] – Can I order [dish] without [ingredient]?
• ¿Este plato lleva [ingredient]? – [ˈeste ˈplato ˈʎeβa (ingredient)] – Does this dish contain [ingredient]?
• ¿Tienen opciones vegetarianas/veganas? – [ˈtjenen opˈθjones βexetaˈɾjanas / βeˈɣanas] – Do you have vegetarian/vegan options?
• Para beber, quisiera [drink]. – [ˈpaɾa βeˈβeɾ, kiˈsjera (drink)] – To drink, I would like [drink].

Knowing these simple phrases will be enough to make an order in a restaurant in Spanish. However, keep in mind that these expressions are quite general. So, if you have any specific food preferences, make sure to find out in advance how to define them.

Step 4: Asking for the Check

Well done! You can now order food in Spanish in most local places. And after finishing the dinner, you can proceed to finish it by using these expressions.

• La cuenta, por favor. – [la ˈkwenta, poɾ faˈβoɾ] – The check, please.
• ¿Nos puede traer la cuenta? – [nos ˈpweðe tɾaˈeɾ la ˈkwenta] – Can you bring us the check?
• ¿Está incluida la propina? – [esˈta inkluˈiða la pɾoˈpina] – Is the tip included?
• ¿Podemos pagar por separado? – [poˈðemos paˈɣaɾ poɾ sepaˈɾaðo] – Can we pay separately?
• Voy a pagar con tarjeta. – [boj a paˈɣaɾ kon taɾˈxeta] – I’m going to pay by card.
• Voy a pagar en efectivo. – [boj a paˈɣaɾ en efeɣˈtiβo] – I’m going to pay in cash.
• Nos gustaría dividir la cuenta. – [nos ɡustaˈɾi.a ðiβiˈðiɾ la ˈkwenta] – We would like to split the check.
• Muchas gracias, fue excelente. – [ˈmutʃas ˈɣɾasjas, fue ekseˈlente] – Thank you very much, it was excellent.

Congratulations! In just four steps, you’ve discovered enough phrases to navigate visiting a food place in most Spanish-speaking countries. 

How to Order in Spanish: Ask Promova!

One of the parts of knowing a foreign language is the ability to navigate through daily situations, like ordering food in restaurants. However, if you want to reach fluency and elevate your current level, you need to focus on other things than just learning the vocabulary, like listening, reading, speaking, and writing. And you can master these skills with the convenient Promova application.

Whether you aim to learn Spanish, English, German, Korean, or many other languages, you can easily do so within our app. Just install it on your iOS or Android device and access tons of useful materials, engaging interactive lessons created by language professionals, and many other tools to help you on your studying journey. 

Conclusion

Summing up, we can say that ordering in Spanish can be much easier and more effortless when you know some common phrases. So make sure to memorize a few expressions from today’s list and practice them on your next trip to a Spanish-speaking country!