Spanish Restaurant Vocabulary

At the Restaurant / En el restaurante

Restaurants can be five star or even Michelin starred or the most modest local establishments, but asking for the bill, the menu or for something from the waiter is always necessary. You cannot get away with being totally silent in this kind of establishment, as if you try it then you will end up not getting any food at all! Wherever you are going to eat, even if it is just at a little cafe, you will undoubtedly use some of the words which appear in this vocabulary section, so they can be very useful to you even if you only go out to a restaurant once in the whole time that you are learning to speak Spanish.

In addition to terms referring to kitchen utensils or a type of dish which you need, we are also including expressions which you will use when reserving a table and even a phrase which indicates that you are giving a tip to the waiter for his service. These terms will be understood in any place and you will consequently be regarded as fantastic customers! It is important to remember that it is not just in more formal situations such as in an actual restaurant that you may need these terms: they will also apply if you are going to be sharing a kitchen in student accommodation or a shared flat, or if you take lunch at the school during your stay. Even if you just go to the supermarket to get some food, you may wish to know some of these general terms, which might tell you what you are buying and for example give you an indication of which aisle you should go down to find what you are looking for. If you are looking to be able to use these terms in real situations when you are in Spain, then make sure that you jot them down for yourself so that you can not only keep them close to hand but also practice going over them in the first place to see if you can start to memorise them. You can also come back to this page and check the list as many times as you want, of course!