Spanish phrases for restaurants

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, May 22, 2025

With the vacations just around the corner, you probably already have everything ready for your days off, but do you know all the vocabulary you need to visit your vacation destination? If you are thinking of traveling to Spain, it is important that you know how to ask for a table or order food in a restaurant.

Enforex knows how important this is, so we bring you an article with all the Spanish phrases for restaurants you need to order food or ask for a table in Spain. Don't miss it!

Arriving at the restaurant

It is important that you know typical Spanish phrases for restaurants to ask for a table, ask if there is room or if they serve the menu of the day. Here are some useful Spanish phrases for when you arrive at the restaurant:

• Buenas tardes, ¿tienen mesa para cuatro? (Good afternoon, do you have a table for four?)
• ¿Hay sitio en la terraza para comer? (Is there room on the terrace to eat?)
• ¿Tienen carta o menú? (Do you have menu or in-house menu?)
• ¿Cuál es el menú del día? (What is the menu for the day?)
• ¿Cuánto tiempo de espera hay? (How long is the waiting time?)
• ¿Sigue la cocina abierta para comer? (Is the kitchen still open to eat?)

Although we recommend that if you want to eat at a specific place, you should make a reservation in advance. Most restaurants have an online reservation option, but if not, you can call and say: “Buenos días, me gustaría reservar una mesa para dos, para comer mañana a las dos de la tarde, ¿es posible?” (Good morning, I would like to reserve a table for two, for lunch tomorrow at two o'clock in the afternoon, is it possible?) Surely you will succeed!

Spanish phrases for ordering food

Once you arrive at the restaurant and are seated, it's time to order your food from the waiter.

• Voy a pedir… (I'm going to order…)
• Quisiera… (I would like…)
• Para mí… (For me...)
• Yo tomaré… (I’ll have…)
• ¿Nos puede recomendar algo de la carta? (Can you recommend something from the menu?)
• ¿El segundo plato viene con guarnición? (Does the second course come with a side dish?)
• ¿Pica mucho? (Is it very spicy?)
• ¿Está incluido el pan? (Is bread included?)
• ¿Está todo incluido en el menú? (Is everything included in the menu?)

Also, if you want to ask any questions about the food, allergies or ingredients in the dish, these phrases may be useful:

• ¿Qué ingredientes tiene este plato? (What are the ingredients in this dish?)
• ¿Lleva gluten? (Does it contain gluten?)
• ¿Tenéis algún plato sin lactosa? (Do you have a lactose-free dish?)
• ¿La ensalada lleva frutos secos? (Does the salad contain nuts?)
• Soy alérgico a… (I am allergic to...)
• ¿Pueden prepararlo sin sal? (Can you prepare it without salt?)
• ¿La paella es de marisco? Es que soy alérgico (Is the paella seafood? I'm allergic to...)
• ¿Nos puede traer un poco más de pan? (Can you bring us some more bread?)

Vocabulary for ordering in a restaurant

Here is a list of foods and dishes that you can order in a restaurant:

• Pollo (Chicken)
• Ternera (Veal)
• Cerdo (Pork)
• Cordero (Lamb)
• Chuleta (T-bone steak)
• Albóndigas (Meatballs)
• Bistec (Steak)
• Asado (Roast)
• Salmón
• Bacalao (Codfish)
• Merluza (Hake)
• Gambas (Shrimp)
• Calamares (Squid)
• Pulpo (Octopus)
• Mejillones (Mussels)
• Ensalada (Salad)
• Patatas fritas (French fries)
• Verduras a la plancha (Grilled vegetables)
• Arroz (Rice)
• Tortilla española (Spanish omelet)

 

• Pasta
• Puré de patata (Mashed potatoes)
• Sopa de verduras (Vegetable soup)
• Croquetas (Croquettes)
• Pan con tomate (Bread with tomato)
• Jamón serrano (Serrano ham)
• Queso manchego (Manchego cheese)
• Gazpacho
• Flan
• Tarta de queso (Cheese cake)
• Helado (Ice cream)
• Fruta fresca (Fresh fruit)
• Natillas (Custard)
• Agua con o sin gas (Water – sparkling or non sparkling)
• Vino tinto / blanco (Red / white wine)
• Cerveza (Beer)
• Zumo (Juice)
• Refresco (Soft drink)
• Café (Coffee)
• Té (Tea)

For example, if there is a menu for the day, this could be your choice: “‘De primero, quiero la sopa de marisco. De segundo, la dorada al horno con verduras. Y para beber, una copa de vino blanco. De postre… tomaré el flan casero” (First, I want the seafood soup. For the second course, the baked sea breams with vegetables. And to drink, a glass of white wine. For dessert... I'll have the homemade flan).

How to ask for the bill?

When you have finished eating and you want to ask for the bill, these phrases will be very useful:

• La cuenta, por favor (The bill, please)
• ¿Nos puede traer la cuenta, por favor? (Can we have the bill, please?)
• ¿Se puede pagar con tarjeta? (Can I pay by credit card?)
• ¿Aceptan propina? (Do you accept tips?)
• ¿Puedo pagar en efectivo? (Can I pay in cash?)

If in addition to asking for the bill, you then want to engage in conversation with the waiter or compliment the cook, you can say:

• Todo estaba delicioso (Everything was delicious)
• Felicita al cocinero por la tarta, ¡estaba riquísima! (Compliment the cook on the cake, it was delicious!)
• Gracias por la recomendación, nos ha encantado el plato (Thank you for the recommendation, we loved the dish)
• Estuvo excelente, muchas gracias (It was excellent, thank you very much)

As a last piece of advice, we can only tell you to always be polite to the staff, ask for things please and say thank you. Don't be afraid to ask, the waiters will be happy to help you and, above all, if you have any food preference or allergies, learn to say it because it will be very useful.

And if you want to learn more Spanish or discover some of Spain's most iconic cities, Enforex gives you the opportunity with intensive Spanish courses. Learn, discover and experience Spanish first-hand to return home with a perfect command of the language, don't hesitate and visit our website!