Spanish Restaurant Vocabulary: Learn All the Words You Need to Know

One of the most exciting aspects of learning a new language is the opportunity to discover its unique cuisine, and in the case of Spanish, this is no exception. 

The Spanish gastronomy It is considered one of the most varied and delicious in the world. And it is normal that you want to go to more than one restaurant to enjoy Spanish food.

Now, do you know how to communicate correctly in a restaurant? 

Are you able to understand the waiters perfectly? And about reading a letter in Spanish?

If you have questions, stay with us because today's topic will help you a lot.

Today you will learn Spanish vocabulary of the restaurants.

• We will see what the different ones are types of restaurants.
• The main dishes that are usually in the letter. 
• and many useful phrases to communicate perfectly in a Spanish restaurant.

Thanks to this article, you will be able to communicate effectively in any Spanish-speaking restaurant. You will know what the main dishes on the menu are and you will understand the waiters perfectly.

In Hispania, Spanish school, we are aware of how important it is to learn vocabulary in a practical way, with oral communication always as a basis.

Thanks to this you will be able to better apply the vocabulary you learn. Endless lists of words are useless if you don't practice them in real situations.

Do you want to achieve a high level of Spanish? 

Then come to our face-to-face Spanish coursesand learn Spanish with us. 

You can also do them from your own home with our online Spanish courses.

With that being said, do you want us to start this article on restaurant vocabulary in Spanish? Well let's go for it!

Different types of restaurants

First of all, let's talk about the different types of restaurants that exist and the names they receive in Spanish.

This way you will no longer have problems identifying them.

traditional restaurant

A traditional restaurant is a place where typical dishes of the region or country in which you are located. 

Here, diners can enjoy traditional and well-prepared dishes, often prepared with recipes passed down from generation to generation.

Cafeteria

A cafeteria is an establishment where people can enjoy hot drinks such as coffee, tea, and often, soft drinks and cakes. 

They also offer light food options, such as sandwiches or snacks.

Free buffet

An all-you-can-eat buffet is a type of restaurant where customers can serve themselves and eat as many portions of food as they want for a fixed price. 

They usually offer a wide variety of dishes.

bar

A bar is a place where people can enjoy drinks and, in some cases, snacks or tapas.

Some bars also serve more elaborate food and become bar-restaurants. Bars are very popular in Spain.

fast food restaurant

A fast food restaurant is known for offering prepared foods and served quickly. 

The menus usually include burgers, fries, pizzas and other dishes that can be taken away or eaten on the premises.

Beach bar

A beach bar is a type of restaurant that is generally found in the beach or near the coast. Therefore, they are typical in summer.

Terraces

The terraces are areas of restaurants, cafes and bars where you can eat outdoors. 

In the city of Valencia there are many due to the warm and pleasant climate throughout the year.

Food Trucks

Food trucks are trucks or mobile vehicles who sell food on the street. 

They offer a variety of dishes, from tacos to gourmet burgers, and are popular at events and festivals.

Gastronomic markets

Gastronomic markets are places where several food stalls They meet under one roof. 

They offer a wide range of culinary options, allowing visitors to try different types of food in one place. 

In Valencia, one of the most famous markets of this type is the Columbus Market.

Restaurant according to the type of food

Depending on the type of food, restaurants specialize in specific dishes or international cuisines.

They can be Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, or any nationality restaurants that focus on serving foods from their region.

The letter

Let's talk now about the letter. In Spain, practically all restaurants have a menu and they all follow the same structure. 

You need to understand what the words in the letter are. Let's see them!

Appetizers / Starters

Appetizers or starters are dishes that are served at the beginning of the meal to whet your appetite. 

These dishes are usually small and light, and are often ordered to share: 

Some of the most typical are tapas (patatas bravas, fried squid, lace, croquettes, ham, etc.), salads or skewers.

Main dishes

The main dishes are central part of the meal and they are usually large, individual dishes.

The main dish can have many options:

• Meats: roast chicken, beef steak, pork knuckle, etc.
• Fish: salmon, sea bream, hake, sardines, etc.
• Paste: macaroni, ravioli, spaghetti, etc.
• Rice.
• Snacks or toasts.

Desserts

Desserts are dishes served at the end of the meal to satisfy the taste for sweet Desserts may include cakes, homemade pies, ice cream, custards or fruit.

Drinks

In a restaurant there can be all kinds of drinks: water, soft drinks, juices, wine, beer, cocktails, liqueurs, coffee and tea.

Menu

In Spain, it is very common to find restaurants that offer a menu. This means that they include different dishes at a fixed price. 

Let's see what the main vocabulary of a restaurant menu in Spanish is.

First course

The first course is the first menu component served at a meal. 

It usually consists of a light dish, such as soup or salad.

Second course

Meat or fish is usually served in the second course. 

It is usually accompanied by a garnish such as vegetables, eggs or fried potatoes.

The second dish can also be pasta or rice, such as paella or baked rice.

Dessert or coffee 

The last part of the menu is dessert or coffee. 

Normally you must choose one of the two. Although sometimes both are included in the menu price.

You can have a sweet dessert or the coffee you want: coffee with milk, black coffee, coffee, chocolate coffee, etc.

Drink and bread

Another thing that may be included (or not) on the menu is drinks and bread. 

Spanish vocabulary about meat

In this section we are not going to talk about the types of meat that we can order, but the way we want it to be cooked.

In many restaurants whose specialty is meat, it is very common for the waiter to ask us this question: "How do you want the meat?"

There are three possibilities:

• undercooked: It is undercooked, the inside is red, a little raw. Many people love meat like this because it is juicier.
• to the point: The meat is sealed on the outside and somewhat cooked on the inside, but the heart remains red.
• Very done: a fully cooked meat, without any trace of pink color. It is more toasted and less juicy.

Useful phrases for making requests at the restaurant

Let's now go to one of the things that you are most interested in knowing: the useful phrases.

There are many phrases that can be used in a conversation in a restaurant.

The good thing is that they are almost always the same. Once you learn them, you will be able to go to a restaurant and carry out dialogues in Spanish perfectly.

We start with the useful phrases for making requests. Do you want to know them? Then read on!

Could I see the letter, please?

Used to order the restaurant's menu or menu.

If you use the verb power in the conditional, your request will be more polite and will not sound as direct 😉.

Do you have a menu of the day?

To ask if the restaurant offers a special menu of the day. 

Here we are using the you form, so we are also more polite than if we use the second person.

Do you have a dish of the day?

This question is to find out if there is any special dish on the day we are going to eat.

What is this dish?

Sometimes we don't understand the description of a dish and we want to know what it is.

What do you recommend?

This is one of the restaurant phrases for customers more typical.

Many times we don't know what to order and we ask the waiter directly to give us his opinion, since he works in the restaurant and knows the dishes very well.

I haven't decided yet

If the waiter wants to ask for a note but you still don't know what you want to order, you can tell him this phrase so he can come back later.

I would like to request… 

This is a very polite way to order dishes. 

With the verb want in the imperfect subjunctive we are much more polite than if we did it with the present indicative.

This way it is a softer request, it doesn't seem like an order.

Example: 

• «I would like to request the loin sandwich with egg, lettuce and mayonnaise». 

I want…

Of course, to order food you can also use the verb want in the present indicative. It's simpler, but it sounds very direct.

Example:

• «I want order the vegetable paella».

What is the specialty of the house?

This question is to test the most notable dish or the restaurant specialty. 

Since we're going to a restaurant, we'll have to eat the most delicious food, don't you think?

Please, can you bring me…?

You can use this phrase to politely ask the waiter for something specific.

Example:

• «Please, brings me a napkin?».

Could you bring me…?

This is another way to politely ask the waiter for something specific.

Example: 

• «¿could bring me a bottle of water?».

 What ingredients does the dish contain?

If we don't know what ingredients a dish contains, we can find out with this question.

I will take the same

Indicate that you want to order the same as someone else at your table. This is the phrase of the lazy people who don't want to read the letter 😝.

Could I have salad instead of potatoes?

Good phrase for request a change in the accompaniments of your dish. In this case, replace the potatoes with a salad.

What desserts do they have?

This question is asked at the end, when we have already eaten the main dishes and want to try the desserts.

That's all, thank you

Indicate to the waiter that you and your table companions have already finished ordering everything you wanted.

Everything was very good / delicious / delicious

Express your satisfaction with the food after having tasted it.

I want to talk to the cook

You ask to speak to the chef to express your appreciation or comment on the food.

I want to talk to the manager

You can use this phrase because you want to talk to the restaurant manager if you have any important problem or suggestion.

Keep the change

If you pay the waiter in cash and you don't want him to give you the change, you can say this phrase. This way you will be tipping him and he will surely thank you.

Excuse me, can you bring me more ice?

The word is very important "excuse me" also if we want to show courtesy when asking or requesting something. In this case, we want more ice.

the word "excuse me" It has the same function as «excuse me».

Example: 

• «Excuse meCan you bring me more ice?».

This is not what I asked for

If the dish served does not match what you ordered, this phrase allows you to express your disagreement in a polite way.

Excuse me, where is the bathroom?

Many times we do not locate the bathroom in a restaurant we go to for the first time. With this question we will find out.

Waiters phrases

It is convenient to know these phrases in a restaurant to understand waiterswhen they talk to us. 

Here are some of the most common phrases that waiters usually use in a restaurant.

Do you have a reservation?

Ask if the customer has made a prior reservation for a table at the restaurant.

Do you have a reserved table?

Similar to the previous one, it asks if the client has made a reservation online or by phone.

For when?

At the time of making the reservation, they ask us this question to know the time approximate to which we want to go to the restaurant.

What time?

Similar to the previous one. When we make the reservation, they can ask us this question to know the time we want to go for lunch or dinner.

For how many people?

Ask about the number of people who are going to eat to assign a suitable table.

How can I help you?

Provides assistance to customers when they arrive at the restaurant.

Inside or on the terrace?

To know if customers want to sit inside the restaurant or on the outdoor terrace.

Would you like to try the wine?

Offers customers the opportunity to taste the wine before serving it.

What would you like to have to drink?

Ask about the drink what you want to order.

Have you taken note of them?

If there are several waiters, sometimes they may not know for sure whether they have already served us or not. In those situations, we are asked this question.

Do you already know what you're going to order or should I wait a few minutes?

Ask if you have already decided on your order or if you need more time to choose.

Do you want something else? 

It offers us the opportunity to order more dishes or drinks.

Did you like it?

There are waiters who ask this question because they are curious to know if we had a good meal or if there is something we think could be improved.

Here is the account

It is said when they give us the bill, the piece of paper that indicates the list of orders and the money we must pay.

Will you pay together or separately?

The issue of payments in restaurants is a whole world.

This is the first question we are usually asked, to find out if the bill is going to be paid by one person or separately.

Will you pay by card or cash?

The question that is usually asked about payments is to know if we are going to pay by card or in cash.

You need the pin

Request the PIN number if customers are paying with a credit or debit card.

Useful phrases for paying at the restaurant

What phrases should we use us as clients at the time of pay in a restaurant?

We tell you below:

Could you bring me the bill? / The bill, please?

Once we have finished eating, we can use these questions to bring us the bill and pay.

Could I pay by card?

To find out if it is possible to make payment with a credit or debit card.

I leave you the tip here

Indicates that you are leaving a tip for service. You can give it in cash to the waiter or include it in the card payment.

Remember that the tipIt is extra money that you decide to leave to the waiter for good service.

In some countries it is mandatory, but in Spain is optional. 

I want the complaints book

Unfortunately, the service or food in restaurants is not always good.

If you have a problem with the restaurant, this phrase requests the complaints book, which is a form where you can register your complaints.

Phrases to make a reservation

When we call to make reservations, It is also common for the same conversations to be repeated. 

We tell you some phrases that will be of great help to you.

I would like to make a reservation for tonight/tomorrow/Saturday/etc

Express the desire to reserve a table for a specific day.

Do you have a free table?

Useful to know if there are tables available to eat at a nearby time.

And this was it!

With all this vocabulary you can now understand the menu of a restaurant in Spanish, make reservations, carry out typical interactions with waiters and choose the most appropriate payment method.

Learning vocabulary in this practical way is essential to mastering a language. Do you like our way of explaining vocabulary? Well this is just a small sample. 

Imagine everything we can teach you in a classroom with a teacher in Hispania, Spanish school.

Have you already made a reservation for the next dinner? 

Is there a phrase that you consider essential in a restaurant that we haven't said?

If so, share your knowledge with us in the comments box.

Have a good day!

Article written by Carlos Martinez for Hispania, Spanish school.

More articles