A Play-By-Play on How to Order Food in Spanish & FREE Quiz
How to Order in Spanish From Beginning to End and Everything Else in Between
🇪🇸 Let’s imagine you’re on your dream vacation in Spain. You’re still roughing out the language and suddenly, hunger strikes!
Oh no! The same dilemma plays out in your head…
🗯 Should you go hungry or bite the bullet, finally put yourself out there and order in Spanish?
Of course eventually you’re going to want to take the leap, mustering those words to stave off your hunger or cravings.
👉 To make the experience more palatable for you (pun intended!), here’s everything you need to know before you visit a Spanish-speaking restaurant, from finding a table to choosing your food, paying the check and more!
🇪🇸 Let’s break down ‘How to Order in Spanish’
How to Order in Spanish || The Pleasantries
How to Order in Spanish || Table for Two Please
How to Order in Spanish || At the Table or at the Counter
How to Order in Spanish || The Meal
How to Order in Spanish || The Check Please
How to Order in Spanish || Quiz
How to Order in Spanish || FAQs
How to Order in Spanish || The Pleasantries
Just a plain and simple:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hola, qué tal | Hi, how are you |
| Buenos días | Good morning |
| Buenas tardes / Buenas noches | Good afternoon / Good evening |
⛅How to Say Good Morning in Spanish – It’s Not What You Expect!
How to Say Good Morning in SpanishThe Nuanced Spanish Good Morning 👋 💭 Picture this scene. You‘ve just moved to sunny Spain for a sabbatical. It’s a Monday morning and as you step out of your apartment and get into the…
How to Order in Spanish || Table for Two Please
👉 Supposing you are meeting up in a restaurant in Spain and you are either a walk-in client or have a reservation.
So let’s do a play-by-play of both, so you have a repertoire for the two scenarios!
If you are a walk-in client, then you would ask for a table and here’s how, assuming for instance, that you are a party of two.
The server might ask you: ¿Mesa para cuántos? (Table for how many?) or ¿Cuántos son? (How many are you?)
You would reply: Mesa para dos, por favor. (Table for two, please.)
¿Mesa para cuántos?
(Table for how many?)Mesa para dos, por favor.
(Table for two, please.)If you already have a reservation, simply let the server know instead by saying: Tenemos una reserva a nombre de… (We have a reservation under the name of…) and fill in the blanks.
An example being: Tenemos una reserve a nombre de Perico de los Palotes para las dos. (We have a reservation under the name of Perico de los Palotes for 2 pm.)
Ordinarily, the server would reply, Acompáñenme (after me) and, you’re in!
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Acompáñenme | Follow me |
| ¿Mesa para cuántos? | Table for how many? |
| ¿Cuántos son? | How many are you? |
| Mesa para dos, por favor. | Table for two, please. |
| Tenemos una reserva a nombre de… | We have a reservation under the name of… |
| Tenemos una reserva a nombre de Perico de los Palotes para las dos. | We have a reservation under the name of Perico de los Palotes for 2 pm. |
🗯 Fun note: Perico de los Palotes is a common Spanish humorous expression used to refer to an imaginary or anonymous person, similar to how in English one would say “John Doe” or your “average Joe”.
How to Order in Spanish ||
At the Table or at the Counter
By the bar or at the counter
Let’s suppose for a moment, that you’re at a café or a bar.
You’re ordering by the counter, no menu involved, just having a drink or a coffee or some tapas by the counter that catch your eye, then here’s your script:
Normally the server would ask you: ¿Qué desea? (What would you like?) or ¿Qué desea tomar? (What would you like to have/drink?)
And you answer: Me trae por favor… (Could you please bring me…?) and fill in the blanks.
¿Qué desea?
(What would you like?)Me trae por favor…
(Could you please bring me…?)
Here are some typical things to ask for:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Un agua | (referring to a bottle of water) |
| Un agua con gas | (referring to a bottle of sparkling water) |
| Un café solo | (an espresso) |
| Un cortado | (an espresso with a dash of milk) |
| Una copa de vino tinto | (a glass of red wine) |
| Una caña | (draft beer, served in a small sized tube glass) |
| Un pincho de tortilla | (a bite-sized portion of potato omelette) |
| Una tapa de jamón | (a small portion of Spanish prosciutto) |
| Unas patatas | (a serving of chips) |
| Unas aceitunas | (a serving of olives) |
| Unas anchoas | (a serving of anchovies) |
At the table
If already seated at a restaurant however, first things first, you’ll need a menu and perhaps would like some drinks off the bat, so here’s what to say.
You would ask the server:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Nos trae la carta por favor? | Could you bring us the menu please? |
| ¿Me trae la carta por favor? | Could you bring me the menu please? |
Something to remember: In Spain, the English word “menu’ translates to (la) carta . The word menú actually does exist in Spanish, although it is used to refer to the set and fixed-priced menus usually given in restaurants for lunch.
The server might then ask you or your party: Qué desean tomar mientras? (What would you like to drink in the meantime?)
You could answer: Un agua, por favor (Bottled water, please) or Nada, de momento, gracias (Nothing, for now, thank you.).
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué desean tomar mientras? | What would you like to drink in the meantime? |
| Un agua, por favor | Bottled water, please |
| Nada, de momento, gracias | Nothing, for now, thank you. |
✍️ A side note: Serviced water is not really a thing in Spain when in a restaurant, café or
bar. So when you order water, it is normally assumed you are asking for bottled water.
How to Order in Spanish || The Meal
👉 After having gone through the menu and when you’re ready to order, we can call a server’s attention simply by saying Perdone (Excuse me), then followed by similar versions of the same phrase, “We would like to order”.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Perdone | Excuse me |
| ¿Perdona, nos puede tomar nota por favor? | Excuse me, could you please take our order? |
| Perdone, quisiéramos pedir | Excuse me, we would like to order |
| Perdone, ya estamos listos | Excuse me, we are ready |
Some distinctions to consider when ordering in a bar or by the counter:
If you are in a bar or ordering by the counter, another phrase you can use to order in Spanish, is Me puede traer por favor… (Could you please bring me…) and fill in the blanks, like so:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me puede traer por favor… | Could you please bring me…? |
| ¿Me puede traer una copa de vino blanco, por favor? | Could you please bring me a glass of white wine? |
Some distinctions to consider when ordering in a restaurant:
When in a restaurant in Spain, you typically order a two-course meal and drinks, followed by desserts and coffee. So when you have the server by your side, ready to take your order, here are some handy suggestion phrases:
The server will typically ask you or your party: ¿Qué desean pedir? (What would you like to order?). Then here comes your meal plan…
Starters
You on your starters: Para los primeros, quisiéramos pedir… (For starters, we would like to order…) and fill in the blanks or if it’s just you, De primero, quisiera pedir… (For starters, I would like to order…).
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Para los primeros, quisiéramos pedir… | For starters, we would like to order… |
| De primero, quisiera pedir… | For starters, I would like to order… |
Normally, you would identify who is ordering what, so to make it clear to the server, precede the specific order with para mi (for me), para ella (for her), para él (for him), etc.
A sample order for starters would look something like this:
Para los primeros, quisiéramos pedir, para ella una crema de espárragos y para mi una ensalada verde. (For starters, we would like to order, for her, the cream of asparagus and for me, the green salad.).
Main course
You on your main course: Para los segundos, quisiéramos pedir… (For the main course, we would like to order…) and fill in the blanks.
A sample order for your mains would look something like this:
Para los primeros, quisiéramos pedir, para ella, el pollo a la plancha con patatas fritas y para mi, las lentejas estofadas. (For the mains, we would like to order, for her, the grilled chicken with French fries and for me, the stewed lentils.)
Drinks, Dessert and Coffee
And for all other items, drinks, etc. you would like to order, just follow the same format (Quisiéramos pedir / we would like to order) or if it’s just you (Quisiera pedir / I would like to order) and fill in the blanks.
Some examples:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Quisiéramos pedir. | We would like to order. |
| Quisiera pedir. | I would like to order. |
| Para beber, quisiéramos pedir una botella de vino tinto de la casa. | To drink, we would like to order a bottle of the house red wine. |
| De postre, quisiera pedir la tarta de queso. | For dessert, I would like to order the cheesecake. |
| Para los cafés, quisiéramos pedir un café solo y uno solo descafeinado. | For coffees, we would like to order an espresso and a decaf espresso. |
Should you wish to order the dessert and the coffee after the meal has been served, which is usually the case, you can simply inform the server with some of these phrases:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Si no le importa, ya pedimos los cafés y los postres luego. | If you don’t mind, we will order the coffees and the dessert later. |
| Los postres y los cafés, para luego por favor. | The dessert and the coffees for later please. |
How to Order in Spanish || The Check Please
In Spain, there are two distinct ways of asking for the bill, depending on the context and location you are at.
👉 The first one being, if you are at a bar or in a café or in any location where you are ordering by the counter, normally you would ask for the bill by simply asking the cashier or the server to “charge you”, like so:
¿Me cobra, por favor? (Can you please bill/charge me?)
Or if for a party of two or more:
¿Nos cobra, por favor? (Can you please bill/charge us?)
In this case, you normally ask for the bill by asking for the check, like so:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿La cuenta, por favor? | The check, please? |
| ¿Nos trae la cuenta por favor? | Could you bring us the check please? |
And voilá , you just got through your first meal experience, ordering on your own!
How to Order in Spanish || Quiz
Now you’ve mastered ‘How to Order in Spanish’ , why not check out these Spanish essentials?
👉 The Super Powers of Y in Spanish
🌍 For those of you with global tastes, make sure to check out How to Read a Menu in Chinese and How to Read a Menu in Korean!
How to Order in Spanish || FAQs
How do you ask for a menu in Spain?
In Spain, the English word “menu” translates to (la) carta, so when asking for a menu, always refer to the word, carta, like so:
¿Me puede traer la carta, por favor? (Could you bring me the menu, please?) or
La carta, por favor. (The menu, please.)
The word menú actually does exist in Spanish, although it is used to refer to the set and fixed-priced menus, usually given in restaurants for lunch and termed as menú del día (menu of the day).
So remember, when ordering a la carte in Spain, the menu is referred to as (la) carta.
How to order to-go food in Spanish?
While to-go food and establishments are still not the norm in Spain and very much the exception, in case you are faced with a restaurant or shop that offers meals to-go, then the correct term would be comida para llevar (food to go).
Here are some examples of use:
Es para llevar, por favor. (It’s to go please.)
Quisera pedir para llevar, por favor (I would like to order to-go, please.)
What do you recommend in Spanish?
If you are in a restaurant in Spain and would like to ask your server for recommendations on the dishes, etc., a simple way to ask for them would be:
¿Qué nos recomienda? (What would you recommend?)
Or if it’s just you: ¿Qué me recomienda? (What would you recommend?)
¿Qué nos sugiere? (What would you suggest?)
¿Tiene alguna sugerencia? (Do you have any suggestions?
How to say you’re allergic to something in Spanish?
Nowadays, more and more food establishments are asking their clients beforehand if they have any dietary restrictions, food allergies or intolerances, and Spain is no exception.
However, it is always best to be on the safe side when it comes to food allergies or intolerances and to communicate them clearly beforehand to your server. Here is a clear way to do so when ordering:
Perdone, soy alérgica / alérgico a… (Excuse me, I am allergic to…) and fill in the blanks.
Perdone, soy intolerante a… (Excuse me, I am intolerant to…) and fill in the blanks.
Here is a list in Spanish of the most common food allergens:
Frutos secos (nuts, in general)
Nueces (walnuts)
Marisco (seafood)
Crustáceos (crustaceans)
Cacahuetes (peanuts)
Huevos (eggs)
Leche (milk)
Soja (soy)
Gluten (gluten)
Lactosa (lactose)
Sésamo (sesame)
Pescado (fish)
How much to tip in a restaurant in Spain?
Good question, as there is no consensus or general rule really when it comes to tipping at a restaurant or in an establishment in Spain, nor is it mandatory. So to decide whether to tip (referred to as la propina) or not in Spain, let’s go by what is customary.
To understand what is customary, some background on the food and beverage landscape in Spain, where servers and staff are normally protected by the minimum wage, so tipping is not so much considered part of their more basic income, rather than a (nice) addition to it.
So, it is really up to the client to decide whether to tip or not based on the quality of the service they receive. Also, some restaurants may already include service charge, so best to check out the bill beforehand, just in case.
Either way, more often than not, it is a generalized practice to tip, usually between 5-10%, ideally 10%.
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