25 Spanish words to order food in a bar or restaurant

Published Aug 16, 2026·Updated Aug 16, 2026

Transcript

Read along, Spanish & English, side by side

Did you know that saying "give me a tortilla" at a bar sounds a bit harsh?

It happens a lot, and the waiter feels, uh, uncomfortable.

Today you’ll learn 25 polite words and phrases for ordering food at a real bar or restaurant.

All at an A1 level, to speak calmly and be understood.

Totally.

Also, be careful, many confuse "give me" with "bring me," and they're not the same, okay?

Today we’ll give you real street phrases to order well and with a smile.

You’ll be able to walk in, sit down, and order without fear.

Hi, I’m Carlos, nice to meet you.

If you want to practice later, the complete lesson is on Vocabli.

Alright, let’s get straight to it, starting with the basic words to talk with the waiter.

Yes, because the first thing is to catch their attention politely, "excuse me" or "please," waiter.

Then you ask for a table, "Is there a table for two?"

Very simple and very useful.

And if you have it, you ask for the menu.

Exactly, the menu is the list of all dishes.

If in doubt, say, "What do you recommend?"

Let's do a mini roleplay, okay?

I’ll be the customer and you the waiter.

I want to use key phrases, please, "I want," "for me," "bring me," "tap water," and at the end "the bill."

Let's go.

Good afternoon, how's it going?

Do you have a reservation or are you looking for a table right now?

Hi, well, a table for two, please.

Can you bring us the menu?

And, uh, do you have a daily special today?

Yes, of course.

Here’s the menu, and the daily special is vegetable soup as a starter, roast chicken as the main, and flan for dessert.

What can I get you to drink?

For me, tap water, please, no ice.

I’d like the soup as a starter and the chicken as the main.

The flan is very sweet.

It’s sweet, but not too much.

Perfect, so soup, chicken, and tap water with no ice.

Any tapas or a portion to share in the meantime?

Mmm, a portion of patatas bravas to share, please.

Oh, and no spicy if possible.

Thank you.

Done?

Right away.

And in the end, when I finish, let me know for the bill.

See?

That was easy.

There we used "table," "menu," "daily special," "starter," "main," "dessert," "drink," "tap water," "no ice," "portion," "spicy," and "the bill."

We already have a good set of words.

Yes, and you said "for me" and "I want," which sound nice and natural.

Another very common phrase is "bring me" or "get me," which are softer than "give me."

For example, "bring me a coffee, please" or "can you bring me the bill?"

Of course, and "bring me" also exists, but with "can you bring me, please" you sound more polite.

And watch out for "to go" and "to eat here" or "to eat in."

If you want your food to go, say "to go".

If you're staying, say "for here".

Another useful thing, "no onion", "gluten-free", "lactose-free".

These are short phrases for allergies or preferences.

If you have an allergy, say it clearly at the start, "I'm allergic to gluten" or "no nuts, please".

And if you don’t know how to say something, ask, "what's this called?" or "what does it contain?"

With "what does it contain?" you ask what ingredients are in the dish.

Very useful to avoid strange surprises, you know?

Speaking of surprises, once a listener wanted to order croquettes and because of mispronunciation, they understood cookies.

In the end, they brought him cookies for dessert instead of savory croquettes.

Everyone laughed, but he learned to pronounce slowly.

Yes, another person said they ordered something and because they didn’t say "no onion", the dish had a lot of onion and they had a terrible time.

That's why, state your preference calmly, "no onion", "not too spicy", "no sauce", that kind of stuff.

Surprising tip: keep a photo of the menu from your local bar and read it at home.

Okay, let's recap some words from today.

That's already a lot.

Mini quiz, let's see if you remember, what does "to go" mean?

Pause for a second.

Okay, the answer: it means you’re not eating there, you're taking the food with you.

And another, a soft phrase to ask.

"Could you please give me", or "can you bring me".

Perfect.

When you want another, just say "another, please" or "can I have another".

Another useful question is, "what do you recommend?" or "what's the specialty?"

This way the waiter can guide you.

And if you can’t decide between a tapa or a portion, the tapa is small, for one person, the portion is large, meant to share.

You can also say, "to share".

For example, "a portion of tortilla to share".

And if you want to try something new, say "I want to try the octopus" or "I’d like to try the paella," but at A1, just "I want to try" is enough.

Payment topic, very important, "the bill, please".

And then, "can I pay with card?" or "do you accept cash?"

If you’re unsure about the tax, ask, "is VAT included?"

Usually, yes in restaurants.

And regarding the tip, in Spain it’s not mandatory, but if you liked the service, leave a small tip.

You can say, "everything’s perfect, thanks".

These are courteous details that help a lot, right?

Yes.

And if something's not right, speak softly, "excuse me, this is cold," or "excuse me, I ordered no onion".

With a friendly tone, people respond well.

Honestly, a smile opens doors.

Let's return for a second to "give me" and "bring me," because it’s a common mistake.

"Give me" sounds direct, a bit harsh; "can you bring me, please" is softer and more natural.

If you don't remember, use "I want" or "for me", and that’s it.

Let’s do a short roleplay, casual and street-style, okay?

A snack stand.

I’ll order and you’ll serve.

I want "to go", "no sauce", and "what do you recommend", to practice.

Hi, hello.

What can I get you?

Hi, what do you recommend today?

MMM.

I’d like a tortilla sandwich to go, please.

Oh, and no sauce, just tomato.

Perfect.

Anything to drink?

Yes, a bottle of still water, with ice on the side, please.

And that’s it.

The bill?

It’s eight euros.

Card or cash?

Card, please.

Thank you, see you later.

See?

Super simple.

Short phrases, clear and friendly tone.

With that, you can order at a café, bar, or food stall.

One more practical thing, "napkin" and "cutlery."

If you don’t have them, say, "can you bring me a napkin," or "could you bring cutlery, please?"

Also "glass" if you want a glass to share a drink.

And when the dish arrives, you can confirm, "this is the portion," or "is it to share?"

They’re easy questions that prevent misunderstandings.

Better to ask than to be left wondering.

Speaking of misunderstandings, remember that about pronunciation.

If you say "croquetas," calmly, "no," cookies.

If in doubt, point at the menu and say, "this, please."

It always works.

Also, if the waiter says, "your Spanish is good," take it as a compliment, that’s it.

Better that than "your Spanish is okay," which sometimes sounds like acceptable.

They’re nuances, but at a restaurant, smile and move on.

Quick list of polite phrases that I love.

"Please," "thank you," "excuse me," "when you can," "could you get me," and "can you bring me."

With these, your order sounds natural.

Add the detail, "no onion," "a little spicy," "to go."

And if there’s a daily menu, ask, "what's included in the daily menu?"

It usually includes a first course, second, dessert, and drink.

If you don’t want dessert, you can ask for coffee; it includes coffee.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Final tip for practice.

Create cards with words from your city’s menu.

"Tapas," "portion," "dessert," "bill," "tip."

Read for two minutes a day.

It seems little, but it greatly improves your memory.

And play a game with friends, one says a dish and the other orders it politely.

For example, "I want to try the tortilla, could you get me that please?"

You laugh, make mistakes, and learn quickly.

Okay, another quick check, if you want to stay in the place, you say "to go" or "for here."

Exactly, "for here."

And to order another drink, what do you say?

"Another, please" or "can I have another."

Before closing, here’s a useful phrase if something’s missing from your dish, "excuse me, I think something's missing," and say the ingredient.

It’s not an aggressive complaint, it’s clear and kind.

This way everything gets sorted easily.

Let’s quickly review our 25 key words and phrases for today.

Without further ado: "waiter," "table," "menu," "daily special," "first course," "second course," "dessert," "drink," "tapas," "portion," "to go," "for here," "I want," "for me," "bring me," "please," "the bill," "tap water," "with ice," "without ice," "carbonated," "still," "without onion," "tip."

And we also saw, "what do you recommend?" and "can I pay by card?"

Yes, also "gluten-free," "a little spicy," "to share," "napkin," "cutlery."

You don’t need all of them at once, okay?

With three or four well said, you’ll order perfectly.

Little by little.

Question for you, in the comments, what’s your favorite phrase for ordering food in Spanish?

Do you say "for me" or do you prefer "bring me"?

Also tell us one dish you want to try next time.

And if something funny happened when you ordered, like the croquettes and cookies, we want to read it.

Those stories help everyone learn without shame.

We love it when you share little tips.

As we said before, if you want to continue, the interactive lesson with the script, vocabulary cards, and exercises is free on Vocabli.

You have the link in the description, and we’ll be waiting for you there to practice without pressure.

See you next time!

A hug and enjoy your meal.