English for Ordering Food at a Restaurant
Four sentences carry most restaurant visits in English: A table for two, please. Could I have the soup to start? Could we have the bill, please? And could we get the rest boxed up? A meal is a fixed sequence of short exchanges, and each stage has its own polite frame.
Before you sit down
The conversation starts at the door. If you have not booked, the question is Have you got a table for two, please? If you have booked, give the name and the time: a table booked for seven, under Adams.
| Situation | What to say | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| No booking | Have you got a table for four, please? | How long is the wait? is the likely reply if the room is full. |
| With a booking | I have a table booked for seven, under Lee. | The host checks the name and walks you to the table. |
Reading the menu and asking questions
Menus in English use a small set of labels. Starter and appetizer mean the same; main and entrée are the large dish, though in Britain and Australia entrée can still mean the starter, so ask if you are unsure. Sides are the extras, and set menu means fixed courses at one price.
Questions that unlock most menus:
- What do you recommend? — the safest opening, and it works in any restaurant.
- Is the soup vegetarian? — names the dish and the thing you need to check.
- Does anything contain nuts? I'm allergic to nuts.
Allergies are worth a whole sentence rather than a word: I'm allergic to shellfish is understood everywhere. The doctor visit phrases cover the medical vocabulary if you need to describe a reaction.
The phrases, by moment
| Moment | What to say |
|---|---|
| Ordering a starter | I'd like the tomato soup to start, please. |
| Ordering a main | Could I have the chicken, please? And a side of fries. |
| Choosing a drink | Just water for me, please. / A glass of house red, please. |
| Steak doneness | How would you like it cooked? — Medium, please. (rare / medium-rare / medium / well done) |
| Mid-meal request | Could we have some more water, please? / Could we order another coffee? |
| Asking about a dish | Is there a vegetarian option? |
| Paying | Could we have the bill, please? / Could we get the check, please? |
| Takeaway | Could we get the rest boxed up, please? / Is that available to take away? |
I'd like and could I have are the two frames to drill; between them they cover every order in the meal.
Dialogue 1: a casual lunch
| Server | You |
|---|---|
| Hi, are you ready to order? | Nearly. What do you recommend — the burger or the pasta? |
| The burger is popular. Any sides with that? | Could I have the burger, please? Medium, and a side of fries. |
| Anything to drink? | Just water for me, please. And I'm allergic to nuts — does the burger contain any? |
| No nuts in that one, and I'll double-check with the kitchen. | Thanks. Could we have some more water when you have a moment? |
| Of course. Anything else? | Not for now, thanks. Could we have the bill when you're ready? |
Two habits do the work: the order names the doneness, and the allergy is stated before the food arrives.
Dialogue 2: dinner, a change, and splitting the bill
| Server | You |
|---|---|
| Are you ready? | Could I have the steak, please? Medium-rare, please. |
| And for the second dish? | She'll have the risotto. Does that come with a salad? |
| It does. Anything else? | Actually, could we change the fries to a green salad? Thank you. |
| Of course. Everything is on one bill? | Could we split the bill, please? Two cards. |
| No problem at all. | And could we get the rest boxed up? To take away. |
Changing an order needs one sorry, not a paragraph: could we change the ... to ....
Common mistakes to correct early
- I want instead of I'd like. I want the soup sounds like an instruction; I'd like the soup, please is the restaurant version.
- Ordering without naming the dish. Learners point and say this one. Name it instead — the pasta, please — because a busy server may have three tables.
- Mixing up bill and check. Same meaning, different country: bill in Britain, check in the United States.
- Saying the wrong doneness word. Steak runs rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, well done. Asking for well is not a thing; the phrase is well done.
- Asking for the bill with How much? Understood, but abrupt. Could we have the bill, please? is the complete version, and the shopping phrases drill the same courtesy for prices.
- Assuming service is included. In the United States a tip of about fifteen to twenty per cent is expected; in Britain a service charge may already be on the bill, so read it before tipping.
After the meal
Two endings cover most visits. For takeaway, Could we get the rest boxed up, please? asks for what is left; in the United States the question is often Could we get a box?, and to go replaces to take away. For payment, Could we pay separately? asks to split the payment rather than the dishes.
Say the thank-you on the way out: That was lovely, thank you. It ends the conversation the way the meal started, with a fixed, polite frame. The appointment phrases handle the booking call for a table that needs one, and the rhythm and stress guide covers the intonation that makes a request sound friendly.
Frequently asked questions
How do I order food politely?
Use I'd like or Could I have and finish with please: I'd like the soup to start, and could I have the pasta for my main, please? I want works but sounds blunt in a restaurant, so keep it for the market stall.
What should I say if I have a food allergy?
Say it before you order and name the ingredient: I'm allergic to nuts, so does the curry contain any? Then ask what they recommend: Is there anything on the menu without nuts? A written list in the local language helps in places where English is not common.
What is the difference between the bill and the check?
They are the same thing. Bill is the usual word in Britain and most of the English-speaking world; check is the usual word in the United States. Could we have the bill, please? and Could we get the check, please? are both correct.
How do I ask to split the bill?
Ask before the bill arrives if you can: Could we split the bill, please? For separate amounts, say Could we pay separately? or We'd like to pay for our own dishes. Some restaurants cannot split a card payment, so ask early.
How do I order food to take away?
In Britain ask for it to go or ask Is that available to take away? In the United States use to go or for here or to go. At the end, Could we get the rest boxed up, please? asks for what is left to be packed.