A1 level

Ordering at a restaurant in Portuguese

Last updated 28 October 2026

Restaurants repeat the same few situations, which makes them a good place to practise early. The phrases below follow a visit from start to finish. Portugal and Brazil share most of the structure but differ in key words, in how a polite request is made and in the menu itself, so the important phrases come in both versions.

Getting a table

Portugal

Uma mesa para dois, se faz favor. A table for two, please.
Têm uma mesa livre? Do you have a free table?
Posso sentar-me aqui? Can I sit here?

Brazil

Uma mesa para duas pessoas, por favor. A table for two people, please.
Vocês têm uma mesa livre? Do you have a free table?
Posso me sentar aqui? Can I sit here?

Notice sentar-me in Portugal and me sentar in Brazil. Both mean the same, and the difference is only where the pronoun goes. In Portugal it normally follows the verb, joined by a hyphen. In Brazil it normally comes before it.

Reading the menu

The menu itself has a different name in each country. Portugal says a ementa, and Brazil says o cardápio. Both countries also use o menu in some places.

Portugal

Pode trazer a ementa, por favor? Could you bring the menu, please?
O que recomenda? What do you recommend?
Qual é o prato do dia? What is the dish of the day?
Tem alguma coisa sem glúten? Do you have anything gluten-free?

Brazil

Pode trazer o cardápio, por favor? Could you bring the menu, please?
O que você recomenda? What do you recommend?
Qual é o prato do dia? What is the dish of the day?
Tem alguma coisa sem glúten? Do you have anything gluten-free?

Ordering

This is the clearest difference in the whole visit. A Portuguese diner is likely to use the imperfect, queria, for a polite request. A Brazilian diner is likely to say vou querer, literally "I am going to want".

Portugal

Queria o frango, por favor. I would like the chicken, please.
Para mim, a sopa. Soup for me.
Para beber, uma água com gás. To drink, a sparkling water.
Um sumo de laranja, por favor. An orange juice, please.

Brazil

Vou querer o frango, por favor. I would like the chicken, please.
Para mim, a sopa. Soup for me.
Para beber, uma água com gás. To drink, a sparkling water.
Um suco de laranja, por favor. An orange juice, please.

Brazilians also say eu queria in polite speech, and Europeans can say vou querer. What matters is which one sounds the most natural.

Food and drink words that change

English	Portugal	Brazil
juice	o sumo	o suco
ice cream	o gelado	o sorvete
breakfast	o pequeno-almoço	o café da manhã
menu	a ementa	o cardápio
waiter	o empregado de mesa	o garçom
espresso	uma bica or um café	um cafezinho

When you want the waiter's attention in Portugal, faz favor or se faz favor works. In Brazil, com licença or moço, moça are more common.

Asking for the bill and paying

Portugal

Pode trazer-me a conta, por favor? Could you bring me the bill, please?
Posso pagar com cartão? Can I pay by card?
A gorjeta está incluída? Is the tip included?
Aqui tem. Obrigado. Here you are. Thank you.

Brazil

Pode me trazer a conta, por favor? Could you bring me the bill, please?
Posso pagar no cartão? Can I pay by card?
A gorjeta está incluída? Is the tip included?
Aqui está. Obrigado. Here you are. Thank you.

In Brazil, a service charge of about ten percent is often added to the bill automatically. It is usually shown as serviço or gorjeta on the receipt.

Saying the food is good

Está delicioso and está muito bom work in both countries. A man says obrigado and a woman says obrigada in both varieties, as the word agrees with the person speaking.