Ordering at a restaurant in Spanish

Restaurants are one of the best places to use Spanish early, because the situations repeat and the vocabulary is small. The phrases below cover the whole visit: getting a table, ordering, asking questions and paying.

Getting a table

Spanish	English
Una mesa para dos, por favor.	A table for two, please.
¿Tienen mesa para tres?	Do you have a table for three?
¿Puedo sentarme aquí?	Can I sit here?
¿Está libre esta mesa?	Is this table free?

Reading the menu and asking questions

Spanish	English
¿Me trae la carta, por favor?	Could you bring me the menu, please?
¿Qué me recomienda?	What do you recommend?
¿Tiene algo sin gluten?	Do you have anything gluten-free?
¿Qué lleva este plato?	What is in this dish?
¿Es picante?	Is it spicy?

Ordering

Spanish	English
Quisiera el pollo, por favor.	I would like the chicken, please.
Para mí, la sopa.	Soup for me.
Para beber, un agua con gas.	To drink, a sparkling water.
¿Puedo cambiar la ensalada por patatas?	Can I swap the salad for chips?

Quisiera (I would like) is more polite than quiero (I want). Use it whenever you are ordering from someone you do not know.

Asking for the bill and paying

Spanish	English
¿Nos trae la cuenta, por favor?	Could you bring us the bill, please?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?	Can I pay by card?
¿Está incluido el servicio?	Is service included?
Aquí tiene. Gracias.	Here you are. Thank you.

Saying the food is good

Está muy rico and está delicioso both mean "It is very tasty." Rico is common across the Spanish-speaking world and is a natural thing to say to a waiter.

Castilian and Latin American notes

Spain says la cuenta for the bill, and so does most of Latin America. You can rely on it.
In Mexico, el menú is often used alongside la carta.
In Spain, a waiter may call you ¿Qué os pongo? (What can I get you?) to a group. You will hear ¿Qué le sirvo? (What can I serve you?) more widely.

A short dialogue

Camarero: ¡Buenas tardes! ¿Tienen una reserva?

Tú: Buenas tardes. Una mesa para dos, por favor.

Camarero: Por aquí. ¿Le traigo la carta?

Tú: Sí, gracias. ¿Qué me recomienda?

Camarero: El pescado del día está muy bueno.

Tú: Perfecto. Quisiera el pescado, por favor.

Tú: La cuenta, por favor.

Camarero is a waiter, and camarera is a waitress. In many places, el mesero (Mexico) or el camarero (Spain) both work.

Practice

Pick the phrase you would actually say at each point in the visit.

Next, learn how to ask for directions so you can find the restaurant.