How to Order Food & Read a Restaurant Menu in Spanish

Spanish phrases for restaurant dining

Now that we’ve got you all buttered up, let’s get into the different ways of ordering at a restaurant in Spanish. We’ve broken down this article into different stages of the meal-ordering process. From basic restaurant vocabulary that you should know to dietary restrictions, making reservations, ordering takeout, and beyond.

Restaurant vocabulary in Spanish

Restaurant vocabulary in Spanish One of the first things you’ll worry about after you land in a Spanish-speaking country is how to order food in Spanish. Although this can seem daunting at first–especially if you’re still at the beginner Spanish level, being familiar with just a handful of words will allow you to seamlessly order exactly what you want!

How to order at a restaurant in Spanish

If you’re already sitting at a restaurant in Bogotá or Buenos Aires, this is the section of the article you desperately need. If you’re wondering how to order at a restaurant in Spanish, the table below will teach you any phrase you’d ever need when ordering some delicious vegetables in Spanish, arepas or a nice, juicy Argentinian steak.

Conversation example with translation

If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a sample conversation that can help you visualize many of these useful words and phrases in the real world. Follow this quick example of a simple conversation at a restaurant and picture yourself ordering your next meal at a nice restaurant!

And here’s a challenge for you: try replacing all of the food and drink orders in the conversation below with your favorites! Don’t eat meat? Order something vegetarian instead! Prefer white wine? Ask for your favorite Chardonnay! Get as creative as you can as you order your ideal dinner.

Spanish phrases for restaurant workers and waiters

If you’re a waiter looking to find a summer job in a Spanish speaking country or simply want to better serve your Spanish-speaking clients, you’ll want to learn some vocabulary related to serving guests at restaurants. Check out the phrases below to quickly and easily master some Spanish phrases for restaurant workers.

Restaurant menu in Spanish

And now, the best part of this whole entire article for every foodie: the menu! While menu items vary from restaurant to restaurant, of course, we’ve gathered some of the most commonly recurring dishes and ingredients to get you started. Deciphering a restaurant menu in Spanish won’t be a big deal at all once you’re familiar with the words and phrases below!

Desserts in Spanish

Last but certainly not least, we’ve got the dessert section! Whether you have a sweet tooth or just want some fruit at the end of a big meal, everybody enjoys a treat from time to time. Check out the table below so you’re not shy to ask for the dessert menu in Spanish next time you go out to eat!

How to order tacos in Spanish

Let’s face it, who doesn’t enjoy having two or three (or seven) tacos? Tacos are some of the most universally-loved foods, not only for their taste but also thanks to how fun they are two eat. The contrasting flavors and textures between the warm filling, the crunchy lettuce, the soft tortilla, and the cold salsa are the perfect recipe for an explosion of flavor in your mouth!

To order your tacos, you will first need to master counting in Spanish. How many numbers you learn depends on how many tacos you want to eat, so think carefully about how well you want to learn them!

Once you know the numbers, ordering your tacos is easy. You just use the verb querer (to want) and ask for your tacos:

• Quiero cuatro tacos.

• Queremos ocho tacos.

You get the gist.

If you want to be extra polite, you could also use the verb dar (to give) and the formal usted. In Mexico, it’s customary to use the formal usted when addressing the taquero (the taco man!), unless you’ve already developed a close relationship with him. Here’s what that would look like:

• ¿Me da tres tacos, por favor?

• ¿Me da dos tacos más, por favor?

Beyond these simple constructions, here are a few words and phrases that may be helpful when ordering tacos.

Most common types of tacos in Mexico

Now that you know how to order a taco like a pro, let’s get into all the possible fillings. As you travel through the vast and beautiful country of Mexico, you’ll find that this list is nowhere near exhaustive. Each region in the country has a different specialty, so there are hundreds if not thousands of different types of tacos you can try!

With that said, here are the 20 most common types of tacos you’ll run into when in Mexico.

As a bonus tip, you can take your taco-ordering skills up a notch by skipping the “taco” and only sticking to the type of taco. You can use the ordering formula we outlined above, just replace the word taco with the type of taco you want to sound like a real native!

• Quiero dos de canasta.

• ¿Me da tres al pastor con todo?

• ¿Me da dos de bistec, dos de arrachera, y uno campechano, por favor?

Now you’re truly ready to eat your way through Mexico!

Tipping etiquette in Spanish-speaking countries

If you’re used to tipping in the US, you may be surprised to see what tipping is like in Spain and across Latin America. Tips in the US are among the highest in the world, so don’t be surprised if you see everyone tipping only 10% or less!

Here is the tipping etiquette in Spain and most Latin American countries.

Restaurant culture in Spanish-speaking countries

Meal times

One of the first instances of culture shock you may run into is how different meal times are in Spain and Latin America. Breakfast is pretty much the same but both lunch and dinner happen at a much later time.

In the US, lunch is usually eaten between noon and 1 p.m. and is usually very light, such as a salad, a wrap, or a sandwich. This is because most people work 9-to-5 jobs, so staying alert is very important in order to stay productive through the workday. And we all know how hard it is to stay productive after a big meal!

However, Hispanic countries have a workaround for this problem. As you’re probably aware, the Spanish enjoy having a little siesta in the afternoon. This allows them to break up their workday into two chunks with a big break in the middle of the day. Long enough to have a big meal and then have a siesta after! And there we go, sluggishness avoided!

This goes hand in hand with lunch being the biggest meal of the day as opposed to dinner. With this in mind, lunch usually happens much later in the day and lasts a lot longer than in the US. You likely won’t find anyone who has lunch before 1 p.m. and it’s not uncommon for people to eat lunch as late as 3 p.m.!

As you can probably imagine, a late lunch will also push dinner even later. As mentioned before, lunch is the biggest meal of the day, so dinner is usually a smaller or more simple meal. Depending on the country, dinner is usually eaten between 7 and 10 p.m., but you’ll never meet anyone who eats dinner at 5 or 6 p.m. like in the US. In fact, you’ll probably struggle to find restaurants that serve dinner that early!

You have to pay for water

Most restaurants in the US will start you off with a giant glass of water before you even ask for it. Not only is this not the norm in Spain and Latin America, but you will also likely have to pay for your water!

If you enjoy having some water along with your meal, you will have to specifically request it from the waiter. They will usually bring you bottled water, which they will charge you for accordingly.

Some restaurants that have filtered water available will offer it to guests free of charge, but only if they ask for it correctly. Asking for “free water” or tap water outright may be considered rude, so it’s best to stick to indirect requests. If you want to maximize your chances of not having to pay for a bottle of water, try some of the following:

Asking for the POS terminal

This practice started in Latin American countries in order to prevent credit card fraud. Instead of taking your card away to the POS terminal when it’s time to pay, they just bring the terminal right to your table. That way, you never lose sight of your credit card and only hand it to the waiter for a couple of minutes.

Plus, most credit cards in Latin America require you to punch in your PIN number when making a purchase instead of your signature, so having the terminal nearby is very convenient.

Also, note that tipping is added to your bill before they charge your card. So the moment you hand your credit card to the waiter is the right time to ask them to add any tip percentage or the amount you’d like to your bill!

Test your knowledge

Now that you know how to order food in Spanish, try ordering something off of our Berlitz Spanish menu. There are lots of local specials to choose from.

Now you’ve got plenty of restaurant vocab to munch on

If you read through this entire article, then it’s official–you’re a foodie! As extensive as this blog was, it comes nowhere near close to even scratching the surface of the gastronomical richness of Spanish and Latin American cuisines. Not only does each country have its own distinct cuisine, but different regional variations within each country can really make your head spin!

But do not worry, you have a whole lifetime to travel and taste all the unique and exciting flavors of Spain and Latin America. And the more you learn Spanish, the easier conquering all the Hispanic cuisines will be!

Now, go find your nearest Mexican restaurant or Argentinian steakhouse and put your new vocabulary to the test. ¡Buen provecho!