Spanish Cafe Phrases: Ordering, Asking and Paying in Spanish
Essential Spanish phrases for cafes and Mexican restaurants: greetings, ordering, asking about dishes, reading menu names and paying the bill.
Contents
The short answer
Most cafe and restaurant visits in Spanish need only a few phrases: a greeting, a polite way to order, a question about what a dish contains, and a request for the bill. The most useful ones are "Buenos días" (good morning), "Quisiera..." (I would like...), "¿Qué lleva?" (what's in it?) and "La cuenta, por favor" (the check, please). Add "por favor" (please) and "gracias" (thank you) and you can handle a full visit.
Greetings and getting a table
- Buenos días / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches: Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening
- Una mesa para dos, por favor: A table for two, please
- ¿Tienen mesa libre?: Do you have a free table?
- La carta / El menú, por favor: The menu, please
Ordering food and drinks
- Quisiera...: I would like... (polite and widely understood)
- Me da..., por favor: Could I have..., please
- Para mí...: For me...
- Un café, por favor: A coffee, please
- Un vaso de agua: A glass of water
- Para llevar: To go
- Para comer aquí: To eat here
- ¿Qué me recomienda?: What do you recommend?
Asking about a dish
These questions help when a menu name is unfamiliar or when you need to check ingredients.
- ¿Qué lleva?: What's in it?
- ¿Es picante?: Is it spicy?
- Sin..., por favor: Without..., please
- Soy alérgico / alérgica a...: I'm allergic to... (alérgico for masculine, alérgica for feminine)
- ¿Es vegetariano?: Is it vegetarian?
Core restaurant vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
| el mesero / la mesera | the waiter / the waitress (common in Mexico) |
| el camarero / la camarera | the waiter / the waitress (common in Spain) |
| la cuenta | the check |
| la propina | the tip |
| el plato | the dish or plate |
| la bebida | the drink |
| el postre | the dessert |
| la cuchara / el tenedor / el cuchillo | the spoon / the fork / the knife |
| la servilleta | the napkin |
Reading taco and menu names
Mexican menu items often follow the pattern "tacos de [filling]," where "de" means "of" or "with." The word after "de" usually names the main filling, so recognizing a few basic food words goes a long way. If a filling name is new to you, "¿Qué lleva?" is the simplest way to find out exactly how that restaurant prepares it, since the same name can be made differently from place to place.
Paying and leaving
- La cuenta, por favor: The check, please
- ¿Aceptan tarjeta?: Do you take cards?
- En efectivo: In cash
- Todo estuvo muy rico: Everything was delicious
- Gracias, hasta luego: Thank you, see you later
Regional differences and limits of this guide
Vocabulary shifts between Mexico, Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions, as the mesero and camarero split shows. The phrases above are standard and broadly understood, but the sources behind this guide do not document region-by-region usage, tipping customs or specific taco preparations, so those details are not covered here. When in doubt, a polite "¿Cómo se dice...?" (How do you say...?) is welcome almost anywhere.
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