At the Restaurant in Spanish (pt. 3) – Lesson 26

Spanish for the restaurant: part 3

Welcome to lesson 26, the first lesson of chapter 2, and the last part of our restaurant series! In part 1 you made a reservation and ordered drinks, and in part 2 you learned what’s on the table and on the menu. Today: ordering your food, asking for extras, saying it was delicious, and paying the bill.

Ordering: “Voy a pedir…”

Your friend might ask you:

And you answer with voy a pedir + what you want:

Voy a + verb is “I’m going to…”: a super easy way to talk about the near future. We’ll see much more of it later in the course. Pedir means “to order” or “to ask for”.

Steak: how do you like it?

Filete just means a fillet, so it can be chicken or fish too. But on a menu, filete on its own usually means steak. If the waiter asks how you want it:

Al punto is what you’ll hear in Spain; término medio is common in Latin America.

Extras on the table

La pimienta is black pepper, the spice. The vegetable (bell pepper) has a different word: that’s coming in the next lesson. To ask for something, use what you learned in part 2: ¿Tiene sal, por favor?

Hot, cold and spicy

Careful: caliente is for hot food and drinks. For hot weather, Spanish uses a different word: hace calor (it’s hot). And if you want to know if something will burn your mouth, ask if it’s picante (spicy).

Frío changes with the noun: el café está frío, la sopa está fría. Same for delicioso / deliciosa below.

Enjoy your meal: “¡Que aproveche!”

Spanish speakers say this all the time: when the food arrives, when you walk past people eating, even to strangers at the next table. English doesn’t really have it (“bon appétit” is the closest).

It was delicious!

Está is “is” (while you’re eating), estaba is “was” (when you’re done). That’s estar in the past: we’ll learn that later, for now just use the phrase.

¡Muy rico! is very common, especially in Latin America. Use it, and the waiter (or your friend’s mom) will be happy.

Paying the bill

Para pagar literally means “to pay”. It sounds incomplete in English, but it’s a completely normal way to ask. And then the tip:

Notice the pronunciation of euros: “EH-oo-ros”, not “YOO-ros”.

Saying goodbye

Su servicio and que tenga are polite usted forms again. To a friend it’d be ¡que tengas un buen día!

Recap: restaurant phrases (part 3)

Spanish	English
¿Qué vas a pedir?	What are you going to order?
Voy a pedir…	I’m going to order…
término medio / al punto	medium
bien hecho	well done
¿Es picante?	Is it spicy?
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

+ 7 more words & phrases

Get all 12 words & phrases on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.

Get the free PDF ↓

Practice: at the restaurant

Say it out loud first, then click to check.

1. Tell the waiter you’re going to order the salad.

Voy a pedir la ensalada.

2. Ask if the dish is spicy.

¿Es picante?

3. You want your steak well done.

Bien hecho, por favor.

4. Ask for olive oil.

¿Tiene aceite de oliva, por favor?

5. The food arrives at the next table. What can you say?

¡Que aproveche! or ¡Buen provecho!

6. Tell the waiter the food was delicious.

La comida estaba deliciosa.

7. Ask for the bill.

La cuenta, por favor. or Para pagar, por favor.

8. Tell the waiter to keep the change (politely).

Quédese con el cambio.

Quiz: at the restaurant (part 3)

10 questions to finish the restaurant series. ¡Que aproveche!

Frequently asked questions

Do you tip in Spanish-speaking countries?

It depends on the country. In Spain, tipping is small and optional: rounding up or leaving a few euros is plenty. In Mexico and much of Latin America, around 10–15% is normal at restaurants. When in doubt, check the bill: sometimes the tip (servicio) is already included.

What’s the difference between “¡Que aproveche!” and “¡Buen provecho!”?

They mean the same. ¡Que aproveche! is very common in Spain, ¡Buen provecho! is used everywhere. Pick one and use it a lot.

Before you go to the next lesson

That’s the end of the restaurant series: now you can book a table, order drinks and food, and pay like a local. Grab the free reference sheet below with all of today’s phrases. ¡Buen provecho, y hasta la próxima!