How to Order Food in an Italian Restaurant
A comprehensive food guide for your next trip to Italy
ITALIAN FROM SCRATCH #10
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How to Order Food in Italiano
Do you know what’s awesome about visiting Italy? The food culture, hands down!
Italy is well-known for its mouthwatering foods. And let’s be real — what’s the point of jetting off to Italy if you’re not going to dive in and soak up all that goodness?
In this post, I will give you all the language tips you need to order your food in Italy and to sound more Italian than Italians themselves.
Basic Words
You need to understand the food lingo in Italy and here are the most famous ones you will come across:
- Cibo (Food)
- Ristorante (Resturant)
- Cameriere/Cameriera (Waiter/Waitress)
- Antipasto (Appetizer): Light dishes to start the meal
- Primo (First Course): Usually a pasta, risotto, or soup dish.
- Secondo (Second Course): The main course, typically a meat or fish dish.
- Contorno (Side Dish): Vegetables or salad that accompanies the secondo.
- Dolce (Dessert): Sweet treats like tiramisu, panna cotta, or gelato.
- Caffè (Coffee): Often an espresso to finish the meal.
Making your reservation
1- C’è un tavolo? (Is there a table?)
Il tavolo = The table
(C’è) = (There is)
It is actually two words (Ci + è)
(Ci) has a lot of uses in Italian but in this context, it means (There) and (è) is the singular verb to be (is)
To make it easier, it is abbreviated to (c’è) because two vowels are meeting and it is difficult to pronounce.
This is why when you want to say (There are) you would say (Ci sono), the (i) of (Ci) is written normally because it is followed by an (S) which is a consonant.
2- Avete un tavolo? (Do you have a table?)
This is another way to ask if there are tables available.
Keep in mind that you are collectively speaking to the whole staff when you ask that question.
So you are actually asking a group if they have a table or not, not just one person.
The verb (AVERE) is (To have) in Italiano and it is an irregular verb — i.e., it does not follow the usual conjugation rules (we will get to this later in future lessons).
The conjugation of this verb with (You Plural) is (Avete).
So what you are saying literally is: (Do you all have a table?)
3- Per quanti? (For how many?)
The staff member would then ask you how many people.
You can respond by saying a number, you can do this in many ways, for example:
- Per quattro = For four
- Due persone = Two people
- Un tavolo per tre persone = A table for three people
4- Prego (Follow me)
Prego has many meanings in Italian.
The most famous meaning is (You’re welcome).
However, in this context, when you ask for a table and the waiter says (Prego), it means (Follow me).
5- Scusi siamo al completo (We are full)
If you’re not in luck and the restaurant does not have available tables, you may hear the waiter say, sorry we are full now.
6- Avete una prenotazione? (Do you have a reservation?)
The waiter might ask you if you already have a reservation under your name.
You can respond:
- Sì, a nome di [Your Name] (Yes, under the name [Your Name]).
- No, non abbiamo una prenotazione (No, we don’t have a reservation).
Asking for the menu
1- Posso vedere il menù, per favore? (Can I see the menu, please?)
You can use this polite phrase to ask to see the menu, you can simply just say, (Il menù, per favore) = (The menu, please).
2- C’è un menu in inglese? = Is there a menu in English?
You can use this phrase to ask the waiter to bring you an English menu if available.
3- Avete piatti del giorno? (Do you have any specials?)
Ordering Food
- Per antipasto, vorrei… (For appetizer, I would like…)
- Come primo piatto, prendo… (For the first course, I’ll have…)
- Per secondo, vorrei… (For the main course, I would like…)
- Vorrei anche un contorno di… (I would also like a side of…)
- Per dolce, prendo… (For dessert, I’ll have…)
Special Requests
- Sono vegetariano/a (I am vegetarian).
- Sono allergico/a a… (I am allergic to…).
- Può essere fatto senza… (Can it be made without…).
During the Meal
- Può portare un po’ di pane? (Can you bring some bread?)
- Manca un piatto/posata (A plate/cutlery is missing).
- Il conto, per favore (The bill, please).
- Posso pagare con la carta di credito? (Can I pay with a credit card?)
Expressing Satisfaction
- È delizioso! (It’s delicious!)
- Complimenti al cuoco (Compliments to the chef).
That’s it for today’s lesson. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and stay tuned for future lessons. Alla prossima, ciao ciao!
