Ordering food in a restaurant in Spanish, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Most restaurant Spanish is four or five exchanges long and always in the same order. Someone seats you, someone asks what you want to drink, someone asks if you have decided, the food comes, and someone asks how it was. This page has each of those turns with the answers, plus the set lunch, allergies, how to order a steak and how to send something back without a scene. Paying has its own page, and so does coffee.
Who you are talking to
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waiter | el mesero | el camarero | el mesero | el mozo |
| How to get his attention | ¡Joven! or Disculpe | Perdona or Oye (close range) | ¿Me colabora? or Señor | ¡Mozo! or Disculpá |
| Which “you” he will use with you | usted | tú | usted | vos |
In all four you can raise a hand and catch an eye. Do not call across the room. In Spain a young waiter and a customer of the same age will both use tú within a sentence. In Bogotá everybody stays on usted all evening, both ways, and it sounds friendly there.
Getting a table
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’d like to book a table | Quería reservar una mesa. | Quería is softer than quiero and is what people say |
| For four, at nine | Para cuatro, a las nueve. | |
| In the name of Clark | A nombre de Clark. | ¿Se lo deletreo? offers to spell it |
| Do you have a table for two? | ¿Tiene mesa para dos? | Walking in |
| Do we need to book? | ¿Hay que reservar? | |
| How long is the wait? | ¿Cuánto hay que esperar? | |
| Outside, please | Afuera, por favor. / En la terraza. | Spain says fuera, and la terraza is the pavement tables |
| Inside | Adentro. (Latin America) / Dentro. (Spain) | |
| Can we sit here? | ¿Nos podemos sentar aquí? | |
| We’re waiting for one more | Falta una persona. |
What you will hear: ¿Tienen reserva? ¿Cuántos son? Pasen por aquí. En un momento los atiendo, someone will be with you shortly. In Argentina waiters say ¿Reservaron?, and in Spain ¿Tenéis reserva?
The menu, and the set lunch
La carta is the list of dishes. In Spain el menú usually means the fixed-price lunch, so if you ask for el menú there, you get today’s three courses rather than the whole list. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina el menú and la carta are both used for the list.
Every one of the four countries has a cheap weekday lunch, and in each it has a different name.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The set lunch | la comida corrida | el menú del día | el almuerzo ejecutivo or el corrientazo | el menú ejecutivo or el menú del día |
| What it includes | soup, rice, a main, agua de sabor | starter, main, bread, drink, dessert or coffee | soup, a main with rice, juice | starter or main, drink, sometimes dessert |
| When | la comida, two to four | la comida, one thirty to four | el almuerzo, twelve to two | el almuerzo, twelve to three |
Corrientazo is the informal Colombian word for the same plate in a small local place. In Mexico the midday meal is called la comida, the biggest meal of the day, and el almuerzo is a late morning snack. Everywhere else el almuerzo is lunch.
Dinner runs late in Spain, from nine thirty, and late in Argentina, from nine. Colombians eat dinner around seven and Mexicans around eight. Arriving at a Spanish restaurant at seven for dinner means an empty room or a closed kitchen.
Ordering
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| For me, the fish | Para mí, el pescado. | Para mí plus the name of the dish is the whole order |
| And for her, the chicken | Y para ella, el pollo. | |
| The same for me | Para mí lo mismo. | |
| What do you recommend? | ¿Qué me recomienda? | ¿Qué nos recomienda? for the table |
| What is this? | ¿Qué es esto? / ¿Qué lleva? | ¿Qué lleva? asks what is in it |
| Is it spicy? | ¿Es picante? / ¿Pica? | Mexico: ¿Pica mucho? |
| Without onion | Sin cebolla. | Swap the word for whatever you avoid |
| On the side | Aparte. | La salsa aparte, the sauce on the side |
| To share | Para compartir. | |
| A half portion | Una media ración. (Spain) / Media orden. (Mexico) | |
| To start | De entrada, una ensalada. | Spain’s set menu says de primero and de segundo |
| That’s all | Nada más, gracias. | |
| A bit more bread | ¿Nos trae más pan? | |
| Another plate, please | ¿Nos trae un plato más? | For sharing |
What the waiter will say, in the order he says it:
¿Para tomar? What to drink. This comes first, almost always before the food. ¿Algo de tomar mientras tanto? in Mexico, something while you decide.
¿Ya saben qué van a pedir? Have you decided. In Spain, ¿Sabéis ya? with vosotros. In Argentina, ¿Ya eligieron?
¿Algo de entrada? A starter. Spain: ¿De primero?
¿Cómo quiere la carne? How do you want the meat.
¿Algo más? Anything else. ¿Todo bien? halfway through. ¿Les provoca un postre? in Colombia, do you fancy a dessert. ¿Está todo correcto? in Spain.
How you want the steak
This one changes with the country, and if you get it wrong you waste a good piece of beef.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very rare | término inglés | vuelta y vuelta | vuelta y vuelta | |
| Rare | término rojo | poco hecho | poco asado | jugoso |
| Medium | término medio | al punto | término medio | a punto |
| Medium well | tres cuartos | hecho | tres cuartos | cocido |
| Well done | bien cocido | muy hecho | bien asado | bien cocido |
At an Argentine grill, jugoso means pink and juicy. If you want it barely cooked in Buenos Aires, say vuelta y vuelta, which is the steak turned once on each side. In Mexico tres cuartos is the most ordered, cooked through with a little pink left.
Allergies, vegetarian, vegan
Say it plainly and say it twice. In a busy kitchen, people forget a polite hint.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’m allergic to shellfish | Soy alérgico a los mariscos. / alérgica | Ending matches the speaker. Spain says al marisco, in the singular |
| I’m allergic to nuts | Soy alérgica a los frutos secos. | Peanuts alone: al cacahuate (Mexico), al cacahuete (Spain), al maní (Colombia, Argentina) |
| I’m coeliac, no gluten | Soy celíaco, no puedo comer gluten. | Sin TACC is the label in Argentina |
| It’s serious, not a preference | Es una alergia, no es una preferencia. | Worth saying |
| Does it have milk? | ¿Lleva leche? | |
| I’m vegetarian | Soy vegetariano / vegetariana. | |
| I don’t eat meat, chicken or fish | No como carne, ni pollo, ni pescado. | Say the list. Carne often means red meat only |
| I’m vegan | Soy vegano / vegana. No como nada de origen animal. | |
| Is it cooked in lard? | ¿Está hecho con manteca de cerdo? | Common in Mexican beans and tamales |
| Is there a vegetarian option? | ¿Tienen algo vegetariano? |
In Argentina la manteca is butter and lard is la grasa or la manteca de cerdo. In Mexico, Spain and Colombia la manteca on its own is lard and butter is la mantequilla. Argentine sin TACC on a label means gluten free.
Water and drinks
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tap water | agua de la llave | agua del grifo | agua de la llave | agua de la canilla |
| Still bottled water | agua natural | agua sin gas | agua sin gas | agua sin gas |
| Sparkling | agua mineral or agua con gas | agua con gas | agua con gas | agua con gas |
| Juice | un jugo | un zumo | un jugo | un jugo |
| A soft drink | un refresco | un refresco | una gaseosa | una gaseosa |
| A beer | una cerveza or una chela | una cerveza | una cerveza or una pola | una cerveza or una birra |
| Draught beer | una cerveza de barril | una caña | cerveza de barril | un chopp |
In Spain you can ask for agua del grifo and restaurants serve it free. In Mexico and Colombia visitors normally drink bottled water, and agua natural in Mexico means plain still water rather than tap. Agua de sabor or agua fresca in Mexico is fruit water, hibiscus or tamarind, and comes with the set lunch.
The same word, a different dish
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tortilla | a flat maize or wheat round | a potato and egg omelette | an omelette, tortilla de huevo | a potato and egg omelette |
| torta | a sandwich in a bread roll | a cake | a cake | a cake |
| bocadillo | a snack | a baguette sandwich | guava paste, a sweet block | a snack |
| empanada | fried, maize or wheat dough | baked, often tuna | fried, yellow maize dough | baked, wheat dough, eaten by hand |
| pastel | a cake | a pie or a cake | a savoury filled pastry | a pie, as in pastel de papa |
Ask for una torta in Mexico City and you get a filled roll. Ask for one in Bogotá and you get cake.
When something is wrong
Kindly and directly, with disculpe in front.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sorry, I ordered the chicken | Disculpe, yo pedí el pollo. | |
| This is cold | Está frío. | |
| I asked for it well done and it’s raw | La pedí bien cocida y está cruda. | |
| Can you change it for me? | ¿Me la puede cambiar? | Me lo for a masculine dish |
| This isn’t ours | Esto no es nuestro. | |
| We’ve been waiting a while | Llevamos un rato esperando. | Argentina: Hace rato que esperamos. |
| Can you take it back? | ¿Se lo puede llevar, por favor? | |
| It was lovely | Estaba muy rico. / Estaba buenísimo. | Spain also estaba muy bueno |
Rico for food means delicious in all four countries. Answering ¿Todo bien? with todo muy rico, gracias is the whole exchange.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Quería reservar una mesa para cuatro a las nueve, a nombre de Clark. I’d like to book a table for four at nine, under Clark.
- ¿Tiene mesa para dos, afuera? Do you have a table for two outside?
- Para mí el pescado, y para él la comida corrida. The fish for me, and the set lunch for him. (Mexico)
- ¿Qué trae el menú del día? What’s on today’s set menu? (Spain)
- De entrada una ensalada, y de segundo el cordero. A salad to start, and lamb for the main. (Spain)
- La carne bien jugosa, por favor. The steak nice and rare, please. (Argentina)
- Soy alérgica a los mariscos. Es una alergia, no es una preferencia. I’m allergic to shellfish. It’s an allergy, not a preference.
- No como carne, ni pollo, ni pescado. ¿Tienen algo vegetariano? I don’t eat meat, chicken or fish. Do you have anything vegetarian?
- Una botella de agua sin gas y la salsa aparte, por favor. A bottle of still water and the sauce on the side, please.
- Disculpe, yo pedí el pollo. ¿Me lo puede cambiar? Sorry, I ordered the chicken. Can you change it?
Questions people ask
Is it “la carta” or “el menú”? Ask for la carta and you get the full list in any of the four countries. In Spain el menú is the fixed-price lunch. Elsewhere the two words overlap.
How do I call the waiter? Catch his eye and say disculpe. In Mexico people say joven to a man of any age, in Argentina mozo, in Colombia ¿me colabora?, in Spain perdona at close range.
Do I tip, and how much? Around ten percent in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, in cash where you can. In Colombia there is often a propina voluntaria on the bill, and the waiter asks ¿le incluyo el servicio? In Spain, small change or nothing, and nobody minds.
What is the “cubierto” on an Argentine bill? A cover charge for bread and the table setting, per person. It is normal and not a mistake. In Spain restaurants sometimes charge for bread in the same way, listed as pan.
Why did they bring the drink before taking the food order? Because that is the sequence in all four countries. Answer ¿para tomar? first and take your time over the food.
How do I ask for something to share? Es para compartir, and ask for un plato más, an extra plate. In Spain, para picar means dishes to pick at together and una ración is the big sharing plate as against una tapa.
How do I say I’m full? Estoy lleno / llena. In Argentina and Mexico people also say ya no puedo más. If the offer comes again, you close it politely with de verdad, muchas gracias.
Can I ask for a doggy bag? Yes, and it is normal in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. ¿Me lo puede poner para llevar? In Spain it is less common and the phrase is the same.
Practise these words
carta, mesa, pedir, mesero, cuenta, plato, entrada, postre, carne, picante, alérgico, compartir, rico. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.