How to order in a Spanish café or restaurant (phrases that work)

Ordering food is usually the first real conversation you have in Spanish, and it's a great one to practise: it's short, predictable and you get rewarded with something to eat. Here are the phrases you'll actually use, what you'll hear back, and the mistakes English speakers tend to make.

A quick note: Spanish varies between Spain and Latin America, and that shows up in cafés. Where there's a clear difference, I'll point it out.

Walking in and getting a table

• Hola, buenas. A very common, friendly greeting in Spain, short for buenos días or buenas tardes.
• ¿Tienen mesa para dos? Do you have a table for two?
• ¿Podemos sentarnos aquí? Can we sit here?
• ¿Está libre? Is this (seat or table) free?
• Somos cuatro. There are four of us.

In many Spanish bars you just walk in, sit down or stand at the bar, and someone comes to you. In busier restaurants, wait to be seated.

Ordering

The single most useful pattern in Spain is ¿Me pone...? (literally "Will you put me...?"). It sounds odd translated, but it's exactly how people order:

• ¿Me pone un café con leche, por favor? Could I have a white coffee, please?
• Para mí, una caña. For me, a small draught beer.
• Quería una tostada con tomate. I'd like toast with tomato. (Quería, "I wanted", is a softer way of saying "I'd like".)
• ¿Me pones otro, por favor? Can I have another one? (informal tú form, very normal at the bar)

In Latin America you'll more often hear ¿Me da...? (Can you give me...?), ¿Me trae...? (Can you bring me...?) or, in Colombia and some other countries, ¿Me regala...?, which doesn't mean you expect it free.

Coffee vocabulary (Spain)

• Un café solo: an espresso.
• Un cortado: espresso with a dash of milk.
• Un café con leche: roughly half coffee, half hot milk.
• Un descafeinado: decaf. You may be asked ¿de máquina o de sobre? (from the machine or instant?).
• Leche de avena / de soja: oat milk / soy milk.

Asking questions about the menu

• ¿Me trae la carta, por favor? Could you bring me the menu? (La carta is the full menu.)
• ¿Qué lleva? What's in it?
• ¿Qué me recomienda? What do you recommend?
• ¿Tienen opciones vegetarianas? Do you have vegetarian options?
• Soy alérgico/alérgica a los frutos secos. I'm allergic to nuts.
• ¿Es sin gluten? Is it gluten-free?
• ¿Me trae agua del grifo? Can I have tap water? (Common and normal in Spain.)

At lunchtime on weekdays, many places in Spain offer a menú del día: a set lunch with a first course (primero), a second course (segundo), dessert or coffee (postre o café), and often bread and a drink, all at a fixed price. Note that el menú usually means this set meal, while la carta is the full menu.

What the waiter will say

Learning to understand these is half the battle:

• ¿Qué le pongo? / ¿Qué te pongo? What can I get you?
• ¿Para tomar aquí o para llevar? To have here or to take away?
• ¿Algo más? Anything else?
• ¿Y de beber? And to drink?
• Enseguida. Right away.
• ¿Todo bien? Is everything OK?
• Se nos ha acabado. We've run out (of it).

Paying

In Spain, the waiter usually won't bring the bill until you ask. Lingering is normal and nobody will rush you.

• La cuenta, por favor. The bill, please.
• ¿Me cobra? / ¿Me cobras? Can I pay? (very common in Spain, literally "Will you charge me?")
• ¿Se puede pagar con tarjeta? Can I pay by card?
• Pagamos por separado. We'll pay separately.
• Quédese con el cambio. Keep the change.

Tipping (la propina) in Spain is appreciated but not expected the way it is in the US; rounding up or leaving a little change is common. Customs differ a lot across Latin America, so it's worth checking locally.

Typical mistakes English speakers make

"¿Puedo tener un café?" This is a direct translation of "Can I have a coffee?" and sounds unnatural. Use ¿Me pone...?, ¿Me da...? or Quería....

Overdoing por favor. It's not rude to skip it in every single sentence in Spain. Tone and gracias matter more. A warm ¿Me pones un café? is perfectly polite.

Mixing up estar lleno and ser lleno. When you're full after a meal, say Estoy lleno/llena. It's a state, so it takes estar.

Saying Estoy caliente when you're hot. That can mean you're aroused. For the temperature, say Tengo calor. Same with cold: Tengo frío.

Forgetting gender. It's una cerveza but un vino, la cuenta but el menú. Don't worry if you slip; you'll still be understood.

Practise before you go

Ordering is a perfect thing to rehearse out loud, because the script is so predictable. If you're learning with Parlumi, the speaking exercises let you say phrases like ¿Me pone un cortado? and get feedback on your pronunciation, so they come out smoothly when the waiter is standing in front of you.

And remember: waiters in tourist areas hear Spanish learners all day. A slightly clumsy order in Spanish almost always gets a smile.