If you’re going to dine out in a Spanish-speaking city, you’ll need to know a few basic phrases to interact. While you can probably get away with nodding your head and cluelessly pointing at menu items, knowing these stock phrases should make it easier.
Getting a Table
When you get to the restaurant, tell whoever’s at the door, “Una mesa, por favor.” If you have company, you can say “Una mesa para dos, por favor.” Substitute the appropriate number in your party for dos (tres, quatro, cinco, seis).
Calling for a Waiter
If it’s a woman, just say “señorita,” regardless of what Spanish-speaking country you’re in. If it’s a man, then it will vary by place: in Mexico, you say “joven”; in Spain, “acamarero”; in Chile, “garzón”; and in Argentina, you exclaim “mozo.”
Ordering
Chances are, you don’t know what’s good. So, ask the waiter: “¿Qué nos recomienda? (Translation: What do you recommend?) Just to make sure you don’t get anything that you could be allergic, too, always ask “¿Qué ingredientes tiene?” (Translation: What are the ingredients?) If it has cheese and you’re allergic to cheese, just tell the waiter “sin queso” (no cheese). Just replace “queso” with whatever it is you don’t want included.
If you want a glass of water, just say “un vaso de agua.” Just replace the “agua” with whatever drink you want a glass of, whether that be “vino” (wine), leche (milk) or jugo (a fruit juice). Instead of a glass, you may want a bottle, so just replace “vaso” with “botella.” You can also order “cerveza” (beer), “refresco” (soda) or “trago” (a generic term for alcoholic spirits) if that’s more to your liking.
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