Restaurant phrases

How to order food in Spanish: 33 restaurant phrases

To order food in Spanish, you can get a long way with "Para mí…, por favor" (for me…, please), "La cuenta, por favor" (the bill, please) and a friendly "¡Perdone!" to catch the waiter's attention. Below are 33 phrases for every stage of a meal in Spain, with the Mexican and Latin American variants where the words differ, plus the etiquette that goes with them.

Updated 8 October 2026

About the script

Spanish uses the Latin alphabet and is pronounced as it's written. Ñ sounds like the "ny" in "canyon"; ll and y are usually like the "y" in "yes"; j, and g before e or i, are a throaty "h"; h is silent. In most of Spain, z and c before e or i sound like the "th" in "think", while in Latin America they sound like "s". Questions and exclamations open with an upside-down mark (¿, ¡). The phrases use usted, the polite "you", which is never wrong with staff. Where the speaker's gender matters, both forms are shown: alérgico (said by a man) / alérgica (said by a woman).

Arriving

Phrase	Meaning	Note
¡Buenas noches!	Good evening!	Use buenos días in the morning and buenas tardes in the afternoon and early evening.
Una mesa para dos, por favor.	A table for two, please.
Tenemos una reserva para las nueve.	We have a reservation for nine o'clock.	In Mexico and much of Latin America: una reservación.
¿Podemos sentarnos en la terraza?	Can we sit on the terrace?
¿Tienen la carta en inglés?	Do you have the menu in English?	In Latin America, el menú is more common than la carta.

Ordering

Phrase	Meaning	Note
¿Nos trae la carta, por favor?	Could you bring us the menu, please?
¿Qué nos recomienda?	What do you recommend?
¿Qué hay de menú del día?	What's on the set lunch menu today?
¿Qué es esto?	What is this?
Para mí, esto, por favor.	This for me, please.	Para mí… works with any dish: para mí, la paella.
¿Lo tienen en media ración?	Do you have it as a half portion?	In Spanish bars a tapa is the smallest size, a media ración about half a plate and a ración a full sharing plate.
Para compartir, por favor.	To share, please.
Una botella de agua sin gas / con gas, por favor.	A bottle of still / sparkling water, please.
Agua del grifo, por favor.	Tap water, please.	Free in Spain. In Mexico locals drink purified or bottled water rather than tap water (agua de la llave), so ask for agua embotellada.
Una caña, por favor.	A small draught beer, please.	Spain. In Mexico, simply ask for una cerveza.
Una copa de vino tinto, por favor.	A glass of red wine, please.

Dietary needs & allergies

Phrase	Meaning	Note
Soy vegetariano / vegetariana.	I'm vegetarian.
No como carne ni pescado.	I don't eat meat or fish.	Worth saying in Spain, where ham and chorizo turn up in many vegetable dishes.
Soy alérgico / alérgica al cacahuete.	I'm allergic to peanuts.	Mexico: al cacahuate; much of South America: al maní.
Soy alérgico / alérgica a los frutos secos.	I'm allergic to nuts.	Frutos secos is the everyday word for nuts such as almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts, and often includes peanuts; allergen charts say frutos de cáscara.
Soy alérgico / alérgica al marisco.	I'm allergic to shellfish.	In Latin America: a los mariscos.
Soy celíaco / celíaca.	I'm coeliac.	To ask for gluten-free dishes: ¿Tienen platos sin gluten?
¿Lleva leche?	Does it contain milk?	Llevar is how Spanish asks what's in a dish: ¿Lleva huevo? (Does it have egg in it?)
Sin cebolla, por favor.	Without onion, please.
¿Pica?	Is it spicy?	Not spicy, please: sin picante, por favor. Useful in Mexico.

During the meal

Phrase	Meaning	Note
¡Perdone!	Excuse me!	In Latin America, ¡Disculpe! is more common.
¿Nos trae más pan, por favor?	Could you bring us some more bread?
¡Estaba buenísimo!	It was delicious!

Paying

Phrase	Meaning	Note
La cuenta, por favor.	The bill, please.
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?	Can I pay by card?
¿Podemos pagar por separado?	Can we pay separately?
¿Está incluida la propina?	Is the tip included?	Most useful in Mexico, where some tourist-area restaurants add a suggested tip or service line. You only pay it if you agree.
Quédese con el cambio.	Keep the change.

Etiquette

Spain eats late: lunch runs from about 14:00 to 16:00 and dinner usually starts around 20:30–21:00 or later. Many kitchens close in between, while tapas bars stay open.
On weekdays the menú del día, a fixed-price lunch, is usually the best-value meal. It's often written only on a board outside.
Catch the waiter's eye or say "¡Perdone!". In busy Spanish bars a direct, friendly tone is normal, not rude.
In bars you usually pay at the end, not round by round: the bar keeps track of what you've had.
Bread brought to the table may be charged as pan or pan y cubierto; the charge should be shown on the menu. If you don't want it, say so when it arrives.
In some cities, such as Granada, a small tapa comes free with every drink you order.
Tipping in Spain is optional: leave some coins or round up. In Mexico, around 10–15% is customary at sit-down restaurants, so check the bill for propina or servicio first.
Spanish groups usually ask for one bill and split it equally rather than paying item by item.

Let your phone say the order

If you'd rather not attempt the dish names yourself, scan the menu with MenuGuide, add the dishes you want to your order and tap Speak My Order: the app reads your whole order aloud in Spanish. You can also show the order on screen in Spanish or share it. It speaks the full order rather than single words, so the phrases above still help with everything else, from the table to the bill.

MenuGuide also flags dishes that may contain the allergens you've chosen. Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.

Before you go, read our guides to Spanish menus and Mexican menus to know how a carta, a tapas list or a comida corrida is laid out.

Frequently asked questions

How do you order food in Spanish?

Name the dish after "Para mí…" (for me…) and finish with "por favor": "Para mí, la paella, por favor." Pointing at the menu and saying "Para mí, esto, por favor" works too. At a Spanish bar you'll also hear "¿Me pone…?" (could you give me…?). Add "gracias" when the food arrives, and ask "¿Qué nos recomienda?" if you can't decide.

How do you ask for the bill in Spanish?

Say "La cuenta, por favor" (the bill, please). In Spain the waiter won't bring it until you ask, and in bars you pay at the end rather than per round. In Mexico you'll also hear "¿Me trae la cuenta?"; check whether the propina (tip) is already included before you add one.

How do you say I'm allergic in Spanish?

A man says "Soy alérgico" and a woman "Soy alérgica", followed by the allergen: al cacahuete (peanuts; cacahuate in Mexico, maní in South America), a los frutos secos (nuts), al marisco (shellfish) or a la leche (milk). For coeliac disease, say "Soy celíaco" or "Soy celíaca". Restaurants in Spain must be able to tell you the allergens in each dish.

What is the difference between carta and menú in Spain?

La carta is the full menu of individual dishes, each with its own price. El menú, especially the menú del día, is a fixed-price set meal with a few choices per course, usually at weekday lunchtime. So "¿Nos trae la carta?" asks for the menu, while "¿Qué hay de menú?" asks about the set meal.

Do you tip in Spain and Mexico?

In Spain tipping is optional, because service is included: leave some coins or round up, and a few euros is generous. In Mexico tipping is customary, around 10–15% at sit-down restaurants, unless a propina or servicio is already on the bill. In both countries, tips are usually left with the payment or on the table.