How to order food in Spanish like a pro

Learning in a classroom setting can at times be reminiscent of walking or running on a treadmill. It’s good for building up your endurance, or skills in the case of the classroom setting, but it lacks the satisfaction of direct results. The treadmill doesn’t go anywhere; the class is a controlled setting, shared with an instructor and other learners. 

Many students want to venture outside, get off this virtual treadmill (yes, we’ll drop the metaphor stat) and use their language skills in ways that are actually fun, practical and stimulating. 

For some this means interacting with family or friends. For others, it means talking to patients or clients. For many it means traveling through the Latin American countries that speak Spanish, visiting Equatorial Guinea or going to Spain. 

When we travel, it is possible to keep interactions to a minimum: directions, paying for things, checking into hotels, navigating airports, train stations or other means of transport. Some may strike up conversations with strangers, while others may not. 

Whatever the case or the choice, we all need to eat, and we often do so at restaurants, bars, cafés, stands or food trucks. Ordering food is a great opportunity to engage with the language we are learning, and hopefully it leads to good food, conversation and great memories.

But what if you get your order wrong? What if you use a word or a phrase that you shouldn’t? News flash: the world will keep on spinning. 

Sarcasm aside, not wanting to make mistakes or coming across as rude is understandable. A bad initial experience with the waitstaff can lead to insecurity and doubt for the rest of a trip; who wants that? 

So, how do you order in Spanish confidently? Let’s think up some strategies. 

1. Time and place. If you go to a bar in Madrid on a Friday past midnight, it’s likely you will go dizzy with all the people and the conversations happening around you; not a good time to try ordering in Spanish for the first time. On the other hand, if you go to a coffee shop mid-morning, it’s likely the staff will not be as busy, and they will be more open to taking an order from a customer who is learning Spanish. 

2. Eavesdrop. Sit strategically next to a large group, if possible. Perk your ears up once they start ordering. Try to follow along. 

3. Check the menu online first, if you can. It’s the twenty-first century. Not knowing what you are going to order at a restaurant two weeks in advance is so last century! But seriously, going over the menu can help you figure out your order in advance and build up your confidence. 

4. If you have allergies or restrictions, make sure you know how to communicate them and request adjustments.

• ¿Está disponible sin gluten? 
• Soy celíaco/celíaca
• Soy intolerante a la lactosa
• ¿Lo pueden preparar sin productos animales? 
• ¿Pica? 
• Sin picante, por favor
• ¿Tienen opciones veganas o vegetarianas?

5. Ask the locals. If you are feeling confident and are not too shy, simply ask the locals. It can be whoever is sitting next to you, the bartender or the server working your table. Again, make sure the place is not very busy, and ask, ¿Cómo ordenan aquí en Bogotá? Estoy estudiando español y quiero hacerlo bien. 

6. Do a little research. There are plenty of videos on YouTube explaining how to order in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world. 

7. Your correspondent advises you not to use quisiera or puedo tener. Both of them sound too much like you are thinking in English and translating literally into Spanish.  

8. If you are in a group with native speakers or locals, piggyback at first. Let others order and then follow them with, Para mí las croquetas, las patatas, las setas y una caña.” That will get you fritters, potatoes, mushrooms and a beer in Madrid. The key phrase here is, para mí, meaning, for me. 

9. If you are in a group with native speakers or locals, ask them to let you order first. In Medellín this would sound something like, Yo quiero los patacones, el arroz con vegetales, el curry del día y un jugo de maracuyá. This will get you fried green plantains, rice with vegetables, curry and passion fruit juice. The key phrase here is, yo quiero, or I want, which is a perfectly common way of ordering in Colombia. 

10. Make eye contact, smile, be clear and when in doubt, say por favor and gracias. Should anyone correct you, it will be better to err on the side of politeness. 

It would be almost impossible for a single person to know the finer points of ordering in every single Spanish-speaking country. And even then, there would be variations from region to region. Ordering pintxos in Euskadi (the endonym of the Basque country) might be very different from ordering sancocho in the Canary Islands. 

Luckily for us, Berges instructors hail from all corners of the Spanish-speaking world. We’ve asked them to share some examples of how they would order some typical dishes of their country or region, along with any useful tips. 

Here’s what they told us.

Luana, from Argentina, shared some pointers that will come in handy if you find yourself in Buenos Aires. 

En Buenos Aires, cuando pido café y tostado en Café Tortoni, digo indistintamente:

-Hola, te pido un cortado y un tostado de jamón y queso.

-Hola, quiero / me gustaría un café con leche y un tostado de jamón y queso. 

Cuando voy al bar a ver fútbol, digo:

-Hola, te pido una pinta, por favor. Te pido una scottish, honey... 

Y en un restaurante, normalmente decimos:

-Bueno, le pedimos / le vamos a pedir unos buñuelos de acelga para la entrada y después yo quiero un plato de ñoquis con salsa fileto.  

-Y a mi me gustaría una milanesa a la napolitana. 

-Y para tomar un vino. 

Across the border, in Chile, we can follow Gloria’s instructions and enjoy some tasty seafood and wines. Here’s her advice:

En Chile, para pedir, normalmente decimos: 

En un café indicamos el tipo de bebida, un espresso / un latte / un cappuccino / un cortado y la palabra mágica: por favor.

Entre amigos usamos diminutivos para ofrecer un café. Por ejemplo: Carlos ¿quieres un cafecito? ¿Vamos a tomar un cafecito? O decimos simplemente, ¿un cafecito?

En un bar es común usar el imperativo (dame, give me): Dame una cerveza, un cuba libre (Rum and coke) o un pisco sour. (Es común usar este comando pero suena amable al agregar por favor).

También decimos: Dos chops por favor, para ordenar cerveza de barril (draft beer) servida en una jarra grande de vidrio. (También se usa en otros países de Sudamérica).

En un restaurante pedimos (we request) el menú, pero usamos la palabra carta. La carta por favor, y decimos: Una palta reina (Queen avocado) para mí, por favor. This will get you a stuffed avocado with chicken or fish and mayonaise. Es una entrada típica.

En Chile el almuerzo (lunch) es muy grande:

- Entrada

- Sopa

- Plato principal

- Postre

- Café o té de hierbas

If you have plans to go to Madrid, first, lucky you! Second, read below for some pointers from Dan Berges, our Managing Director and expert on all things Madrid. 

En Madrid, cuando pido café y sandwiches en el Rodilla, digo indistintamente:

-Hola, quería un cortado y un sándwich de jamón.

-Hola, ¿me das porfa un cortado y un sándwich de jamón?

Cuando voy al bar a ver el fútbol, digo:

-Hola, ¿me das porfa una jarra de cerveza?

Y en un restaurante, normalmente decimos:

-Vale, te vamos a pedir unas alcachofas confitadas y unas croquetas de rabo de toro para compartir, y luego para mí el salmón con verduras.

-Y para mí el secreto ibérico.

Edgardo Salgado is one of our Colombian instructors. If beer is your thing and you travel to Colombia, here’s his advice. 

Greet your server. Colombians are friendly and appreciate politeness. 

-¿Hola, cómo estás? Disculpa, ¿qué tipos de cerveza tienen?

If you need some information on the types of beers they have:

-¿Qué cervezas oscuras/negras/claras/rojas/lagers/etc tienen?

- ¿Qué cervezas de barril tienen? 

-¿Me das una pinta de ___, por favor?

-¿Puedo probar la ____?

To order at a restaurant in Colombia you can say:

-¿Me das (your choice) por favor? y de tomar un/una _____. Gracias.

-¿Qué tienen de postre?

-¿Me puedes dar/traer uno por favor?

-¿Me traes la cuenta por favor?

-¿Aceptan tarjeta?

Our colleague Yuli, who is also from Colombia, has similar advice to Edgardo’s. She emphasizes politeness at every turn, por favor and gracias are key, and adds that in Bogotá people may use the verb regalar (to gift) in order to request something. It’s not asking for a literal gift, but just an expression we use in order to sound polite. 

¿Me regalas un tinto y dos jugos de naranja?

Decimos regalar para sonar amables, pero es solo una expresión. 

As Yuli explains, tinto is what we call black coffee in Colombia. Whatever you do, don’t mistake the coffee (tinto) for vino tinto (red wine). 

A recent addition to our teaching staff, Marian Mazrahi has some tips for ordering in Guatemala. It turns out the verb regalar, to gift, is quite common in different parts of Latin America, Guatemala included. 

A veces decimos: por favor me regalas un café negro, un café con leche, un capuchino. 

Likewise, the use of diminutives can be used among friends. 

Entre amigos usamos diminutivos, por ejemplo: Carlos ¿quieres un cafecito? ¿Vamos a tomar un cafecito? 

 The formula for restaurants is also pretty straightforward in Guatemala. 

El menú por favor.

Me puede dar una carne asada, con frijoles, guacamol y arroz. 

Marian also explains that cocido is a popular dish, similar to a soup with vegetables and beef: 

Un plato también muy conocido es el cocido qué es como una sopa con muchos vegetales y carne de res.

North of Guatemala, Mexico is home to a wide variety of rich culinary traditions. It is absolutely worth visiting this amazing country, not just for its food, but also for its culture and beauty. But since we are talking about food, we’ll share some advice from Gastón, another of our Berges instructors. 

He explains that there are many regions in Mexico and they are all different culturally and gastronomically. These are some of the most common ways to order at bars and restaurants. 

At small, informal restaurants and bars, clients are expected to order right away, without much formality. 

Hola, buenos días, me da una torta de carne desebrada y una Coca por favor. This will get you a pulled beef sandwich and a Coke. At the bar you may simply name the items, and at times the por favor may not even be necessary: Hola, una cerveza Corona en botella por favor, or: Dos margaritas con tequila Cuervo.

At more formal restaurants, the tone is set by the server’s greeting and request for your order. They may use different formulas, such as ¿Qué desean/quieren/van a ordenar? You may reply accordingly with: Me trae por favor una limonada y las enchiladas de queso, or: Yo voy a querer una Pepsi y los tacos de chicharrón con salsa verde. If you want to be more formal and polite, you can use the conditional: Me podría traer…

Gaston closes things by adding that in general both clients and servers are very direct in their interactions. 

We hope you soon visit a Spanish-speaking country and order many delicious meals en español. Also, when they bring the food, if you are sitting with others, you will get extra points by saying, ¡Buen provecho! meaning, Enjoy your meal.”