April 8, 2021 by Luis F. Dominguez Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

The Ultimate Vocabulary Guide to Restaurants in Spanish

Learning vocabulary related to restaurants in Spanish is a useful exercise that will make your life easier when it comes time for you to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant, for instance.

Knowing your way about a restaurant in Spanish—or about any other place you happen to visit—is one of the main goals of studying the language. The idea is that no place or area of life feels out of reach to your Spanish skills.

For that reason, this post provides you with the ultimate vocabulary guide to restaurants in Spanish. You’ll learn how to say types of food and popular international cuisines in Spanish. I’ll also provide you with useful vocabulary words and phrases about restaurant staff, items, and sections. Keep reading for all the vocabulary and handy phrases you need to feel at ease on your next visit to a restaurant in Spanish.

Planning to Visit a Restaurant in Spanish?

So, let’s say that for any reason, you visit a Spanish-speaking country and need to go out to a restaurant for a business lunch or a romantic dinner.

Perhaps you know how to order your food because you’ve already read our post on How to Order Food in Spanish, but what about everything else?

By “everything else,” I mean the different types of food, the restaurant staff, the types of menus and courses, how to ask for the bill, and the tipping. As you see, going to a restaurant implies much more than just ordering your food, so without further ado, let’s get into the ultimate vocabulary guide to restaurants in Spanish.

Restaurant in Spanish: Vocabulary

I’ll start by listing general vocabulary you’ll need in any restaurant in Spanish. This is followed by a handful of phrases to use while in the restaurant.

Types of Food

This list Includes all the different types of food you can imagine, as well as popular international cuisines.

Las frutas	fruits
Las verduras / los vegetales	vegetables
La carne	meat
El pollo	chicken
El pescado	fish
La sopa	soup
Los mariscos	seafood
La pasta	pasta
La pizza	pizza
El sándwich	sandwich
El taco	taco
La ensalada	salad
El helado	Ice cream
La torta / el pastel	cake
La salsa	sauce
El sushi	sushi
La gelatina	jello
Las galletas	cookies
Los frutos secos	dried fruits
Las nueces / los cacahuates	nuts
El té	tea
El café	coffee
La limonada	lemonade
El refresco	soda
El agua mineral / el agua con gas	sparkling water
La comida italiana	Italian food
La comida mexicana	Mexican food
La comida china	Chinese food
La comida japonesa	Japanese food
La comida española	Spanish food
La comida india	Indian food
La comida rápida	fast food

Types of Menus and Courses

In this section, I’m including all things related to menus, meals, and courses.

El menú / la carta	menu
El menú de bebidas	drink menu
El menú de vinos	wine list
El menú de postres	desserts menu
El menú vegetariano	vegetarian menu
Menú de tres platos	three-course meal
El especial del día	daily special
La hora feliz	happy hour
A la carta	á la carte
El buffet	buffet
La entrada	entrée
El plato fuerte	main course
El postre	dessert
Las bebidas	drinks
los aperitivos	appetizers
los digestivos	digestives
El desayuno	breakfast
La comida	lunch, meal
La cena	dinner
El almuerzo	lunch
La refacción, la merienda	snack

Restaurant Staff

Now, let’s talk about all the different members of the staff of a restaurant in Spanish.

El mesero / el camarero	waiter
La mesera / la camarera	waitress
El capitán de meseros	Maitre d’ / head waiter
El cantinero	barman
El sommelier	Sommelier / wine steward
El chef	chef
El cocinero	cooker
El lava platos	dishwasher
La hostess	hostess
El gerente	manager
La cajera	cashier
El anti frijon	host

Restaurant Items and Sections

This section of vocabulary offers every little item and section you may find in a restaurant in Spanish.

El tenedor	fork
La cuchara	spoon
El cuchillo	knife
Los cubiertos	cutlery
La mesa	table
El plato	plate
La servilleta	napkin
El mantel	tablecloth
La cocina	kitchen
La barra	bar
El baño	toilet / restroom
La sección de no fumar	non-smoking area
El área de juegos	playground
El club de niños	Kids’ club
La sala de espera	Waiting room / waiting area
El lounge	lounge bar
El estacionamiento	parking
El valet parking	valet parking
El vaso	glass
La copa	glass
La taza	cup
El tazón	bowl
La botella	bottle
La jarra	jar / jug

The Bill and Tipping

The following list includes bill or check-related terms, as well as everything related to tipping.

La cuenta	bill / check
La propina	tip
La tarjeta de crédito	credit card
La tarjeta de débito	debit card
El efectivo	cash
El IVA	VAT
El cambio	change

Other Phrases and Helpful Vocabulary for Use in a Restaurant in Spanish

Finally, some words and phrases that didn’t fit in any of the previous sections, but you’ll still find useful when visiting a restaurant in Spanish.

Buen provecho	Enjoy your meal
Servicio incluido	Tip included
Poco hecho	rare
Medio hecho / término medio	medium
Muy hecho / bien cocido	Well done
La cuenta por favor	The bill please
¿Está incluida la propina?	Is service included?
Una sola cuenta	One bill
Cuentas separadas	Separate bills
¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito?	Do you accept credit cards?
Otra ronda por favor	Can we get another round please?
Tengo una reservación	I have a booking
¡Salud!	Cheers!
No se aceptan mascotas	No pets allowed

¡La Cuenta Por Favor!

Now you’re prepared to visit restaurants in Spanish and know your way around. Mix the vocabulary included in this post with the one about how to order your food in Spanish and you’re ready to go! Start by practicing at your local Mexican, Cuban, Colombian, or Spanish restaurant and introduce your newly acquired vocabulary into real-life conversations. Sign up for a free class with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala and start speaking about all things related to a restaurant in Spanish today!

Ready to learn more Spanish vocabulary? Check these out!

Author
Recent Posts

Follow me

Luis F. Dominguez

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.

Follow me

Latest posts by Luis F. Dominguez (see all)