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!
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