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. 

Types of Menus and Courses

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

Restaurant Staff

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

Restaurant Items and Sections

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

The Bill and Tipping 

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

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. 

¡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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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.

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