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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. 

Restaurants in Spanish

Types of Food

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

Las frutasfruits
Las verduras / los vegetalesvegetables
La carnemeat
El pollochicken
El pescadofish
La sopa soup
Los mariscosseafood
La pastapasta
La pizzapizza
El sándwichsandwich
El tacotaco
La ensaladasalad
El heladoIce cream
La torta / el pastelcake
La salsasauce
El sushisushi
La gelatinajello
Las galletascookies
Los frutos secosdried fruits
Las nueces / los cacahuatesnuts
El tétea
El cafécoffee
La limonadalemonade
El refrescosoda
El agua mineral / el agua con gassparkling water
La comida italianaItalian food
La comida mexicanaMexican food
La comida chinaChinese food
La comida japonesaJapanese food
La comida españolaSpanish food
La comida indiaIndian food
La comida rápidafast food

Types of Menus and Courses

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

El menú / la cartamenu
El menú de bebidasdrink menu
El menú de vinoswine list
El menú de postresdesserts menu
El menú vegetarianovegetarian menu
Menú de tres platosthree-course meal
El especial del díadaily special
La hora felizhappy hour
A la cartaá la carte
El buffetbuffet
La entradaentrée
El plato fuertemain course
El postredessert
Las bebidasdrinks
los aperitivosappetizers
los digestivosdigestives
El desayunobreakfast
La comidalunch, meal
La cenadinner
El almuerzolunch
La refacción, la meriendasnack

Restaurant Staff

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

El mesero / el camarerowaiter
La mesera / la camarerawaitress
El capitán de meserosMaitre d’ / head waiter
El cantinerobarman
El sommelierSommelier / wine steward
El chefchef
El cocinerocooker
El lava platosdishwasher
La hostesshostess
El gerentemanager
La cajeracashier
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 tenedorfork
La cucharaspoon
El cuchilloknife
Los cubiertoscutlery
La mesatable
El platoplate
La servilletanapkin
El mantel tablecloth
La cocinakitchen
La barrabar
El bañotoilet / restroom
La sección de no fumarnon-smoking area
El área de juegosplayground
El club de niñosKids’ club
La sala de esperaWaiting room / waiting area
El loungelounge bar
El estacionamientoparking
El valet parkingvalet parking
El vasoglass
La copaglass
La tazacup
El tazónbowl
La botellabottle
La jarrajar / jug

The Bill and Tipping 

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

La cuentabill / check
La propinatip
La tarjeta de créditocredit card
La tarjeta de débitodebit card
El efectivocash
El IVAVAT
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 provechoEnjoy your meal
Servicio incluidoTip included
Poco hechorare
Medio hecho / término mediomedium
Muy hecho / bien cocidoWell done
La cuenta por favorThe bill please
¿Está incluida la propina?Is service included? 
Una sola cuentaOne bill
Cuentas separadasSeparate bills
¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito?Do you accept credit cards?
Otra ronda por favorCan we get another round please?
Tengo una reservaciónI have a booking
¡Salud!Cheers!
No se aceptan mascotasNo 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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Ready to learn more Spanish vocabulary? Check these out!

  • 50 Spanish Riddles for Learners of Every Level [+ FREE PDF]
  • The Easy Guide to Food and Drink Vocabulary in Spanish
  • Learn These 20 Types of Fish in Spanish [+ More Vocab]
  • First 99 Spanish Words to Teach Your Child
  • Extensive House Vocabulary
  • Your Motorcycle in Spanish: Technical Vocabulary
  • Spanish Customer Service Phrases and Conversations [with Example Call Scripts]
  • Technology in Spanish: Tech Savvy Vocabulary
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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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Latest posts by Luis F. Dominguez (see all)
  • Does Being Bilingual Speed-Develop Your Brain? - April 25, 2022
  • The Easy Guide to Food and Drink Vocabulary in Spanish - April 24, 2022
  • Internal Organs in Spanish: A Complete Vocabulary Guide - April 10, 2022
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