Great Phrases to use in Bars and Restaurants

So, here I go again with the need of practicing what you have learned in your Spanish lessons.

To practice is also to speak out all the words you have recently acquired and to repeat the structures and sentences you have been working with at school, by practicing all this vocabulary and structures will get fixed and they will enlarge your communication competence.

Eating out is maybe the most typical situation where you will need to use your Spanish language skills. However, my students usually complaint about the impossibility of speaking Spanish at bars and restaurants, as all their attempts in Spanish get an English response from the staff. Well, there is a reason for this and also a solution: waiters are working, so they don’t have time to hang out with their customers; the solution –just say you don’t speak English, they probably won’t speak any other foreign language, but if they do just say you speak for example Korean, there are little chances to find a Korean speaker waiter in Spain.

Now you can put into practice your Spanish skills. Depending if you are in a bar or in a restaurant the language register is different and also the expressions.

Sample phrases to use in a bar. In a bar Spaniards use a more colloquial language

• Ordering drinks

1. ¿Me pones una caña? (Could I have a beer please?)
2. ¿Nos puede traer tres cañas? (Could you bring us 3 beers please?)
3. Dos gin tonics por favor (2 gin & tonics please)
4. Un tinto y una cerveza (a red wine and a beer please)

• Asking for something to eat.

1. ¿Que hay para picar? (What is there in the way of snacks?)
2. ¿Tenéis tapas? (Do you have tapas?)
3. ¿Qué tenéis para picar? (Do you have any snacks?)
4. ¿Me traes la carta por favor? (Could you bring me the menu please?)

• Ordering tapas

1. ¿Nos puede traer unas aceitunas? (Could you bring us some olives please?)
2. Ponme unas aceitunas por favor (Some olives please)
3. Una tapa de queso (a tapa of cheese)
4. Nos pone una tapa de boquerones y una de jamón (Could we have a tapa of boquerones and one of ham please?)

• Paying the bill

1. ¿Cuánto te debo? (How much do I owe you?)
2. ¿Me puedes cobrar? (Could I pay please?)
3. La cuenta, por favor. (The bill/check please)

In the restaurant we use a more formal language

• Talking about making a table reservation

1. Queríamos reservar una mesa para dos a las diez, por favor – (We wanted to reserve a table for two at 10pm please)
2. Queríamos reservar una mesa para dos a nombre de Smith, por favor – (We wanted to reserve a table for two in the name of Smith please)
3. Tenemos reserva a nombre de Smith – (We have a reservation in the name of Smith)

• Arriving without a reservation

1. Buenas noches, somos dos para comer. – (Good afternoon, there are two of us for lunch)
2. Buenas tardes, ¿se puede comer? – (Good afternoon, do you do lunch?)

• Useful Spanish phrases for vegetarians

1. Soy vegetariano – (I am vegetarian)
2. ¿Este plato lleva carne? – (Does this dish contain meat?)

• The check and paying.

1. La cuenta, por favor. – (the check/bill please)
2. Cuando pueda, la cuenta, por favor – (the check/bill please, when you have a moment)
3. ¿Nos puede traer la cuenta, por favor? – (Could you bring us the check/bill please?)