Restaurant Phrases

Ordering food is one of the most frequent, lowest-stakes conversations you will have while traveling, which makes it a great place to practice speaking Chinese out loud. These phrases cover the full arc of a meal: getting seated, ordering, handling dietary restrictions, and paying. Dietary phrases are worth memorizing precisely rather than approximating, since a vague description of an allergy can lead to a genuine mistake in the kitchen. If a server responds with something you do not follow, asking them to repeat more slowly is always a safe, polite fallback, and it is one of the phrases included in the travel essentials list. Practice ordering a full meal out loud before you travel, not just individual phrases in isolation, since a real order is a short back-and-forth, not a single line.

• 请给我菜单

  qǐng gěi wǒ càidān

  Please give me the menu

• 我要点菜

  wǒ yào diǎncài

  I would like to order

• 你有什么推荐?

  nǐ yǒu shénme tuījiàn?

  What do you recommend?

• 请给我一杯水

  qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi shuǐ

  Please give me a glass of water

• 这个辣吗?

  zhège là ma?

  Is this spicy?

• 请做不辣的

  qǐng zuò bù là de

  Please make it not spicy

• 我吃素

  wǒ chīsù

  I am a vegetarian

• 我对花生过敏

  wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn

  I am allergic to peanuts

• 这道菜很好吃

  zhè dào cài hěn hǎochī

  This dish is very delicious

• 请买单

  qǐng mǎidān

  Please bring the bill

• 我用信用卡付款

  wǒ yòng xìnyòngkǎ fùkuǎn

  I will pay by credit card

• 请帮我打包

  qǐng bāng wǒ dǎbāo

  Please pack it to go

• 几位有座位吗?

  jǐ wèi yǒu zuòwèi ma?

  Is there a table available?

• 再来一份这个

  zài lái yī fèn zhège

  One more order of this

• 来一杯啤酒

  lái yī bēi píjiǔ

  One glass of beer, please

• 请少放盐

  qǐng shǎo fàng yán

  Please use less salt

• 我可以坐这里吗?

  wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèlǐ ma?

  May I sit here?

• 菜单上有什么招牌菜?

  càidān shàng yǒu shénme zhāopáicài?

  What is the signature dish on the menu?

• 请给我餐巾纸

  qǐng gěi wǒ cānjīnzhǐ

  Please give me napkins

• 吃得很饱,谢谢

  chī de hěn bǎo, xièxie

  I am full, thank you