10 Spanish Restaurant Phrases for Dining Out in Mexico
Learn how to order food, drinks, and get the server’s attention using Mexican Spanish
For me, one of the most exciting parts of living in Mexico is being able to enjoy the amazing, fresh, and flavorful cuisine. But it’s not just about the food! Dining out is an opportunity to connect with the locals and culture. Being able to sprinkle in a little Spanish during your dining experience adds another level of fun, adventure, and enjoyment to the excellent food.
To spice up your next dining experience, I’ve picked 10 Spanish restaurant phrases that are easy to learn and fun to use.
1. ¡Disculpe! (Excuse me!)
Need to get your server’s attention in a busy restaurant? Just say ¡Disculpe! and raise your hand up to catch their eye.
- ¡Disculpe! Necesito un tenedor, por favor.
- Excuse me! I need a fork, please.
This is one of those versatile Spanish restaurant phrases that isn’t limited to dining out. It can be used ANYWHERE, anytime you need to get someone’s attention, such as:
• ¡Disculpe! ¿Dónde está el baño? (Excuse me. Where is the bathroom?)
2. Quiero (I want…)
I know it sounds direct to say ‘I want a coffee’ when placing an order, but this is normal and natural in Mexico. Just follow it up with por favor (please) and it sounds very polite.
- Quiero un café negro, por favor.
- I want a black coffee, please.
Note: You do not need to say YO quiero here. The YO is redundant. In fact, if you add the YO, it sounds like you are adding emphasis to the statement like YOOOOO quiero a coffee.
3. Para mí… (for me….)
- Para mí, una naranjada con hielo, por favor.
- For me, an orange-lemonade with ice, please (A naranjada is like lemonade but is made with orange juice)
Careful with the pronunciation here! You will want to say this like: pah-rah me. As English speakers, we tend to say ‘pera’ like paramedic or parachute. ‘Pera’ actually means ‘pear’ in Spanish.
4. Sin (without)
This isn’t just a Spanish restaurant phrase, but it is certainly helpful if you want to eliminate an ingredient that you can’t stand. Use sin to specify which ingredients you want removed from your restaurant order.
- Quiero 4 tacos de pastor SIN cilantro, por favor.
- I want 4 pastor tacos without cilantro please.
Have you been saying ‘no cebolla’? It’s time to break that bad habit (which is incorrect) and start saying SIN cebolla instead.
5. Con (with)
Sometimes you need to say which ingredients you would like have included in your restaurant order. If you’d like to ADD an extra ingredient to your order (like extra cheese please!). To do this, you can use the word CON (with) + the ingredients you want.
- Una crepa con chantillí, fresas, chocolate, y plátano.
- A crepe with whipping cream, strawberries, chocolate, and banana.
The way I learned ‘con’ and ‘sin’ was by looking at the sticks of butter in the grocery store. If you would like to have salted butter, be sure to look for the one that says ‘con sal’. Most of the butter in Mexico is unsalted ‘sin sal’.
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6. Un momento más (Another moment)
This is an essential Spanish restaurant phrase when you find yourself with too many good options on the menu. You may also need some extra translation time. Use un momento más to ask for a few extra minutes to figure out what to order.
- Server: ¿Listo para ordenar? (Ready to order?)
- Your Reply: Un momento más, por favor. (One more moment, please.)
The word ‘listo’ means ‘ready’ and it will change depending on WHO you are referring to:
- A woman dining alone – ¿Lista? (feminine)
- A single man at a table – ¿Listo? (masculine)
- A couple out on a date – ¿Listos? (mixed gender- plural)
- Two ladies out for lunch – ¿Listas? (feminine plural)
7. Uno más / Una más
This is one of those Spanish restaurant phrases that is very handy when you are ready to order another drink, or maybe you can’t resist another one of those delicious tacos. You can say uno más or una más to ask for another one.
Ordering another cerveza (beer), margarita, or limonada?
- ¡Disculpe! Una más, por favor.
- Excuse me! One more please.
Asking for another taco?
- ¡Disculpe! Uno más, por favor.
- Excuse me! Another one, please.
Want more than one?
- Dos (2) más, por favor.
8. Provecho (Enjoy your meal)
This is one of my favorite Spanish restaurant phrases! It is like the ‘bon appetit’ of Spanish. Listen carefully for this phrase the next time the server drops off your food to your table.
- Provecho.
- Enjoy your meal.
You can also use this if you are walking by a person who is eating something. It is very polite and always appreciated when you say ‘provecho’ as you walk by. You might also hear ‘Buen provecho’ which is the full version of this phrase.
9. Está muy sabroso (It’s very tasty)
This is an essential Spanish restaurant phrase when you want to show your appreciation of the tasty food coming out of the kitchen. This phrase tells the cook or server that you are really enjoying the food.
- Server: ¿Todo está bien? (Is everything good?)
- Reply: Sí, está muy sabroso. (Yes, it is very flavorful.)
Note: Está sabroso is the masculine version and está sabrosa is the feminine version. If you are still a beginner and you aren’t sure which one to use, don’t worry too much! You could be referring to ‘la comida’ (food – feminine) or ‘el platillo’ (meal – masculine).
10. ¿Me trae la cuenta? (Can you bring me the bill?)
Do you find yourself asking for the bill in the exact same way every time? La cuenta, por favor.
Why not shake things up and expand your repertoire of Spanish restaurant phrases? Adding just a couple of simple words can make your request sound more natural and local when dining out in Mexico.
- Server: ¿Algo más? (Anything else?)
- Reply: No. Nada más. ¿Me trae la cuenta, por favor? (No. Nothing else. Can you bring the bill please?)
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