How to Order Food and Drinks in Spanish
How to Order in Spanish
With over 10 million holidaymakers heading to Spain in August we’ve put together a guide on how to sound like a native when ordering food and drinks in the thousands of wonderful Spanish bars and restaurants. And if you’re heading off to one of the Spanish speaking countries in Latin America then while there are some differences you’ll be understood as well!
At the Bar
Drinks:
- Una botella de agua: Water
- Una botella de agua con gas: Sparkling water
- Una botella de agua sin gas: Still water
- Una cerveza: Beer (You won’t sound very natural if you order “cerveza” though so order one of the measures below!)
- Una caña: Small glass of draft beer
- Una mediana or Un tercio: A bottle beer (one-third of a litre)
- Un botellín or un quinto: Small bottle of beer (one-fifth of a litre)
- Un chupito: A shot of a spirit
- Una copa: A glass. Could be una copa de vino tinto (glass of red wine) or typically if you go our for una copa you’re going out to have a mixed drink like a rum and coke
- Un vaso: A glass but typically for a soft drink. e.g. un vaso de leche (a glass of milk)
- Un vermu: vermouth
- Gin-tonic: Gin and tonic!
- Una clara: Shandy
- Un vino (tinto/blanco/rosado): Wine (red/white/rose)
- Seco: dry
- Dulce: sweet
- Afrutado: fruity
- Un refresco: Fizzy drink
- Un café (solo/con leche/cortado): Coffee (espresso/with milk/small with milk)
- Un té: Tea
- Un zumo de naranja: Orange juice
- Un zumo de manzana: Apple juice
- Un zumo de piña: Pineapple juice
- Un tinto de verano: Wine with soda
- Cava: Spanish sparkling wine like Champagne
- Champán: Champagne
- ¡Salud!: cheers!
Snacks/Tapas/Pinchos
- Aceitunas: olives
- Albóndigas: Meatballs
- Almejas: clams
- Atun: tuna
- Bacalao: cod
- Bacalao con tomate: Cod in tomato sauce
- Bocadillo: sandwich (typically from a baguette)
- Boquerones: fresh anchovies
- Boquerones fritos: deep-fried anchovies
- Calamares fritos or calamares a la romana: fried squid rings
- Caracoles: snails
- Cazon en adobo: marinated white fish
- Champiñones: mushrooms
- Charcuteria: mixed cured meats
- Chipirones: fried squid
- Chorizo: spicy cured sausage
- Chorizo al vino: Chorizo in wine
- Croquetas de…: croquettes with… typically ham or tuna
- Empanadas: small pies stuffed with meat or seafood
- Ensalada: salad
- Ensalada Rusa: Russian salad
- Espinacas: spinach
- Flauta: sandwich made from thin baguette
- Gambas (al ajillo, a la plancha): prawns (with garlic, fried/grilled)
- Gambas pil-pil: prawns with garlic and chile
- Gazpacho: cold vegetable soup with tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers and more
- Guiso: stew
- Jamón serrano: dry-cured ham
- Jamón iberico: more expensive high quality ham from Iberian pigs
- Lomo: pork loin
- Mejillones: mussels
- Montadito: small bocadillo
- Pan: bread
- Paella: rice dish typically with meat and/or seafood
- Patatas bravas: fried potato with a spicy tomato sauce
- Pepito: little sandwich
- Pescaditos fritos: fried fish like whitebait
- Pimientos: peppers
- Pisto: mixed sautéed vegetables
- Pulguita: half a bocadillo
- Pulpo: octopus
- Queso: cheese
- Queso manchego: the most famous Spanish sheep cheese
- Rabas: squid tentacles
- Rabo de toro: oxtail stew
- Revuelto: scrambled eggs.
- Salchichon: sausage
- Sandwich: sliced bread sandwich
- Sardinas: fresh sardines
- Setas: wild mushrooms
- Tortilla (de jamon/queso): potato omelette (with ham/cheese)
- Tostada (jamon/queso): Toasted sandwich (cheese/ham)
At the Restaurant
Before you sit down
- Quiero reservar: I want to book/reserve…
- ¿Puedo reservar…?: Can I book/reserve…?
- ¿Para qué fecha?: For what date?
- ¿Para qué hora?: For what time?
- Es para hoy mismo: It’s for today
- Es para mañana: It’s for tomorrow
- Es para el viernes: It’s for Friday
- Es para el día siete de agosto: It’s for the 7th of August
- ¿A qué nombre está la reserva?: What name is the reservation booked under?
- ¿Tiene una mesa para dos?: Do you have a table for two?
- ¿Tiene reserva?: Do you have a reservation?
- No tengo/tenemos reserva: – I/we haven’t booked
Once seated
- Camarero: Waiter
- La carta: Menu
- ¿Nos trae …?: Will you bring us …?
- ¿Me trae …?: Will you bring me …?
- Quiero: I want
- Quisiera: I would like
- Para empezar: To start
- La cuenta: The bill
- ¿Nos trae la carta, por favor?: Can you bring us the menu please.
- ¿Tienen algún plato vegetariano?: Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
- ¿Qué nos recomienda?: What do you recommend?
- ¿Cuál es el plato del día?: What is the dish of the day?
- ¿Hay alguna especialidad de la casa?: Is there a house specialty?
- ¿Puede recomendarnos algún plato típico de aquí?: Can you recommend a local dish?
- ¿Van a tomar un aperitivo? Would you like an aperitif?
- Para mí, no gracias: Not for me thanks
- Sí, quiero….: Yes, I would like…
- ¿Qué va a pedir?: What are you going to order?
- ¿Qué va a comer?:What are you going to eat?
- ¿Qué va a tomar?: What are you going to drink?
- ¿Qué va a comer de postre?: What are you going to have for dessert?
- ¿Cómo lo/la quiere?: How do you want it?
- Punto: Rare
- Medio punto: Medium rare
- Hecha: Medium
- Bien hecha: Well done
- ¿Con qué lo/la quiere?: What do you want it with?
Typical Restaurant Dishes
- A la plancha: grilled
- El ajoblanco: Cold soup of bread, almonds and garlic
- El arroz negro: Black rice dish coloured with cuttlefish ink
- Asado/a: roast
- La carne: meat
- La chuleta: chop
- Los camarones: shrimps
- La carne guisada: stewed meat
- Los chuletas de cerdo: Pork chops
- El cocido: Chick pea stew with meat and vegetables
- La ensalada mixta: mixed salad
- La fabada Asturiana: hearty meat and bean stew
- El filete: Fillet steak
- Los filetes de pescado: fish fillets
- Frito/a: fried
- Las gambas: prawns
- Las gamas al ajillo: prawns in garlic
- La Langosta: Lobster
- Las legumbres mixtas: mixed vegetables
- El marmitako: Basque dish of onion, green peppers and tomatoes
- La merluza: Hake
- Las papas fritas:chips/sauté potatoes
- El pescado: fish
- El Pisto: Tomatoes, onions, courgettes and peppers similar to ratatouille
- El pollo: Chicken
- El cerdo: Pork
- Los filetes de pollo: Chicken cutlets
- El pollo asado: roast chicken
- El pollo al ajillo: Chicken with garlic
- El puré de patata: mashed potatoes
- El Salmorejo: Thick cold soup of bread, tomato, olive oil and garlic from Andalusia
- La sopa de verduras: vegetable soup
- El solomillo: Sirloin steak
- La ternera: veal
- Las chuletas de ternera: Veal chops
- El flan: crème caramel
- El queso: cheese
- La fruta del tiempo: seasonal fruit
- El pastel: Cake
- El helado: Ice cream