Learn Italian: A Guide To Learning The Basics of A New Language (2015)
Chapter 6. Ordering Food in an Italian Restaurant
Restaurant culture is quite prevalent in Italy. If you intend to travel to Italy, you will most likely dine in one of the many restaurants in the country. You can prepare yourself by learning key phrases that will help you order the food you want, tell the server how you want your food done, and basically express yourself in a variety of ways to get what you need.
As with most of the world, there are three main meals a day in Italy:
the colazione |
breakfast |
the pranzo |
lunch |
cena |
dinner |
Unless it’s ultra fine dining, it’s not usual to be seated by a server in an Italian restaurant and you have to look for an available table yourself. The menu is either on the table or will be brought to your table as soon as you’re seated.
After making the customary greetings and allowing you some time to go through the menu, the server would approach you and ask what you would like to order.
Waitere: Cosa prende? |
Waiter: What would you like? |
If you’re ready to order, you can tell the waiter/server any of the following phrases:
Vorrei ordinare ora. |
I would like to order now. |
Vorrei ______________ |
I would like ________________ |
Lo prendo ___________ |
I’ll have __________________ |
Vorrei degli ______ come antipasto. |
To start, I would like the (appetizer). |
Vorrei una _______ per secondo. |
I would like _______ for the main course. |
Alternatively, you can ask the server if he/she can recommend anything with the phrase: Cosa mi può raccomandare?
To ask for the daily special dish, you can tell the waiter: Qual'è la specialià del giorno?
To inquire about the soup of the day, you can say: Qual'è la zuppa del giorno?
Here are some of the common types of drinks that you might see on the menu:
acqua |
water |
l'acqua natural |
still water |
l'acqua leggermente gassata |
slightly sparking water |
l'acqua gassata |
sparkling water |
il succo |
juice |
vino |
wine |
il vino rosso |
red wine |
il vino bianco |
white wine |
il vino rosé |
rose wine |
birra |
beer |
caffè |
coffee |
caffè latte |
coffee with milk |
latte |
milk |
tè |
tea |
The following phrases will be helpful in placing your order for a drink:
Un tazza di caffè, per favore. |
A cup of coffee, please. |
Due cappuccini, per favore. |
Two cappuccinos, please. |
Una tazza di tè, per favore. |
A cup of tea, please. |
un bicchiere di latte caldo |
a glass of warm milk |
Menu choices:
Una cioccolata calda |
hot chocolate |
Tre birre |
three beers |
un bicchiere di acqua |
a glass of water |
una bottiglia di vino |
a bottle of wine |
(il) ghiaccio |
ice cubes |
When looking over the menu, you will normally see the following terms:
affumicato |
smoked |
ripieno |
stuffed |
al forno |
baked |
fritto |
fried |
arrosto |
roasted |
marinato |
marinated |
crudo |
raw |
cotto |
cooked |
al forno |
baked |
in camicia |
poached |
alla griglia |
grilled |
bollito |
boiled |
al vapour |
steamed |
impanato |
breaded |
le uova fritte |
fried eggs |
la frittata |
omelette |
le uova strapazzate |
scrambled eggs |
le uova bollite |
hard-boiled eggs |
le uova alla coque |
soft-boiled eggs |
le uova in camicia |
poached eggs |
Pay close attention to the above descriptions to make sure that you are ordering the food you actually want.
Here are some delicious options that you may want to try while you’re in Italy:
Spaghetti alla carbonara |
spaghetti carbonara |
Spaghetti al ragù |
spaghetti bolognese |
Zuppa di fagioli |
bean soup |
Penne all'arrabbiata |
pasta in spicy garlic and tomato sauce |
Cannelloni |
pasta tubes stuffed with Bolognese/meat filling |
Meat Choices
agnello |
lamb |
maiale |
pork |
pollo |
chicken |
vitello |
veal |
manzo |
beef |
polpette |
meatballs |
scaloppine |
escalope |
coniglio |
rabbit |
trippa |
tripe |
la cotoletta |
cutlet |
Seafood:
i gamberi |
prawns |
l'aragosta |
lobster |
i calamari |
squid |
il granchio |
crab |
pesce |
fish |
le cozze |
mussels |
il baccalà |
dried cod |
il pesce spada |
swordfish |
la spigola |
sea bass |
il polpo |
octopus |
Miscellaneous items you can order:
riso |
rice |
antipasti |
appetizers |
cioccolata |
chocolate |
formaggio |
cheese |
fragola |
strawberry |
frutta |
fruit |
gelato |
ice cream |
insalata |
salad |
pane |
bread |
verdura |
vegetables |
The following adjectives might be useful in ordering your food or drinks:
calda(o) |
hot, warm |
fredda(o) |
cold |
aspro |
sour |
dolce |
sweet |
grande |
large, tall, big |
piccolo(o) |
short, small |
piccante |
spicy |
Side dishes:
Insalata |
salad |
Insalata fresca |
fresh salad |
Insalata di pollo |
chicken salad |
Insalata mista |
mixed salad |
Patate in insalata |
potato salad |
Condiments:
sale |
salt |
formaggio |
cheese |
parmigiano |
Parmesan cheese |
pepe |
pepper |
sucherro |
sugar |
olio |
oil |
olio di semi |
vegetable oil |
olio d'oliva |
olive oil |
aceto balsamico |
balsamic vinegar |
aceto |
vinegar |
As for the steak, it’s quite usual to see the following choices:
Bistecca |
steak |
Bistecca di filetto |
fillet steak |
Filetto al pepe verde |
fillet steak spiced with green pepper sauce |
You can tell the waiter how you want you steak done with these terms:
Preferisco la bistecca ___________. |
I prefer my steak to be ___________. |
al sangue |
rare |
cotta al punto giusto |
medium |
ben cotta |
well-done |
After serving your order, you can expect the waiter/waitress to say:
Buon appetito! |
Enjoy the meal! |
After your meal, you can ask for the bill by telling the server:
Il conto, per favore. |
The bill, please. |
Posso avere il conto, per favore? |
Can I have the bill, please? |
Tipping is not a common practice among Italians but tourists normally would leave tips as a gesture of appreciation.
Restaurant Vocabulary
la scodella |
the bowl |
il tovagliolo |
the napkin |
il tavolo |
the table |
the chair |
la sedia |
il conto |
the check |
la caraffa |
the pitcher |
la tazza |
the cup |
il piatto |
the plate |
la forchetta |
the fork |
il coltello |
the knife |
il cucchiaio |
the spoon |
il cameriere |
the waiter |
la cameriera |
the waitress |
il menu |
the menu |
la mancia |
the tip |