Essential English vocabulary for restaurants exercise

Going on a business lunch or having lunch with your work colleagues in a restaurant is a very normal part of business, and can sometimes be stressful. It is more difficult when you have to spend the time speaking in English or having to translate things into English.

To make this easier, you need to know the English vocabulary and phrases used when choosing and paying for dishes (the name for each different plate of food you have) in a restaurant. And this is what you'll learn here.

In this online exercise on food, you'll both learn and remember the essential English vocabulary and phrases connected to ordering food, understanding menus and paying in restaurants.

The vocabulary you will learn here can also be used in restaurants in non-business situations as well.

This exercise is perfect for learning the basics of English restaurant vocabulary. When you have done it, I recommend that you then learn some more advanced English food vocabulary by either doing an exercise on 'describing how food is cooked' or an exercise on 'describing tastes and textures of food'.

Click here to see more online exercises on food, drink and restaurant vocabulary

Exercise: Getting ready to order

Read the following conversation between Juan and Peter in a restaurant in Leeds.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are.

Peter:'There's a table free over there. Do you want to sit there?'

Juan:'Ok, I'm still not looking forward to eating English food.'

Peter:'Don't worry, I had dinner here the last time I visited the head office. It's good food.'

Juan:'What do you recommend?'

Peter:'Well, you can select from the menu. Or you can order one of the specials which isn't on the menu, they are written on the board next to the bar. Or you can have the set-menu. It was good last time, it has three courses, a starter, main and dessert. It's also cheaper than choosing dishes from the menu. But you don't have a lot of choice in what dishes you can have.'

Juan:'It looks ok, but I fancy a bit of salad. Can I ask for a side dish of salad as well?'

Peter:'Yes, there are side dishes as well on the menu. Do you want to have a drink? Wine or beer?'

Juan:'I'll be ok with water. I'm going to pay the bill, it's my treat.'

Peter:'No, Juan. I'm not going to let you. We should split the bill. Pay half each.'

Juan:'Ok, but I'm going to leave the tip. Is it like America here? Should I leave 10 pounds?'

Peter:'No, you only leave a couple of pounds. Are you ready to order now?'

Juan:'Yes.'

Quiz:

Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text (which you can also find in the grey box below). Answer each question with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use one word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text. Click on the "Check Answers" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the question which you can press/click on. In the first icon, , you can find extra information about the word/phrase (e.g. when, where and how to use etc...). In the second, , is where you can listen to the word/phrase.

Words/phrases to use in the quiz

1. A piece of paper that tells you how much you have to pay, is

The bill:
(noun) It is called 'the check' in North America. In Spanish: "la cuenta".

The bill:

2. A half or small portion of food that can accompany the main course, is

Side dish:
(noun) It is also known as a 'side order'. It's normally something basic like chips, salad, vegetables etc.. In Spanish: "plato adicional".

Side dish:

3. One of the three principal meals of the day, with a verb in the past tense, is

Had dinner:
(verb + noun) The 3 main meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although they sometimes have differnt names in different parts of the world. In English, breakfast, lunch and dinner are only nouns, they should never be used as verbs. For the verb it is normal to use 'to have' followed only by the noun 'dinner'. Never use 'a' between the verb and noun. In Spanish: "cenar".

Had dinner:

4. A fixed three course meal in a restaurant which is a cheaper way to eat there, is a

Set-menu:
(noun) This is very common in Asian restaurants, but not in expensive restuarants, where you have to choose the dishes from the menu or a la carte. In Spanish: "menu".

Set-menu:

5. Dishes which are available for only that day, are called

Specials:
(noun) Normally, these dishes are not included in the menu but are written on blackboard in the restaurant or pub, or a waiter/waitress will tell you them. In Spanish: "las especialidades del dia".

Specials:

6. The starter, main and dessert, are all types of

Courses:
(noun) The starter, main and dessert are also called the first course, second course and third course. This should not be confussed with plate, which is the object you eat food off. In Spanish: "platos".

Courses:

7. When you have decided what you want to eat in a restaurant, you are

Ready to order:
(phrase) The verb 'to be' is used before this phrase. In this context 'to order' has the same meaning as 'to ask for'. In Spanish: "listo a pedir".

Ready to order:

8. When each person pays a part of the bill, they

Split the bill:
(verb + noun) In the Anglo-Saxon world it is more common for each person to pay for their part of the bill. In this context 'to split' means to divide equally the cost. In Spanish: "repartir la cuenta".

Split the bill:

9. A phrase connected to drinking a liquid, is

Have a drink:
(verb + noun) We use the verb 'to have' with drinks, e.g. 'I had a glass of wine last night'. We don't use the verb 'to take' in this context. 'to take' means the same as 'to carry' In Spanish: "tomar una bebida".

Have a drink:

10. The extra money you leave after you have paid the bill, is called a

Tip:
(noun) We use the verb 'to leave' with tip. It is common in Britain to leave a tip of a few pounds only when eating in restaurants. In the US, it is custom to leave more, between 10-15% of the check as a tip. In Spanish: propina.

Tip:

Click to see more food & drink vocabulary exercises

Practice

Now that you understand the new restaurant essentials vocabulary, practise it by creating your own sentences in English with the new words/phrases.

This is me, Chris Clayton, the owner and main writer for Blair English. I'm also a part-time English teacher in sunny Spain. I have a love of history and the web. I hope you find the website useful.