Knowing I'd like this covers only one moment in a meal. A server may ask how many people are with you, what you want to drink, whether you have dietary requirements, and how you want to pay. Practise those turns as one conversation so you're ready for what comes next.
Getting seated and asking for time
Server: Hi, how many?
You: A table for two, please.
Server: Can I get you something to drink?
You: Just water for now, thanks. Could we have a few more minutes with the menu?
A table for two, please answers the seating question directly. Could we have a few more minutes? politely asks for time rather than sending the server away without an explanation. When you've chosen, We're ready to order brings them back into the conversation.
Order with a real preference or dietary need
- Could I get the grilled chicken with the sauce on the side? On the side means separately from the main dish.
- Does this contain peanuts? I'm allergic to them. Name the ingredient and the allergy explicitly.
- Could you make it without cilantro? Use this for an ingredient you want left out.
An allergy is not the same as a preference. I don't like peanuts only communicates taste; I'm allergic to peanuts communicates the medical issue. If necessary, ask Could you check with the kitchen? Cross-contact and suitable alternatives need to be confirmed by the restaurant; a memorised phrase cannot make a dish safe by itself.
For less heat, Could you make it mild, please? is useful. If asked How would you like your eggs?, common answers include Scrambled, please and Sunny-side up, please. Availability will depend on the menu and kitchen.
Fix a mistake without making a speech
Excuse me, I ordered the soup, but this is the salad. Could you check, please?
State the difference between the order and the dish, then request a check. This isn't what I ordered also works, but the specific dishes make it easier to solve. Ask for Could we have some extra napkins? when you need supplies; Could you pass me the salt? is a request to someone at your table.
Paying and taking food away
- Could we have the check, please? Check is the usual restaurant term in American English; Could we have the bill, please? is common in British English.
- Could we split the bill? Ask whether separate payments are possible before describing who is paying for what.
- Could I get this to go? Useful for taking remaining food with you; Could I get a takeaway? is a common British alternative.
Use Could I pay by card? to ask about payment. Tipping, service charges, and taxes are different things and vary by country and venue; see Tipping in English for that separate conversation.
A one-minute speaking drill
- Say A table for..., please with your real party size, then Could we have a few more minutes?
- Order a dish you actually like with Could I get...? Add one real detail: on the side, without..., or mild.
- Finish with Excuse me, I ordered... and Could we have the check, please? so you practise both a correction and a closing request.
MirrorSay lets you rehearse with the meal you would genuinely order: say it your way, hear the natural version, then shadow it. If a dish name escapes you, use How to Paraphrase When You Forget a Word to describe its ingredients instead of abandoning the order.
Further reading
- BBC Learning English: Real Easy English — Talking about restaurants uses a natural conversation to teach restaurant language and ordering patterns such as I'll have..., Can I have..., and Can I get....
*MirrorSay is a free speaking-practice app: say a sentence, hear a more natural version, then shadow it and compare. No sign-up, and speech is processed on-device whenever possible.*