Table of Contents
Eating Out in German
In this chapter you learn how to order food and drinks in a German speaking restaurant or café. You already know basic food words from the parent chapter. Here we focus on real-life phrases, typical questions from the waiter, and how to answer politely.
Arriving and Asking for a Table
In many restaurants you will be greeted at the entrance. The waiter may ask:
“Für wie viele Personen?”
“How many people?”
Or you can ask for a table yourself:
“Entschuldigung, haben Sie einen Tisch frei?”
“Excuse me, do you have a free table?”
If you want to say how many you are, you can use:
“Wir sind zu zweit / zu dritt / zu viert.”
“We are two / three / four (people).”
If you have a reservation:
“Ich habe eine Reservierung auf den Namen Müller.”
“I have a reservation under the name Müller.”
Use “für” plus time if you want to mention it:
“Ich habe eine Reservierung für 19 Uhr.”
The Menu and First Questions
When you sit down, the waiter will usually hand you the menu.
“Hier ist die Speisekarte.”
“Here is the menu.”
In a café, you might hear:
“Die Karte kommt gleich.”
“The menu will come in a moment.”
If you want the menu, you can ask:
“Kann ich bitte die Speisekarte haben?”
“Can I have the menu, please?”
For drinks and food, there can be separate menus:
“Getränkekarte” for drinks
“Weinkarte” for wine
If you do not understand something, it is fine to ask:
“Was empfehlen Sie?”
“What do you recommend?”
“Was ist das?”
“What is that?”
Ordering Drinks
In many places, you first order drinks. The waiter may ask:
“Was möchten Sie trinken?”
“What would you like to drink?”
or
“Zum Trinken?”
“For drinks?”
You can answer very simply with “Ich nehme …” or “Für mich …” and the drink.
“Ich nehme ein Wasser, bitte.”
“For me a water, please.”
“Für mich einen Kaffee, bitte.”
Use “Ich nehme …” or “Ich hätte gern …” to order politely:
Ich nehme ein Bier. / Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
Common drink phrases:
“ein stilles Wasser” still water
“ein Mineralwasser” sparkling water
“ein Bier vom Fass” draught beer
“ein Glas Rotwein / Weißwein” a glass of red / white wine
“eine Cola / eine Limo” a cola / a lemonade
To ask for the drink menu:
“Kann ich bitte die Getränkekarte haben?”
Ordering Food
When you are ready to order food, the waiter asks:
“Was möchten Sie essen?”
“What would you like to eat?”
or
“Sind Sie bereit zu bestellen?”
“Are you ready to order?”
You can answer again with “Ich nehme …” or “Ich hätte gern …” followed by the dish.
“Ich nehme die Suppe und den Salat.”
“I will take the soup and the salad.”
“Ich hätte gern das Schnitzel mit Pommes.”
“I would like the schnitzel with fries.”
If there are sizes:
“eine kleine / große Portion Pommes”
“a small / large portion of fries”
If you are not ready:
“Noch einen Moment, bitte.”
“A moment longer, please.”
If something is sold out, the waiter may say:
“Das haben wir heute leider nicht.”
“Unfortunately we do not have that today.”
Then you can choose something else.
Special Wishes and Small Changes
Sometimes you want to change something in the dish. For simple changes, you can use:
“Ohne …” means “without”
“Mit …” means “with”
“Ich hätte gern den Salat ohne Zwiebeln.”
“I would like the salad without onions.”
“Kann ich das Steak mit Salat statt Pommes haben?”
“Can I have the steak with salad instead of fries?”
If you want the dressing “on the side”:
“Das Dressing bitte extra.”
“Dressing on the side, please.”
For doneness of meat, a simple word is:
“Durchgebraten, bitte.” well done
Understanding the Waiter
There are some typical questions you will hear in restaurants and cafés.
Before ordering:
“Was darf’s sein?”
Literally “What may it be?” and means “What would you like?”
While eating:
“Schmeckt es?”
“Does it taste good?”
“Ist alles in Ordnung?”
“Is everything all right?”
You can answer:
“Ja, danke, sehr gut.”
“Yes, thanks, very good.”
“Sehr lecker, danke.”
“Very tasty, thank you.”
If there is a problem:
“Entschuldigung, das ist nicht warm.”
“Excuse me, this is not warm.”
“Das habe ich nicht bestellt.”
“I did not order this.”
Asking About Ingredients and Options
If you have questions about what is inside a dish, you can ask:
“Was ist in der Suppe?”
“What is in the soup?”
“Ist das vegetarisch?”
“Is that vegetarian?”
“Ist das vegan?”
“Is that vegan?”
For allergies:
“Ich bin allergisch gegen Nüsse.”
“I am allergic to nuts.”
“Enthält das Milch / Gluten / Ei?”
“Does this contain milk / gluten / egg?”
You can also ask for a vegetarian option:
“Haben Sie etwas Vegetarisches?”
“Do you have something vegetarian?”
During the Meal
If you need something more during the meal, you often call the waiter with “Entschuldigung”.
For more bread or sauce:
“Entschuldigung, können wir bitte noch Brot haben?”
“Excuse me, can we have some more bread, please?”
“Mehr Soße, bitte.”
“More sauce, please.”
For more drinks:
“Noch ein Bier, bitte.”
“Another beer, please.”
“Noch ein Glas Wasser, bitte.”
“Another glass of water, please.”
If you are finished with your plate and want to say so:
“Es hat sehr gut geschmeckt.”
“It tasted very good.”
Desserts and Coffee
After the main course, the waiter may ask:
“Möchten Sie noch etwas?”
“Would you like anything else?”
“Noch ein Dessert oder einen Kaffee?”
“A dessert or a coffee?”
To ask for the dessert menu:
“Könnten wir bitte die Dessertkarte sehen?”
“Could we see the dessert menu, please?”
You can order:
“Ich nehme ein Eis.”
“I will take an ice cream.”
“Ich hätte gern ein Stück Kuchen.”
“I would like a piece of cake.”
For coffee options:
“ein Espresso”
“ein Cappuccino”
“ein Kaffee mit Milch” coffee with milk
“ein Kaffee ohne Milch / schwarz” black coffee
Asking for the Bill and Paying
When you are ready to pay, you say:
“Die Rechnung, bitte.”
“The bill, please.”
The waiter may ask:
“Zusammen oder getrennt?”
“Together or separate?”
If one person pays for all:
“Zusammen, bitte.”
If everyone pays for themselves:
“Getrennt, bitte.”
You may hear the total:
“Das macht 24 Euro 50.”
“That comes to 24 euros 50.”
To pay:
“Ich zahle bar.”
“I will pay in cash.”
“Ich möchte mit Karte zahlen.”
“I would like to pay by card.”
To leave a tip, in many places you simply say the total with tip:
“Stimmt so.” means “keep the change”
“25 Euro, stimmt so.” when the bill is a little less
Being Polite and Friendly
Polite words are very important.
“Bitte” please
“Danke” thank you
“Vielen Dank” thank you very much
“Gern geschehen” you are welcome
A simple polite sentence when you leave:
“Auf Wiedersehen, vielen Dank!”
“Goodbye, thank you very much!”
Or if you liked it:
“Es war sehr gut, danke.”
“It was very good, thank you.”
These small phrases help you sound friendly and respectful in any German speaking restaurant.
New Vocabulary
| German sentence / word | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Für wie viele Personen? | For how many people? |
| Wir sind zu zweit / dritt / viert | We are two / three / four (people) |
| Ich habe eine Reservierung | I have a reservation |
| auf den Namen … | under the name … |
| Speisekarte | menu (food) |
| Getränkekarte | drinks menu |
| Weinkarte | wine menu |
| Kann ich bitte die Speisekarte haben? | Can I have the menu, please? |
| Was empfehlen Sie? | What do you recommend? |
| Was ist das? | What is that? |
| Was möchten Sie trinken? | What would you like to drink? |
| Zum Trinken? | For drinks? |
| Ich nehme … | I will take … |
| Ich hätte gern … | I would like … |
| Für mich … | For me … |
| stilles Wasser | still water |
| Mineralwasser | sparkling water |
| Bier vom Fass | draught beer |
| ein Glas Rotwein / Weißwein | a glass of red / white wine |
| eine Limo | lemonade / soft drink |
| Was möchten Sie essen? | What would you like to eat? |
| Sind Sie bereit zu bestellen? | Are you ready to order? |
| Noch einen Moment, bitte. | A moment longer, please. |
| kleine / große Portion | small / large portion |
| Das haben wir heute leider nicht. | We do not have that today, unfortunately. |
| ohne Zwiebeln | without onions |
| mit Salat statt Pommes | with salad instead of fries |
| durchgebraten | well done (meat) |
| Was darf’s sein? | What would you like? |
| Schmeckt es? | Does it taste good? |
| Ist alles in Ordnung? | Is everything all right? |
| Sehr lecker. | Very tasty. |
| Ich bin allergisch gegen … | I am allergic to … |
| Enthält das …? | Does this contain …? |
| etwas Vegetarisches | something vegetarian |
| Entschuldigung | Excuse me |
| Können wir bitte noch Brot haben? | Can we have some more bread, please? |
| Noch ein Bier, bitte. | Another beer, please. |
| Es hat sehr gut geschmeckt. | It tasted very good. |
| Dessertkarte | dessert menu |
| ein Stück Kuchen | a piece of cake |
| schwarz (Kaffee) | black (coffee) |
| Die Rechnung, bitte. | The bill, please. |
| Zusammen oder getrennt? | Together or separate? |
| Zusammen, bitte. | Together, please. |
| Getrennt, bitte. | Separate, please. |
| Ich zahle bar. | I will pay in cash. |
| Ich möchte mit Karte zahlen. | I would like to pay by card. |
| Das macht 24 Euro 50. | That comes to 24 euros 50. |
| Stimmt so. | Keep the change. |
| Vielen Dank. | Thank you very much. |
| Auf Wiedersehen. | Goodbye. |
| Es war sehr gut. | It was very good. |