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Chapter 5 of 8

Food and Drink: Cafés, Restaurants, and Groceries

Learn essential phrases and vocabulary for ordering food and drink, reading simple menus, and shopping for groceries in Spanish-speaking environments.

15 min readen

New Words and Phrases (in English)

Here are useful Spanish words and phrases for cafés, restaurants, and grocery shopping. You will learn how to ask for the menu, order food and drink, and talk about prices and quantities.

WordPronunciationTranslationExample
la carta / el menúlah KAR-tah / el meh-NOOthe menu¿Me trae la carta, por favor?(Can you bring me the menu, please?)
quisiera...kee-SYEAH-rahI would like...Quisiera un café con leche.(I would like a coffee with milk.)
para llevar / para aquíPAH-rah yeh-BAR / PAH-rah ah-KEEto take away / for here (eat in)¿Es para llevar o para aquí?(Is it to take away or for here?)
la cuentalah KWEHN-tahthe bill / the checkLa cuenta, por favor.(The bill, please.)
¿Cuánto cuesta? / ¿Cuánto es?KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah / KWAN-toh esHow much does it cost? / How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta el bocadillo?(How much does the sandwich cost?)
un kilo de...oon KEE-loh deha kilo of...Quisiera un kilo de manzanas.(I would like a kilo of apples.)
una botella de aguaOO-nah boh-TEH-yah deh AH-gwaha bottle of water¿Me pone una botella de agua, por favor?(Can I have a bottle of water, please?)
un bocadillooon boh-kah-DEE-yoha sandwich (usually on a baguette-style bread)Quisiera un bocadillo de queso.(I would like a cheese sandwich.)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Using "quisiera" to order politely

In cafés, restaurants, and shops, "quisiera" (kee-SYEAH-rah) is a very polite and common way to say "I would like". It is softer than "quiero" (I want) and sounds more polite.

  • Quisiera un café con leche.

"I would like a coffee with milk."

  • Quisiera un bocadillo.

"I would like a sandwich."

  • Quisiera una botella de agua.

"I would like a bottle of water."

You can use "quisiera" + quantity + item:

  • Quisiera un kilo de manzanas.

"I would like a kilo of apples."

2. Asking for the price

Use these patterns to ask about prices:

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta + singular item?

"How much does (item) cost?"

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta el bocadillo?

"How much does the sandwich cost?"

  • ¿Cuánto es?

Literally "How much is it?" Often used when you are ready to pay:

  • (After shopping) ¿Cuánto es?

"How much is it (in total)?"

3. Quantities with "de"

In Spanish, after a quantity word, you normally use "de" (of) before the item:

  • un kilo de manzanas – "a kilo of apples"
  • una botella de agua – "a bottle of water"

Pattern: quantity word + de + thing

4. Eating in or taking away

In cafés, you will often hear:

  • ¿Es para llevar o para aquí?

"Is it to take away or for here?"

You can answer:

  • Para llevar, por favor. – "To take away, please."
  • Para aquí, por favor. – "For here, please."

5. Asking for the menu and the bill

Two key polite requests:

  • ¿Me trae la carta, por favor?

"Can you bring me the menu, please?"

  • La cuenta, por favor.

"The bill, please."

Notice that you do not need a verb like "can I have" in Spanish here. The short phrase is already polite when you add "por favor" (please).

Practice Dialogue (in English)

Practice a short, realistic conversation in a café and a grocery counter. Notice how the speakers ask for the menu, order politely, and talk about prices and quantities.

At a café, then at a small grocery counter

Camarero

Buenas tardes, ¿qué desea?

Good afternoon, what would you like?

Cliente

Buenas tardes. ¿Me trae la carta, por favor?

Good afternoon. Can you bring me the menu, please?

Camarero

Claro, aquí tiene el menú.

Of course, here is the menu.

Cliente

Gracias. Quisiera un bocadillo de queso y una botella de agua.

Thank you. I would like a cheese sandwich and a bottle of water.

Camarero

Muy bien, ¿para llevar o para aquí?

Very well, to take away or for here?

Cliente

Para aquí, por favor. Y luego, la cuenta.

For here, please. And then, the bill.

Camarero

Perfecto.

Perfect.

Vendedor

Hola, buenas. ¿Qué quiere?

Hi, good day. What do you want?

Cliente

Hola. Quisiera un kilo de manzanas, por favor.

Hi. I would like a kilo of apples, please.

Vendedor

Muy bien. Aquí tiene. ¿Algo más?

Very good. Here you are. Anything else?

Cliente

No, gracias. ¿Cuánto es?

No, thank you. How much is it?

Vendedor

Son tres euros con cincuenta.

It is three euros fifty.

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Test yourself on one of the key patterns from this module.

You are in a café and want to order politely. Which Spanish sentence best means: "I would like a bottle of water"?

  1. Quisiera una botella de agua.
  2. Quiero la cuenta, por favor.
  3. ¿Cuánto cuesta la botella de agua?
  4. Para llevar, por favor.
Show Answer

Answer: A) Quisiera una botella de agua.

“Quisiera una botella de agua.” uses "quisiera" (I would like) plus the item "una botella de agua" (a bottle of water), which matches the English sentence. The other options either ask for the bill, ask the price, or say "to take away, please."

Key Terms

quisiera
I would like – polite way to order or ask for something
la cuenta
the bill / the check – what you ask for when you are ready to pay
para aquí
for here – used when you will eat/drink at the place
para llevar
to take away – used when you want your food/drink to go
un bocadillo
a sandwich, usually on baguette-style bread – common simple meal in Spanish-speaking countries
un kilo de...
a kilo of… – common quantity expression, especially for fruit and vegetables
¿Cuánto es?
How much is it? – used to ask for the total price
¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much does it cost? – used to ask the price of one item
la carta / el menú
the menu – used in cafés and restaurants to ask for the list of food and drinks
una botella de agua
a bottle of water – very common drink order