Learn essential English phrases and vocabulary for ordering food. Perfect for beginner ESL learners. Includes free resources and tips.
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Ordering food in a restaurant is one of the most useful and rewarding skills for ESL learners. In this post, you’ll learn key restaurant vocabulary, essential English phrases for ordering, and practice with sample dialogues. You can also practice these skills with a speaking partner on italki, or through self-paced lessons at Rocket Languages, English Class 101, or Mondly.
Table of Contents
– Why Learn Restaurant English?
– Common Restaurant Vocabulary
– Useful Phrases to Use at a Restaurant
– Sample Dialogues and Role-Plays
– Practice Tips and How to Improve
– Final Thoughts
Why Learn Restaurant English?
Whether you’re traveling, living abroad, or just hungry—knowing how to order food politely in English makes you feel confident. It’s a real-world communication skill that improves fluency and builds independence.
Common Restaurant Vocabulary
I’ve pulled together a handy table of some of the most useful restaurant words. These terms show up almost everywhere food is served, so getting familiar with them helps you understand menus and communicate more easily
- Here’s a small sample from the vocabulary worksheet in our full TPT lesson:
- • Waiter – the person who brings your food
- • Menu – a list of available food and drinks
- • Dessert – a sweet food eaten at the end of the meal
- • Bill – the total price you need to pay
Over time, you’ll build your own personal food vocabulary.
Useful Phrases to Use at a Restaurant
Sometimes, just knowing one or two phrases makes the whole meal go smoothly.
Here are a few polite and useful expressions you’ll hear or need to say:
- • Can I see the menu, please?
- • I’d like the chicken sandwich.
- • What do you recommend?
- • May I have the bill, please?
These extra lines help you handle different situations and keep things friendly.
Sample Dialogues and Role-Plays
Practicing with mini-dialogues helps you feel more natural when you order. This is one of the role-play dialogues included in the full TPT lesson:
Waiter: Hello! Welcome. How many people?
Customer: Just one, please.
Waiter: Right this way. Here’s the menu. Can I get you something to drink?
Customer: I’d like a lemonade, please.
If you have a friend who also wants to practice English, you can switch roles so both of you get the chance to practice being the server and the customer.
Download This Sample Worksheet
Practice Tips and How to Improve
- • Practice aloud with a friend or tutor using these phrases.
- • Use flashcards to memorize key terms.
- • Join italki to practice conversation with real tutors.
- • Try Rocket Languages for self-paced listening and speaking drills.
- • Use English Class 101 or Mondly to boost your restaurant English.
Extra practice tip: Watch videos or TV shows set in restaurants. Listen closely to how customers order, the words they use, and the server’s responses. Notice how the flow of conversation works, and try to copy their pronunciation and way of speaking. The more you listen and repeat, the easier it becomes.
Final Thoughts
Ordering food in English doesn’t have to be scary. Start with simple vocabulary, use polite phrases, and practice short dialogues. Before you know it, you’ll be ordering like a native speaker!
📘 Want a full printable lesson packet with editable worksheets, flashcards, and real dialogues?
👉 [Get the full Ordering Food ESL Lesson on TPT
Have you ever ordered food in English? What did you say? Leave a comment below and share your experience!
HI Bob!
This is great information. I think it’s very helpful to know some simple sentences when visiting restaurants. I have traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, India and Germany. I didn’t know any of the language, so I would have been lost. Fortunately, there was someone in the group that knew the language. In my trip to Costa Rico, we were divided in pairs to share a meal in a family’s home that knew little to no English! What a challenge, but it was also a lot of fun.
– Scott
Welcome back Scott. Thanks again for your comments. Yeah, when I’m out of the country, I do my best to speak the local language. However, the only language I’m adept at in any way is Spanish-very limited at that. It’s so important to be able to use the local language for so many reasons. I wish all my students made it more of a priority but I will focus on the ones who do.
KBob