German Restaurant Vocabulary and Phrases
In einem Restaurant bestellen
Germany’s restaurant scene is beautifully diverse, and many ethnic restaurants are run by people from that very country, making for a truly authentic (and very delicious) experience.
When referring to restaurants from specific countries, German often abbreviate and just call them “the Italian” (der Italiener), or “der Chinese (person)” (der Chinese), so when you want to suggest to your friends whether they want to go to a specific restaurant, you would say “Gehen wir zum Italiener!” (Let’s go to the Itailan!), or “Gehen wir zum Türken!” (Let’s go to the Turk!)
Be careful with the tip. It is not customary in Germany to leave a big tip.
If you’re unsure about where you want to go, you might suggest “essen gehen”. “Wollen wir essen gehen?”, which literally means “Do we want to go eat?”, but it specifically means to go out to eat, or go to a restaurant to eat.
Here are some useful restaurant phrases and vocabulary.
Download the full list as a PDF: Restaurant Vocabulary
die Serviette(n) – the napkin
das Besteck – the cutlery
die Speisekarte(n) – the menu
die Portion – the portion/helping
die Rechnung – the check
die Reservierung – the reservation
die Vorspeise(n) – the appetizer
die Hauptspeise(n)/das Hauptgericht(e) – the main dish/course
die Nachspeise(n) – the dessert
das Getränk(e) – the drink
die Bediehnung(en) – the waiting staff/waiter
der Kellner(-) – the waiter
die Kellnerin(en) – the waitress
das Trinkgeld(er) – the tip
die Rechnung(en) – the bill
bestellen – to order
reservieren – to reserve /make a reservation
etwas aussuchen – to choose something
sich selbst bediehnen – to help oneself (at a Buffet)
essen gehen – to go out to eat
schmecken – to taste
(be)zahlen – the pay
Trinkgeld geben – to (give a) tip
Könnten wir/Können wir bestellen, bitte? Could we/can we order please?
Was würden Sie empfehlen? What would you recommend?
Ich hätte gerne die/das/den… I would like to have the…
Wie gross sind die Portionen? How big are the helpings/portions?
Könnte ich das einpacken lassen? Could I have this wrapped/boxed?
Zahlen, bitte! Check, please (lit. “pay please!”)
Das stimmt (schon) so! Keep the change!
Download whole list as a PDF: Restaurant Vocabulary
Check out our other article: German Public Transportation Vocabulary and Phrases
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