Italian Restaurant Vocabulary: Essential Italian Words and Phrases for Dining Out
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When you’re in Italy, a huge part of your trip (or should we say, most of it?) would be spent enjoying food! Here in this article, we’ll help you do just that by giving you a list of Italian restaurant vocabulary.
Learn Italian words and phrases that you can use when you’re dining out–from what to say as soon as you get in until the moment you finish your food.
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StartFragmentItalian Phrases when Entering a RestaurantEndFragment
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When you visit any dining establishment, always start with greetings. You can say, buongiorno (good day) or buonasera (good evening) as you enter the restaurant. When you leave, say grazie (thanks) and arrivederci (goodbye). Like anywhere else in the world, small polite greetings make a huge difference.
See also: Basic Italian Greetings
Here are other useful phrases you need in restaurants.
| Ha un tavolo per due? / Avete un tavolo per due? | Do you have a table for two? |
| Potrei vedere il menù? | May I see the menu? |
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StartFragmentHow to order food in ItalianEndFragment
StartFragmentOnce you’re seated and already in possession of a menu, the waiter (il cameriere) or the waitress (la cameriera) would approach your table to ask you any of the following:
| Siete pronti per ordinare? | Are you ready to order? |
| Cosa desidera? | What would you like? |
| Cosa prende Lei? | What will you have? |
| Cosa prendete voi? | What will you all have? |
| Cosa desidera Lei? | What would you like? |
| Cosa desiderate voi? | What would you all like? |
| Cosa desidera mangiare? | What would you like to eat? |
| Ha già deciso? | Have you decided already? |
| Vuole l’antipasto? | Would you like an appetizer? |
How to ask for food recommendations in Italian
StartFragmentWhen you hear either of those questions, you can throw the question back to the waiter or waitress by asking for recommendations or what their daily specials are. Here’s what to say:
| Cosa raccomanda? | What do you recommend? |
| Cosa mi può raccomandare? | What can you recommend to me? |
| Cosa ci consiglia? | What would you recommend for us? |
| Può consigliarmi dei piatti tipici della regione? | Could you recommend some traditional regional dishes? |
| C’è un menù (fisso)? | Do you have a (set) menu? |
| Qual è la specialità del giorno? | What is the daily special? |
| Qual è la zuppa del giorno? | What is the soup of the day? |
| Quali sono le specialità della casa? | What are your specialities? |
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StartFragmentOr you can leave everything to the server’s hands by asking him or her to choose for you! EndFragment
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StartFragmentFaccia Lei, per favore! |
You choose, please! |
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When you’re finally ready to order, simply say:
| Prendo… | I’ll take… |
| Vorrei … | I would like… |
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StartFragmentItalian Food and Drinks VocabularyEndFragment
StartFragmentNow let’s take a look at some of the basic terms you will see in an Italian menu.
| l’anatra | duck |
| il vitello | veal |
| il manzo | beef |
| il pollo | chicken |
| la carne di cervo | venison |
| il coniglio | rabbit |
| il tacchino | turkey |
| le polpette | meatballs |
| la bistecca | steak |
| la trippa | tripe |
| la cotoletta | cutlet |
| il pesce | fish |
| il baccalà | salt cod (baccalà; regional names can vary) |
| la spigola | sea bass |
| il pesce spada | swordfish |
| i gamberi | prawns |
| acciughe / alici | anchovies |
| le scaloppine | thin slices of meat / escalopes |
| le capesante | scallops |
| i calamari | squid |
| le cozze | mussels |
| il polpo | octopus |
| l’aragosta | lobster |
| il granchio | crab |
| i gamberetti | shrimp |
| il riso | rice |
| la pasta | pasta |
| la verdura | vegetables |
| le patate | potatoes |
| l’insalata | salad |
| la zuppa | soup |
| la salsa / il sugo | sauce |
| il condimento | condiment |
| le bevande | drinks / beverages |
| il vino… | wine |
| … rosso | red wine |
| …bianco | white wine |
| … rosé | rose wine |
| dolce | sweet |
| secco | dry |
| fruttato | fruity |
| floreale | flowery |
| leggero | light |
| vivace | lively / lightly effervescent (wine context) |
| vellutato | velvety |
| l’acqua minerale | mineral water |
| l’acqua naturale | still water |
| l’acqua leggermente gassata | slightly sparkling |
| l’acqua frizzante / gassata | sparkling water / carbonated water |
| la birra | beer |
| il succo | juice |
| il succo di frutta | fruit juice |
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StartFragmentSpecial dietary restrictions/ preferencesEndFragment
StartFragmentIf you happen to have some dietary restrictions and cannot enjoy the wide variety of flavors of an Italian culinary extravaganza, you may inform the waiter or waitress beforehand. See some example phrases you could use below.
| Sono vegano/vegana. | I’m vegan. |
| Sono vegetariano/ vegetariana. |
I’m vegetarian. |
| Sono celiaco/a | I have celiac disease. |
| Seguo una dieta senza glutine. |
I follow a gluten-free diet. |
| Sono intollerante al lattosio. |
I’m lactose intolerant |
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StartFragmentOr you could even be more specific by stating the food you cannot consume.
| Non mangio… | I don’t eat… |
| …la carne | meat |
| …il pesce | fish |
| …le uova | eggs |
| …il formaggio | cheese |
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StartFragmentAnother way is to instruct the waiter or waitress to hold a particular ingredient. EndFragment
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Senza _____, per favore. EndFragment Without ______, please. |
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Senza formaggio, per favore. Without cheese, please. |
For an allergy, say Sono allergico/a a… (“I am allergic to…”). Sono allergico/a alle arachidi means “I am allergic to peanuts.” You can ask Potete evitare la contaminazione crociata? (“Can you avoid cross-contact?”). Asking only for an ingredient to be omitted does not describe an allergy.
StartFragmentHow to make a toast in ItalianEndFragment
StartFragmentThe night is going on wonderfully, the food is good, and the drinks are even more inviting. Time to call for a toast! Here are some ways to do it.
| Brindiamo alla salute! | Let’s toast to good health. |
| Salute! | Cheers! |
| Cin cin | Cheers (used to congratulate someone or celebrate something) |
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StartFragmentHow to express your appreciation of the food (or the opposite)EndFragment
StartFragmentIf at some point of the meal, a waiter or waitress approaches your table to see how you’re enjoying your meal, he or she may ask you:EndFragment
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StartFragment“Tutto a posto? |
Is everything okay?” |
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When this happens, you can either compliment the meal or be honest and say why it’s not to your liking.
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StartFragmentTo express your delight over the meal, you can say:
| È…. | it’s |
| delizioso! | delicious! |
| squisito! | fabulous! |
| gustosissimo! | tasty! (more informal) |
| fantastico! | fantastic! |
| Buonissimo! | great! |
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StartFragmentBut if you didn’t enjoy the food at all, you can say:EndFragment
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StartFragment“Non è di mio gustoEndFragment |
It’s not my taste”. |
StartFragmentThen you can let them know what’s wrong
| Troppo salato | Too salty |
| Troppo piccante | Too spicy |
| Manca sale | It lacks salt |
| Insipido | Bland |
| Bruciato | Burnt |
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How to ask for the bill in Italian
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In many restaurants, you ask for the bill when you are ready to leave. Service practices vary; use one of these polite requests.
To ask for the bill, you can say any of the following:
| Possiamo avere il conto? | Can we have the bill? |
| Il conto, per favore. | The bill, please |
| Vorrei pagare, per favore. | I would like to pay, please |
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StartFragmentMore Italian Vocabulary for DiningEndFragment
StartFragmentNow let’s take a look at even more Italian words for dining out.EndFragment
StartFragmentTypes of places to dine in Italy
| Ristorante | restaurant |
| Trattoria | a traditional, often informal restaurant |
| caffè | a coffee place |
| Paninoteca | sandwich shop |
| Pizzeria | pizza shop |
StartFragmentItalian Dining Vocabulary
| il cameriere/la cameriera | waiter/ waitress |
| la mancia | tip |
| il piatto | plate |
| la ciotola | bowl |
| la tazza | cup |
| il bicchiere | glass |
| il coltello | knife |
| la forchetta | fork |
| il cucchiaio | spoon |
| il tovagliolo | napkin |
| la (prima) colazione | breakfast |
| il pranzo | lunch |
| la cena | dinner |
| l’antipasto | starter / hors d’oeuvres |
| la zuppa | soup |
| il primo | first course |
| il secondo | second course |
| i contorni | side dishes |
| i dolci | dessert |
| da asporto | for takeaway |
StartFragmentItalian Vocabulary for Cooking Methods
| affumicato | smoked |
| al forno | baked |
| alla brace | broiled over coals |
| arrosto | roasted |
| bollito / lesso | boiled |
| cotto | cooked |
| crudo | raw |
| fritto | fried |
| alla griglia / grigliato | grilled (open fire) |
| ai ferri | grilled on a metal grill |
| in umido | stewed |
| ripieno | stuffed |
| surgelato | frozen |
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Conclusion
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Practice ordering one dish, asking a question and requesting the bill. These phrases cover common situations; menus and local customs vary.
Continue with our Italian food allergies and preferences lesson.
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