If you’re thinking about a trip to Italy, you’ve surely pictured yourself walking into a beautiful Italian café and ordering your first drink, or going out for an authentic Italian meal…
But how to do this in Italian?
Here you’ll learn the key phrases you need to order in Italian. You’ll also pick up important cultural information to help you navigate restaurants and bars like a true italiano.
In the first section, you’ll learn phrases for Italian restaurants, and in the second part, phrases for bars and cafés in Italy.
So… feeling hungry? How about a trip to a restaurant - in Italian!
Italian Restaurant Phrases
You’ve arrived in Italy and cannot wait to try your first Italian restaurant. But there’s something worth doing before you enjoy your first meal out…
Booking a Table in Italian
Siamo al completo!
What does that mean? We’re full.
Just imagine it… Your friend recommended the most fantastic restaurant in Bologna. You simply must try the tagliatelle al ragù - or “bolognese” as they say in English. But as you arrive at 1:30pm, you see all the tables are full: a good restaurant doesn’t stay secret for long in Italy.
To avoid being disappointed, it helps to book ahead. Here’s how to do that:
Posso prenotare…? - Can I book…?
Un tavolo - A table
Per uno / per due / per tre - For one / for two / for three
All together that’s:
Posso prenotare un tavolo per due? - Can I book a table for two?
The word prenotare means “to book” or “make a reservation”. You might also hear this when you first arrive at a busy restaurant:
Avete prenotato? - Have you booked?
Sì, abbiamo prenotato. - Yes, we’ve booked.
Sì, ho prenotato - Yes, I’ve booked.
If you haven’t booked a table, you can of course simply ask if they have one:
Avete un tavolo per uno / due / tre - Do you have a table for one / two / three?
To get the pronunciation of tavolo just right, be careful to put the emphasis on the first syllable: TAvolo.
One last cultural point to note is when to dine out. Italians, and therefore Italian restaurants, tend to have fairly set meal times. Lunch is from 1 to 2pm (perhaps a bit later on weekends). And dinner normally starts between 8 and 9:30pm, although if you go South, it might even be a little later!
So you’ve got to the restaurant and secured a table. What are you going to have?
How to Order in an Italian Restaurant
Ordering drinks in Italian
Once you’ve sat down, the first thing the waiter might do is show you il menù (“menoo”) and ask you:
Qualcosa da bere? - Something to drink?
If you need to buy yourself some time, you can say:
Un minuto per favore! - One minute please!
Or if you know what you want you can place your order. The best way to do this is to use the word vorrei which means “I would like”, followed by what you want. Here are some things you might order to drink:
Vorrei… - I’d like…
Una birra - A beer
Un vino rosso - A red wine
Un vino bianco - A white wine
You could order a bottle:
Una bottiglia (di…) - A bottle (of…)
Una bottiglia di vino bianco - A bottle of white wine
Or just a glass:
Un bicchiere (di…) - A glass (of…)
Un bicchiere di vino rosso - A glass of red wine
The pronunciation bicchiere can be a bit tricky. Just imagine the word “yeah” in the middle. BIK - YEAH - REH.
What about food?
Get the waiter’s attention
Once you’ve got your drinks the waiter might disappear. How can you get their attention to order in a polite way?
You can say: scusi! - “excuse me!”
That’s pronounced “sc-ooo-zi”, not with a “you” sound like in the English “excuse me”.
The waiter could also just come straight over and ask if you’re ready to order. They might say:
Pronti per ordinare? - Ready to order?
To which you reply:
Sì, siamo pronti! - Yes, we’re ready.
If you’re dining solo, those phrases will sound slightly different:
Pronta/o per ordinare? - Ready to order?
Sì, sono pronta/o! - Yes, I’m ready.
Pronta for Katie, as she’s female, and pronto for Matteo, as he’s male.
So, what are you having?
Ordering Food in Italian
Now, on an Italian menu you’ll see different sections:
Antipasti - Starters
Primi piatti - First dishes
Secondi piatti - Second dishes
Contorni - Side dishes
Dolci - Desserts
Time for some quick culture tips! Italians have antipasti which are like starters. Typical examples are bruschettas or charcuterie boards to share.
Then we have primi and secondi piatti, often known as just primi and secondi. These can be a bit confusing - do Italians always have two meals? Not necessarily! I primi (first dishes) typically refer to dishes based on carbohydrates, for example pasta dishes, or risottos. I secondi (second dishes) are more for meat and fish. You can order either a first or a second - or both if you’re going in for a real feast.
To say what you want, you can use vorrei (I’d like) as you learned earlier with drinks. There’s an even simpler way to order though: just say per me… (for me…) followed by what you want:
Vorrei le tagliatelle - I’d like the tagliatelle
Per me, la zuppa - For me, the soup
Or you can use prendere. Literally it means “to take”, but when talking about food and drink, it means “to have”:
Prendo i tortellini - I’ll have the tortellini
Prendo il pesce - I’ll have the fish
And if you’re looking at the menu thinking: how on earth am I going to pronounce that? Italians love to give their dishes long fancy titles that describe everything that’s in it. Don’t sweat it! You can just point at what you want on the menu and say:
Prendo questo! - I’ll have this!
After enjoying your meal, it’s time to settle up.
Paying the bill / check
When everyone has finished eating, the waiter will come to clear away and ask how everything was. Or they might ask while you’re having your meal. If everything’s fine you can say:
Tutto perfetto! - Everything is/was perfect!
You can then ask for the check / bill:
Il conto, per favore. - The check, please.
Time for another culture tip. And speaking of tips… what about tipping? Do Italians leave a tip?
Tipping isn’t expected in Italy, and Italians don’t normally do it. That being said, if you do want to leave la mancia (the tip), it’s a sign that you really enjoyed the meal and the service - the staff will certainly appreciate it!
There’s one extra charge that appears on the check in Italy: pane e coperto. What does it mean?
Literally it’s “bread and cover”. It’s a small charge, usually a euro or two, and is added whenever you sit down to eat rather than having something at the bar or to go. All Italians pay it without thinking too much about it. Actually, since tipping isn’t the norm, it’s a bargain! You typically pay a couple of euros rather than 10 - 20% of the check.
So, now you know how to order in an Italian restaurant. But what about when it comes to bars and cafés? How do you even say “bar” or “café” in Italian? The difference can be confusing…
Phrases for Italian Bars and Cafés
Arranging to meet
Picture yourself on holiday in Italy. A friend who lives locally has suggested to meet at the bar:
Ci vediamo al bar! - See you at the “bar”!
But at 10am?! It might seem a little early for a drink…
Well, confusingly, il bar is actually a “café” in Italian!
Ci vediamo al bar! - See you at the café!
And what about a “bar” then? For evening drinks? Italians would call a place that’s more for nightlife: il locale.
Ci vediamo al locale! - See you at the bar!
So:
il bar - the café (coffee and daytime drinks)
il locale - the bar (evening drinks and nightlife)
Once you’ve overcome this highly confusing fact, you can head over to il bar for a morning coffee.
But… how do you order a coffee in Italian?
How to Order in an Italian Café
At il bar you have the choice between going directly to the bar and ordering there, or finding a table and waiting to be served. It’s very typical to see Italians stopping by at the counter for their morning espresso.
To order a coffee, you can use the same phrases you learned to order in restaurants:
Vorrei… - I’d like…
Per me… - For me…
Prendo… - I’ll have…
So, how would you ask for a coffee?
Vorrei un caffè
Per me, un caffè
Prendo un caffè
But attenzione! If you ask for un caffè, you’ll get an “espresso” in Italy. That’s actually how most Italians normally drink it. If you wanted a long, black coffee you’d need un caffè americano.
Here’s a list of the most typical things people order in a café.
Un caffè - An espresso
Un caffè americano - A long coffee
Un latte macchiato - A hot milk with a shot of coffee
Un macchiato - An espresso with a dash of milk
Latte di soia - Soy milk
Un’acqua naturale - A still water
Un’acqua gassata - A fizzy water / water with gas
Solo acqua - Just water
Apart from il caffè, the other word that confuses foreigners a lot is latte. If you order a “latte” in a New York Starbucks, you’ll get a large white coffee. But actually in Italian, latte just means “milk”! There’s no coffee in it.
If you want a “latte” coffee, you should ask for un latte macchiato. Macchiato literally means “stained”. It’s milk “stained” with coffee.
Wondering how to pronounce macchiato? It sounds like this: MAK - YA - TO
To learn more about different types of Italian coffee and how to pronounce them, check out this post on how to order coffee in Italy.
So how might you ask for a latte coffee?
Vorrei un latte macchiato - I’d like a latte coffee
Per me, un latte macchiato - For me, a latte coffee
Prendo un latte macchiato - I’ll have a latte coffee
Or a cappuccino with soy milk?
Vorrei un cappuccino con latte di soia - I’d like a cappuccino with soy milk
Per me, un cappuccino con latte di soia - For me, a cappuccino with soy milk
Prendo un cappuccino con latte di soia - I’ll have a cappuccino with soy milk
And a still water?
E un’acqua naturale - And a still water
As the evening draws on however, it’s common to see Italians heading to il locale.
How to Order in an Italian Bar
Salute! - Cheers!
Cin cin! - Cheers!
In the evening, before dinner, Italians love to enjoy l’aperitivo. This means “evening drinks and nibbles”. Not to be confused with the orange liquor: “aperol”.
If an Italian invites you for an aperitivo, they mean some casual drinks in general, and probably a bite to eat as well.
Once again, at il locale you can use the same phrases you learned for the café or restaurant to place your order.
Do you remember how to ask for a beer?
Vorrei una birra - I’d like a beer
Per me, una birra - For me, a beer
Prendo una birra - I’ll have a beer
What about a glass of red wine?
Vorrei un bicchiere di vino rosso - I’d like a glass of red wine
Per me, un bicchiere di vino rosso - For me, a glass of red wine
Prendo un bicchiere di vino rosso - I’ll have a glass of red wine
How about a bottle of white wine?
Prendiamo una bottiglia di vino bianco - We’ll have a bottle of white wine
You can use prendo (I’ll have) if you’re ordering just for yourself, or prendiamo (we’ll have) if you’re ordering for a friend or two as well. Here are a couple more examples:
Prendiamo due birre - We’ll have two beers
Prendiamo una bottiglia d’acqua - We’ll have a bottle of water
And, if you’re ordering with a friend, don’t forget the most important Italian phrase you’ll learn:
Paga il mio amico - My friend will pay
Just make sure you’re with a good friend before using that one…
Congratulazioni! You now know how to order in Italian. Before testing how much you can remember in our quiz, here’s a quick review of what you’ve learned.
How to order in Italian: Review
Before going to a restaurant in Italy, consider booking a table:
Posso prenotare…? - Can I book…?
Avete…? - Do you have…?
Un tavolo per uno, per due, per tre - A table for one, for two, for three…
Avete prenotato? - Have you booked?
Abbiamo prenotato - We’ve booked
Ho prenotato - I’ve booked
If not you could risk them being al completo:
Siamo al completo - We’re full
Once you’ve sat down, you can order drinks:
Qualcosa da bere? - Something to drink?
Vorrei… - I’d like…
Prendo… - I’ll have…
Prendiamo… - We’ll have…
Per me… - For me…
Una birra - A beer
Un vino rosso - A red wine
Un vino bianco - A white wine
Una bottiglia (di…) - A bottle (of…)
Un bicchiere (di…) - A glass (of…)
Remember to get the waiter’s attention it’s: scusi!
Pronti per ordinare? - Ready to order? (Singular: Pronta/o per ordinare?)
Siamo pronti! - We’re ready (I’m ready: Sono pronta/o)
Once you’ve had your food, it’s time to settle up:
Tutto perfetto! - Everything is/was perfect!
Il conto, per favore. - The check, please.
What about bars and cafés? Remember the difference:
il bar - the café (coffee and daytime drinks)
il locale - the bar (evening drinks and nightlife)
To order, at the table or counter, use the same words as in the restaurant (vorrei, prendo, per me…). Here are some things you might more typically order in a café:
Un caffè - An espresso
Un caffè americano - A long coffee
Un latte macchiato - A hot milk with a shot of coffee
Un macchiato - An espresso with a dash of milk
Latte di soia - Soy milk
Un’acqua naturale - Still water
Un’acqua gassata - A fizzy water / water with gas
Solo acqua - Just water
Now you’re all set for the Italian aperitivo! Salute!
Before hitting the bars though, remember to take our quiz to test what you know…
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Vocabulary: How to order in Italian: Restaurant and Bar Phrases
avete prenotato? = do you have a reservation? (lit. have you booked?)
posso prenotare un tavolo per due? = can I book a table for two?
siamo pronti = we're ready
vorrei una birra = I'd like a beer
vorrei un vino bianco = I’d like a white wine
un bicchiere di vino rosso = a glass of red wine
una bottiglia d’acqua gasata = a bottle of sparkling water
il conto, per favore = the bill, please
tutto perfetto! = everything’s perfect!
il locale = the bar, the place where we go for drinks in the evening
Quiz: How to order in Italian: Restaurant and Bar Phrases
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How to order in Italian: Restaurant and Bar Phrases
Flashcards: How to order in Italian: Restaurant and Bar Phrases
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Transcript: How to order in Italian: Restaurant and Bar Phrases
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: So, Matteo, we’re on holiday in Italy, what’s the first thing you want to do?
M: Maybe… find a nice ristorante and try some local dishes?
K: Sì! We have the same priorities in life. The restaurant is:
…
M: il ristorante
K: As you’re listening at home, if you already know these words, try to say them in the pause, and if you don’t, no worries! Say them with Matteo, trying to get your pronunciation as close to his as possible. Speaking of pronunciation, did you notice how Matteo pronounced ristorante? In Italian, it’s not “rest”, it’s “rist”. Ristorante.
…
M: Ristorante (x 3)
K: In Italy, lunch usually starts around one, perhaps a little later on the weekends. And dinner normally starts between 8 and 9:30, although if you go South, it might even be a little later!
How would you say “a table for two”?
…
M: Un tavolo per due (x3)
K: And you can ask “do you have…”? Let’s use the plural “you”, when speaking to more than one persone, because there’s normally more than one person working there.
…
M: Avete…
K: Do you have a table for two?
…
M: Avete un tavolo per due? (x 3)
K: They might ask “do you have a reservation?” Literally “have you booked”?
…
M: Avete prenotato? (x3)
K: As we know, avete is the plural “you have”, when speaking to two or more people. If you’re alone, they’ll use the singular formal ha:
…
M: Ha prenotato? (x3)
K: If you haven’t reserved, they might say “we’re full”
…
M: Siamo al completo (x3)
K: If in doubt in Italy, it’s advisable to book ahead, especially at the weekend. Italians love to dine out, so good restaurants are always busy. Recently I made this mistake in Bologna. I went with a couple of friends and we’d been recommended some nice restaurants, but we didn’t think to book and they were always full! But we did manage to find some other nice places just walking around.
M: You can always find something good to eat in Italy!
K: How would you say “can I book”? “Can I” is:
…
M: Posso
K: To book
…
M: Prenotare
K: Can I book a table
…
M: Posso prenotare un tavolo? (x3)
K: Can I book a table for two?
…
M: Posso prenotare un tavolo per due?
K: This time, luckily, we’ve got our table. And the waiter asks if we’d like something to drink:
M: Qualcosa da bere? (x3)
K: There are a few different phrases the waiter might use for this, but basically, when you hear the word bere, you know the waiter is asking you what you’d like to drink! I’d like is..
…
M: Vorrei… (x3)
K: Followed by your drink order. You could order a beer una birra. How would you say “I’d like a beer”?
…
M: Vorrei una birra (x3)
K: Or a wine? A red wine is:
…
M: Un vino rosso (x3)
K: And a white wine:
…
M: Un vino bianco (x3)
K: You can say “I’d like a red wine”
…
M: Vorrei un vino rosso
K: Or “I’d like a white wine”
…
M: Vorrei un vino bianco
K: If you need to specify, you can say “a bottle”
…
M:
Una bottiglia (x 3)
K: A bottle of red wine
…
Una bottiglia di vino rosso
K: A bottle of white wine:
M: Una bottiglia di vino bianco
K: Or a glass.
…
M: Un bicchiere (x 3)
K: This word bicchiere can be quite tricky to pronounce! But if you break it into 3 syllables, it’s easy. BIK - YEAH - REH. The middle one is like “yeah”, the slang word for “yes” in English. BIK - YEAH - REH. BIK - YEAH - REH.
M: Bicchiere
K: A glass of red wine:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino rosso
K: A glass of white wine:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino bianco
K: How about just water? How do you say “water” in Italian?
…
M: Acqua (x3)
K: A bottle of?
…
M: Una bottiglia di
K: A bottle of water?
…
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua
K: In this case, the “di” and “acqua” get squished together, so instead of saying “di acqua”, we say di acqua. Una bottiglia d’acqua.
K: In Italy, we normally specify whether we want still or sparkling:
K: Still water is:
…
M: Acqua naturale (x3)
K: Sparkling water, “water with gas”:
…
M: Acqua gassata (x3)
K: If it’s very busy, you might have to attract the waiter’s attention. To do this, just say “excuse me”.
M: Scusi (x3)
K: As the waiter comes back, they could ask if you’re ready to order:
M: Pronti per ordinare? (x3)
K: You can say “we’re ready”:
M: Siamo pronti (x3)
K: If you’re dining alone, the word “pronto” will change. For me, it would end in an -a.
M: Pronta.
K: For Matteo, it ends in an -o.
M: Pronto.
K: You know how waiters come over and ask you if everything’s ok with your meal? They do that in Italy, too! The waiter might come over and ask “is everything ok”? Literally “all ok”?
M: Tutto bene? (x3)
K: If it’s all good, you can say “everything perfect!”
…
M: Tutto perfetto. (x3)
K: At the end of your meal, how would you say “the bill, please”?
…
M: Il conto, per favore. (x3)
K: If we were dining out for lunch, next we might go and see some sights, then, where do you want to go next Matteo?
M: Hmm… the bar?
K: Ah, but do you mean il bar or il locale?
M: Ohh, yes it’s different in English. I want a coffee, so I meant Il bar.
K. Which is actually a café in Italy, just to confuse matters! So, for coffee and drinks during the day, we’re going to
M: il bar
K: Let’s order a coffee. To say “I’d like a coffee”, we say:
…
M: Vorrei un caffè (x3)
K: Attenzione! Careful here, because Italians usually drink espresso, that’s the standard coffee. So if you ask for un caffè, you’ll get an espresso, a teeny tiny shot of coffee. If you want a bigger coffee, like the ones people drink in America and outside of Italy, you should ask for:
M: Un caffè americano (x3)
K: And you can ask for it “with milk”
…
M: Con latte (x3)
K: Or without milk
…
M: Senza latte (x3)
K: Coming back to our latte, you might have noticed that the word latte just means “milk” in Italian!
M: So if you order a “latte” in Italy, you’ll just get a cup of milk!
K: If you want a “latte” coffee, a cup of warm milk with a shot of coffee in it, then ask for:
…
M: Un latte macchiato (x 3)
K: Macchiato literally means “stained”, so Italians literally call it “stained milk”. As in, milk stained with coffee. The pronunciation of macchiato can be a bit tricky at first. It’s MAK - YA - TO. MAK - YA - TO. MAK - YA - TO.
M: Macchiato. Un latte macchiato.
K: Then, you can of course ask for a cappuccino, too. Listen carefully to Matteo’s pronunciation, making the “p” and the “ch” nice and long:
…
M: Cappuccino (x3)
K: I’d like a cappuccino
…
M: Vorrei un cappuccino
K: And what about drinks in the evening?
M: We go to il locale (x 3)
K: The bar, confusingly. Italians head to il locale for drinks and nibbles. Italians have a special name for the drinks and nibbles they have after work. Do you know it?
…
M: L’aperitivo (x3)
K: At the locale you could order a beer. Remember how to say “I’d like a beer”?
…
M: Vorrei una birra (x3)
K: Or a wine? Remember how to say “I’d like a red wine?”
…
M: Vorrei un vino rosso (x3)
K: And “I’d like a white wine”:
…
M: Vorrei un vino bianco (x3)
K: Remember how to order the water? A bottle of water?
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua
K: A bottle of still water? Literally “natural”
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua naturale
K: A bottle of sparkling water? With gas?
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua gasata
K: Often you can get rid of the bottle part and just say “A still water”
…
M: Un’acqua naturale
K: Or a sparkling water?
…
M: Un’acqua gasata
K: All this talk of food and drink is making me hungry and thirsty! Do you want to go out tonight, Matteo?
M: Sì! Però… abbiamo prenotato?
K: Have we booked… hmm no. But I’m sure we’ll find something. First, let’s do a quick review of the most common phrases from today’s episode. The restaurant is:
…
M: Il ristorante
K: A table for two
…
M: Un tavolo per due
K: Can I book?
…
M: Posso prenotare?
K: Can I book a table for two?
…
M: Posso prenotare un tavolo per due?
K: Do you have a reservation?” Literally “have you booked”?
…
M: Avete prenotato?
K: Something to drink:
…
M: Qualcosa da bere?
K: Ready to order?
…
M: Pronti per ordinare?
K: We’re ready
…
M: Siamo pronti
K: Is everything ok? All ok?
…
M: Tutto bene?
K: Everything’s perfect!
…
M: Tutto perfetto!
K: The bill, please
…
M: Il conto, per favore
K: How do we say “the café?” Remember it sounds like something different in Italian!
…
M: Il bar
K: I’d like a coffee?
…
M: Vorrei un caffè
K: Un caffè, is usually an espresso. What if we want a larger coffee?
…
M: Vorrei un americano
K: What do we call the place where we go for drinks in the evening?
…
M: Il locale
K: Drinks and nibbles
…
M: L’aperitivo
K: I’d like a beer
…
M: Vorrei una birra
K: A glass of red wine is:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino rosso
K: I’d like a glass of red wine?
…
M: Vorrei un bicchiere di vino rosso
K: A glass of white wine is:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino bianco
K: I’d like a glass of white wine?
…
M: Vorrei un bicchiere di vino bianco
K: I’d like a still water, sounds like natural:
…
M: Vorrei un’acqua naturale
K: I’d like a sparkling water, or “water with gas”:
…
M: Vorrei un’acqua gassata
So, you now know how to order drinks and dine out in Italian! In our next episode, we’ll talk about the essential Italian phrases for organising transport and accommodation in Italy.
Remember, if you want to see everything written down from this episode, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website, italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 97.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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