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Portuguese phrases for ordering food in a restaurant in Portugal

Without a booking, ask “Têm mesa livre?” and say how many you are: “Uma mesa para duas pessoas, por favor”. When the menu comes, ask “O que recomenda?”. When the waiter asks “Já escolheram?”, order with “Vou querer o frango, por favor” or say “Precisamos de mais uns minutos”.

Try it · about two minutes

You arrive at a restaurant without a booking, get a table and ask the waiter what they recommend.

You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

How does the conversation usually go?

  1. You walk into a restaurant at half past eight without a booking. A waiter is standing by the door.

    You

    Têm mesa livre?

    Do you have a free table?

  2. Waiter

    Para quantas pessoas?

    For how many people?

    You

    Uma mesa para duas pessoas, por favor.

    A table for two, please.

  3. Waiter

    Venha comigo, por favor.

    Come with me, please.

    You

    Há mesa na esplanada?

    Is there a table on the terrace?

  4. Waiter

    Aqui está a ementa.

    Here is the menu.

    You

    O que recomenda?

    What do you recommend?

  5. Waiter

    Para beber, o que vão querer?

    What will you drink?

    You

    Água, por favor.

    Water, please.

  6. Waiter

    Já escolheram?

    Have you decided?

    You

    Vou querer o frango, por favor.

    I’ll have the chicken, please.

Which Portuguese phrases do you need?

  • Têm mesa livre?

    Do you have a free table?

  • Para quantas pessoas?

    For how many people?

  • Uma mesa para duas pessoas, por favor.

    A table for two, please.

  • Pode trazer a ementa, por favor?

    Could you bring the menu, please?

  • O que recomenda?

    What do you recommend?

  • Para beber, o que vão querer?

    What will you drink?

  • Já escolheram?

    Have you decided?

  • Vou querer o frango, por favor.

    I’ll have the chicken, please.

  • Precisamos de mais uns minutos.

    We need a few more minutes.

  • Podemos pedir, por favor?

    Can we order, please?

What is worth knowing in Portugal?

How a restaurant visit goes

  1. 1

    Say “boa noite” at the door and ask for a table.

    Têm mesa livre?Do you have a free table?
  2. 2

    A waiter shows you to a table and brings the menu, then asks about drinks.

    Para beber, o que vão querer?What will you drink?
  3. 3

    Take your time. Call the waiter over when you’re ready to order.

    Podemos pedir, por favor?Can we order, please?

The couvert

Bread, butter and olives often arrive before you order. If you eat them they go on the bill; if you’d rather not, ask for them to be taken away.

Não pedimos o couvert, pode retirá-lo?

We didn’t order the couvert, can you take it off?

Half portions

Mains in traditional restaurants can be big. Many places sell a meia dose, a half portion, so ask if you’re not very hungry.

Pode ser meia dose?

Could I have a half portion?

Questions about this situation

Which Portuguese phrases matter most here?
“Têm mesa livre?” (Do you have a free table); “Para quantas pessoas?” (For how many people); “Uma mesa para duas pessoas, por favor.” (A table for two, please). The full list is above.
Can I hear how they sound?
Not yet: this page has no recordings so far. Each phrase comes with its meaning in English.
How can I practise this conversation?
Press “Start the conversation” above to play it through and choose your replies, with a note on why some fit better in Portugal. Frasa, an iPhone app, lets you save these phrases and rehearse them out loud.

Related situations in Portuguese

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Practise these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.