Eating Out in France: How to Order Food in French

Imagine the situation: you are in Paris, and saw a great table in a typical French restaurant. And yes, the table isn't reserved. Yes! Luck is on your side!

You sit down, eagerly thinking what you could try, which typical French dish would be ideal for you.

The waiter approaches, and just when you want to order, you realize that he doesn't speak English. It wouldn't be so devastating if you didn't realize that you don't know how to order in French!

If you don't want this to happen to you, you should start learning French right now, preferably with French tutors.

No matter if you are a French learner and you want to expand your vocabulary, or you want to learn phrases so that you communicate with the locals while you are on a visit to one of the French-speaking countries, learning how to order food in French is the basics.

That's why in the following lines, we will provide you with some food-related words and phrases that should prepare you to freely communicate in French bars and restaurants.

Let's dive in.

How to Order Food in French

Even though the French have some different customs when it comes to food and restaurants, the perfect way to learn them, besides phrases and expressions, is to be there and see how they do that.

But before you sit down in a restaurant, you should be equipped with proper phrases and expressions.

How to Make a Reservation

French cuisine is worldwide-known and also one of the favorites. 

That's why you should make a reservation no matter if you are staying in one of the big cities or in cute French villages.

You surely don't want to remain without a table since you never know if you will find one.

Here, we are giving you some practical expressions that can help you make a reservation.

• Bonjour, je voudrais réserver une table, s’il vous plaît- Hello, I would like to book a table, please.

• Pour combien ?- For how many?

• Pour quatre personnes.- For four people

• Pour quand ?- For when?

• Pour ce soir à 20h.- For this evening at 8 p.m.

• A quel nom ?- On what name?

Arriving at The Restaurant

Now, when you've made a reservation, you can be calm.

But when you arrive, you have to explain that you've already reserved the table and other details.

How will you do that?

Here are some examples.

Situation 1:

Bonjour- Good afternoon/ Bonsoir- Good evening

J’ai réservé une table au nom de …- I have reserved a table in the name of …

Situation 2:

Bonjour- Good afternoon/ Bonsoir- Good evening

Vous avez une réservation?- Do you have a reservation?

Oui, au nom de….- Yes, in the name of …

If you haven't made a reservation, you can always ask if there is a free table or free spot anywhere in the restaurant.

• On est deux.- There are two of us.

What to Order?

Most French restaurants work the same way as others around the world.

Waiters come and you order your food or drink, eventually asking for a dish of the day or some suggestions of what to order.

When talking in the restaurant, be polite. Using ‘S’il vous plaît’ (please) when you get your order is an inevitable part of communication.

But before you order, first, you have to take a look at the menu:

• La carte — Menu

• À la carte — From the menu

• Prix fixe — Set menu

•  L’entrée — Appetizer

• Le dessert — Dessert

• Le digestif — After-dinner drink

• Le fromage — Cheese plate

• Le plat principal — Main dish

In case you haven't heard yet, in French restaurants, there are two types of meals: ‘À la carte’  (from the menu) and ‘prix fixe’ (set menu).

A la carte is a meal where you have the main meal and the dessert so you can make a combination you want.

Prix fixe are several specific meals you can choose for a special price. Compared to the previous one, there are fewer combinations but it is much cheaper than a la carte.

Something to Drink?

Before you order some delicious French dishes, you may order something to drink. France is well-known for its finest wines so you can consider trying one.

But here are some drink-related words.

• Les boissons- Drinks

• Le café- Coffee

• Le cappuccino- Cappuccino

• Le café crème- white coffee

• L’eau- Water

• Le thé- Tea

• La bière- Beer

• Le vin- Wine

• Carafe d’eau- Jug of water

If you don't want anything to drink, that's fine. If you only want water with your meal you can ask a waiter and get a jug of water for which you don't have to pay.

Let's Eat

Now, it's time to check out the menu and dishes.

Let the feast begin.

Viande et poisson- Meat and fish

• L’agneau — Lamb

• Le bifteck- Steak

•  Le bœuf — Beef

• Le poisson — Fish

• Le poulet — Chicken

• Le porc — Pork

• Le rosbif- Roast beef

• La dinde- Turkey

Les légumes — Vegetables

• Le champignon- Mushroom

• Le concombre- Cucumber

• Le haricot- Bean

• L’oignon- Onion

• Les pommes de terre — Potatoes

• La carotte- Carrot

• La tomate- Tomato

Les fruits- fruits

• Le pamplemousse- Grapefruit

• Le raisin- Grapes

• Les fraises — Strawberries

• La banane — Banana

• La cerise- Cherry

• La pomme — Apple

Les produits laitiers- Dairy products

• Le fromage — Cheese

• Le fromage blanc- Cream cheese

• Le beurre- Butter

• Le lait- Milk

Desserts et Douceurs- Desserts and sweets

• Le biscuit- Cookie

• Les bonbons- Candies

• Le gâteau- Cake

• La glace — Ice cream

Autres repas et plats- Other meals and dishes

• Le riz — Ric

• Le pain — Bread

• Les pâtes — Pasta

• La soupe — Soup

Phrases to Order Food

And the time has come.

Now, you have to order food.

Some of the following phrases can help you manage the rest of the order.

• Je prendrai...- I will take...

• Je voudrais...- I would like...

• Quelle est la spécialité du jour?- What is today’s special?

• Qu’est-ce que vous recommander?- What would you recommend?

• Une minute, s’il vous plait.- One minute, please.

• L’addition, s’il vous plait.- The bill, please.

Final Thoughts

And that’s it!

You’ve made it on your own!

But before we pay the bill, you should know one tiny thing.

In French restaurants, it is very rare to ask for leftovers and take them with you for your pets. Moreover, if you ask that, it is considered rude.

The French eaters consider that if you haven’t eaten the whole dish, it means that you don’t want to eat it anymore.

Also, giving tips in France is a little bit different than in some English-speaking countries, like, for example, the USA. In France, it isn’t considered to leave a tip and the bill is usually the only thing you have to pay. Things, however, slowly started to change so if you really want to give a tip, it is accepted that for every 20 euros spent, you leave 1 euro tip.

So, if you are planning to visit some of the Francophone countries, not only will these expressions be handy but it will also be a great way to practice your French speaking skills and also understand the French culture in practice.

If you still haven’t started practicing the language, French tutors are an ideal solution both for beginners and for those who want to polish their conversational skills.