English · A2 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
At a restaurant
Reserve, order courses, explain a need, and ask for the bill.
Understand the choice
Restaurant language moves from reservation and menu through courses to bill and tip. Server is gender-neutral in American English; waiter/waitress remain common.
Core rule: Would like softens an order; have for food choices and could we have… are common service frames.
Notice it in context
We would like a table for two and the bill later, please.
Quisiéramos una mesa para dos y la cuenta después, por favor.
Would like is polite conditional wording; for two gives party size; bill names the final request.
For a starter, I will have soup; the main course is fish.
Soup is my first dish, and fish is my central dish.
Starter and main course organize the meal.
The server brings a side dish, the bill, and information about the tip.
The restaurant worker brings the extra dish and payment details.
Server, side dish, bill, and tip appear directly.
What to remember
- The menu lists food; the bill lists what you owe.
- Check can mean the restaurant bill in US English.
Common trap: Do not ask for the recipe when you mean the bill.