Hostess greeting you at the door
¡Hola! ¿Para cuántos?
Hi! For how many?
You could say
Para cuatro, por favor.
For four, please.
Spain · Restaurant
Eating Out in Spain: What Waiters Actually Say
Most phrasebooks teach you how to order. The hard part is understanding the reply — and in a Spanish restaurant, the waiter speaks first.
The first Spanish you'll hear in a restaurant isn't a greeting. It's "¿Para cuántos?" — how many of you — fired at you before you're fully through the door. If you're braced to deliver a memorized sentence about a table for four, you'll miss it entirely.
That's the pattern for the whole meal. You will spend far more time listening than talking, and the phrases that trip people up aren't the ones in the phrasebook — they're the quick, routine questions a server asks a hundred times a day without slowing down.
Getting seated
This happens fast, usually while you're still standing in the doorway.
Hostess when the restaurant is full
Ahora mismo no tenemos mesa. ¿Podéis esperar unos diez minutos?
We don't have a table right now. Can you wait about ten minutes?
You could say
Sí, esperamos. Gracias.
Yes, we'll wait. Thanks.
Hostess offering seating options
¿Queréis sentaros dentro o en la terraza?
Do you want to sit inside or on the terrace?
You could say
En la terraza, por favor.
On the terrace, please.
ℹ️ Worth knowing before you answer — the terrace often costs more. That's the next exchange.
Server informing you about terrace pricing
La terraza tiene un suplemento de un euro por bebida.
The terrace has a surcharge of one euro per drink.
You could say
Vale, no pasa nada.
OK, no problem.
All four of these land in the first thirty seconds, usually before you've sat down.
Hear them at full speed →Ordering
Where the menú del día appears, and where most confusion lives.
Server handing you menus
¿Van a querer el menú del día o a la carta?
Will you want the set menu or à la carte?
You could say
El menú del día, por favor.
The set menu, please.
ℹ️ The menú del día is a fixed-price weekday lunch — typically three courses and a drink for around €12–15. It's usually the best value on the table, and often not written in English anywhere.
Server explaining the menú del día
El menú incluye primero, segundo y postre. ¿Qué queréis de primero?
The set menu includes first course, second course, and dessert. What do you want for the first course?
You could say
De primero, la sopa. De segundo, el pollo.
For the first course, the soup. For the second, the chicken.
Server taking your order
¿Qué van a tomar?
What can I get you?
You could say
Para mí, el...
For me, the...
Server asking about drinks
¿Para beber?
To drink?
You could say
Agua del grifo, por favor.
Tap water, please.
ℹ️ Ask for agua del grifo and it's free. Say just agua and you'll get a bottle you pay for.
Server offering starters while you decide
¿Os pongo algo para picar mientras miráis la carta?
Shall I bring you something to nibble while you look at the menu?
You could say
Sí, unas aceitunas y pan, por favor.
Yes, some olives and bread, please.
Finishing and paying
The part travellers get wrong most often — nothing happens until you ask.
Server after you finish eating
¿Queréis postre o café?
Do you want dessert or coffee?
You could say
No, gracias, solo la cuenta, por favor.
No thank you, just the bill please.
ℹ️ This is usually your best opening to ask for the bill. Take it — otherwise you may be sitting a while.
Server asking how to split the bill
¿Junto o por separado?
Together or separate?
You could say
Junto, por favor.
Together, please.