Taste of China: A Guide to Ordering Food & Drinks in Chinese Restaurants
To order food and drinks in a Chinese restaurant, use simple and polite phrases that include the dish or drink name alongside measure words and quantities. Common ways to start ordering include saying:
- 我要 (wǒ yào) + number + 份 (fèn, measure word for dishes) + dish name — “I want [number] orders of [dish].”
- 给我来个 (gěi wǒ lái ge) + dish — “Give me a [dish].”
- 点菜 (diǎn cài) — “I would like to order.”
For drinks, replace 份 (fèn) with 杯 (bēi, measure word for cups or glasses):
- 我要 (wǒ yào) + number + 杯 (bēi) + drink — “I want [number] glasses of [drink].”
If unsure how to pronounce a dish or want to order something pictured, point and say:
- 我要一份这个 (wǒ yào yí fèn zhè ge) — “I would like one order of this.”
Some useful additional phrases:
- 请给我们… (qǐng gěi wǒmen) — “Please give us…”
- 服务员 (fúwùyuán) — “Waiter/Waitress” (to call the server)
- 菜单 (càidān) — “Menu”
- 辣 (là) — “Spicy” (ask for level of spiciness)
- 干杯 (gānbēi) — “Cheers!”
- 谢谢 (xièxiè) — “Thank you”
Example of ordering one spicy chicken dish and two beer:
我要一份辣子鸡 (wǒ yào yí fèn làzi jī) — “I want one order of spicy chicken.”
我要两杯啤酒 (wǒ yào liǎng bēi píjiǔ) — “I want two glasses of beer.”
Polite way to ask for the menu:
服务员，来一份菜单 (fúwùyuán, lái yí fèn càidān) — “Waiter, may I have a menu, please?”
To confirm you have finished ordering, say:
就这些 (jiù zhèxiē) — “That’s all.”
These phrases will help in ordering food and drinks efficiently in a Chinese restaurant. Pointing to dishes on the menu and using simple numbers with measure words makes communication easier, especially if pronunciation is challenging.