Eating Out in Portuguese: Restaurant Phrases and Menu Words

Food is one of the joys of the Portuguese-speaking world, and knowing the words makes eating out easier.

Getting a table

• Uma mesa para dois, por favor. — A table for two, please.
• Tem mesa livre? — Do you have a free table?
• Posso ver o cardápio? (BR) / a ementa? (PT) — May I see the menu?

Ordering

• Eu queria... / Quero... — I'd like...
• Vou querer o peixe. — I'll have the fish.
• O que você recomenda? — What do you recommend?
• Pode trazer a conta, por favor? — Can you bring the bill, please?
• A conta, por favor. — The bill, please.

Menu words

Portuguese	Meaning
entrada	starter
prato principal	main course
sobremesa	dessert
bebida	drink
pão	bread
carne	meat
peixe	fish
frango	chicken
arroz	rice
feijão	beans
salada	salad
sopa	soup
queijo	cheese
ovo	egg
fruta	fruit

Drinks

Portuguese	Meaning
água (com/sem gás)	water (sparkling/still)
suco (BR) / sumo (PT)	juice
cerveja	beer
vinho	wine
café	coffee
chá	tea
leite	milk

Cooking styles

• grelhado — grilled
• frito — fried
• assado — roasted or baked
• cozido — boiled or stewed
• ao molho — in sauce

Regional favourites

• Brazil: feijoada (black bean and meat stew), pão de queijo, moqueca (fish stew), churrasco (barbecue).
• Portugal: bacalhau (salt cod), caldo verde (soup) and pastel de nata (custard tart).

Dietary needs

• Sou vegetariano / vegetariana. — I'm vegetarian.
• Não como carne. — I don't eat meat.
• Sou alérgico / alérgica a... — I'm allergic to...
• Sem glúten — gluten-free

Customs

• In Brazil, restaurants often add a service charge (serviço) to the bill.
• In Portugal, bread and starters (couvert) brought to the table are charged if you eat them.

Compliments

• Estava delicioso! — It was delicious!
• Está uma delícia. — It's delightful.

Tips

1. Use "queria" or "vou querer" to order politely.
2. Learn the main menu words.
3. Use the dictionary to check dish names.

Look up any word with English Portuguese Dictionary →