Capítulo 10
Food & Restaurants
Ordering, eating, and paying — where Spanish starts paying off.
Mexican food is one of the real rewards of this whole process. You’ll eat dozens of meals during your weeks in the country, and the street taco stands and small fondas are where your Spanish gets most of its reps — and where you’ll have the most fun using it.
Getting a table
- A table for one, please
- A table for two
- Do you have a table available?
- Inside or outside? (the server’s question)
- Outside, please
- Can I have the menu?
In Mexico, la carta and el menú both mean “menu” — menú often specifically means a prix-fixe lunch menu (menú del día). Asking for la carta is always safe.
Ordering — the basic skeleton
Two polite formulas cover nearly all ordering:
- I’d like… please (polite default)
- Give me… please (casual, also normal)
- For me, [dish], please
- I’d like some al pastor tacos, please
- A coffee with milk, please
- For me, the soup of the day
Common Mexican dishes
You don’t need to memorize a huge menu — just enough to recognize and order the ones you like:
- tacos
- marinated pork tacos with pineapple
- slow-cooked pork tacos
- steak tacos
- quesadillas (cheese in a tortilla)
- tamales
- enchiladas
- mole (rich chile-chocolate sauce)
- hominy stew
- tortilla chips in salsa (breakfast classic)
- Mexican sandwiches
- tortilla soup
- rice
- beans
Drinks
- water
- sparkling water
- still water
- hibiscus water (extremely common, non-alcoholic)
- rice-cinnamon drink
- coffee
- coffee with milk
- tea
- a beer
- a soda
- orange juice
The critical question: spicy or not?
- Is it spicy? (literally “does it sting?”)
- Is it spicy?
- Not too spicy, please
- Not very spicy
- Without chile, please
“¿Pica?” is the most Mexican-sounding way to ask. The answer is almost always a qualified “a little” — trust your own tolerance, try a small bite first.
Dietary needs
- I’m vegetarian (male)
- I’m vegetarian (female)
- I’m vegan
- I don’t eat meat
- I don’t eat pork
- I’m allergic to […] (male)
- I’m allergic to peanuts (female)
- Without onions, please
- Does this have gluten?
During the meal
- Can you bring more salsa, please?
- More tortillas, please?
- It’s really good
- Can you bring napkins?
- I dropped my fork
- I’m done
Paying
- The bill, please
- Do you accept card?
- Cash only (what you’ll sometimes hear)
- Can I have a receipt?
- Keep the change
- How much is the tip? (usually 10–15%, sometimes already included as propina incluida)
On tips: 10% is polite, 15% is warm. Not tipping is noticed. Check the bill for propina incluida or servicio incluido before adding on top.
Small taquería / street stand
The micro-restaurants are where you’ll eat most. The language is simpler and more casual:
- What do you recommend?
- Three al pastor tacos, please
- With everything? (cilantro, onion, salsa)
- Yes, with everything
- Without onion, please
- To go
- For here
- How much do I owe you?
Rehearsal: full restaurant interaction
Mesero:
Usted:
Mesero:
Usted:
Mesero:
Usted:
Mesero:
Usted:
Mesero:
Usted:
…later…
Usted:
Mesero:
Usted:
Mesero:
Usted:
Next: Chapter 12 — Getting Around (taxis, Uber, buses, directions). Chapter 11 is already in place as your Colors & Adjectives reference.