Ordering in a restaurant | TEF Vocabulary

Restaurant dialogues are one of the most tested everyday situations in the TEF. They appear in listening tasks (a waiter and a customer, a phone booking, a dispute about the bill), in reading tasks (menus, restaurant reviews), and occasionally in speaking prompts where you role-play a customer or describe a dining experience. The vocabulary is specific and well-defined. Once you have it solid, you can handle any restaurant-themed task without hesitation.

What you’ll learn

Use accurate vocabulary for booking a table, ordering, and paying in French
Understand a restaurant dialogue from first greeting to bill settlement
Read a French menu and identify key terms for courses, dishes, and dietary needs
Describe a restaurant experience in a short speaking or writing answer

Booking a table

Restaurant tasks sometimes begin with a phone booking. The vocabulary is formulaic and easy to learn as a set of fixed exchanges.

réserver une table: to book a table
une réservation: a booking
pour combien de personnes?: for how many people?
à quel nom?: in what name?
à quelle heure?: at what time?
une table pour deux / quatre personnes: a table for two / four
en salle / en terrasse: inside / on the terrace
fumeur / non-fumeur: smoking / non-smoking (now rarely used, but may appear in older texts)
confirmer: to confirm
annuler: to cancel
complet: fully booked

Bonjour, je voudrais réserver une table pour quatre personnes, samedi soir à vingt heures. À quel nom? Dupont. D-U-P-O-N-T.
Hello, I would like to book a table for four people, Saturday evening at eight o'clock. In what name? Dupont. D-U-P-O-N-T.

The menu and courses

A French restaurant menu follows a clear structure. Understanding the layout helps you follow a dialogue about ordering and helps in reading comprehension tasks about food.

la carte: the menu (general term)
le menu: a set menu at a fixed price
le plat du jour: the dish of the day
l'entrée (f): starter, first course
le plat principal: main course
le dessert: dessert
le fromage: cheese (often served between main and dessert in France)
la formule: a set deal (e.g. entrée + plat, or plat + dessert)
à la carte: ordering individual dishes (not a set menu)
le menu du jour: today's set menu
le menu gastronomique: tasting menu / fine dining menu

Nous prenons le menu du jour: une soupe à l'oignon en entrée, un confit de canard en plat principal, et une tarte tatin en dessert.
We are having today's set menu: an onion soup as a starter, a duck confit as a main course, and a tarte tatin for dessert.

Menu vs. carte: a key distinction

"Prendre le menu" means choosing a set-price deal. "Commander à la carte" means choosing freely from the full list of dishes. In a listening task, if a character says "je vais prendre le menu", they are having a set deal, not just browsing the menu booklet.

Ordering and interacting with the waiter

The bulk of any restaurant dialogue takes place during ordering. These are the most common phrases on both sides of the exchange.

le serveur / la serveuse: waiter / waitress
Vous avez choisi?: Have you decided? (waiter's opening question)
Je voudrais... / Je vais prendre...: I would like... / I will have...
Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez?: What do you recommend?
C'est quoi, exactement...?: What exactly is...?
Je suis allergique à...: I am allergic to...
Je suis végétarien(ne) / végétalien(ne): I am vegetarian / vegan
sans gluten: gluten-free
bien cuit / à point / saignant: well done / medium / rare (for meat)
l'apéritif (m): aperitif, pre-dinner drink
la boisson: drink
l'eau minérale: mineral water
carafe d'eau: jug of tap water (free in France)
Encore un peu de...?: Would you like a little more...?

Excusez-moi, je suis allergique aux noix. Est-ce que le dessert en contient? Et pourriez-vous m'apporter une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît?
Excuse me, I am allergic to nuts. Does the dessert contain any? And could you bring me a jug of tap water, please?

Problems and complaints

TEF dialogues sometimes include a problem at the restaurant. These phrases let you follow or produce a complaint scenario.

Ce n'est pas ce que j'ai commandé.: This is not what I ordered.
C'est froid / trop salé / trop cuit.: It is cold / too salty / overcooked.
Il y a une erreur dans l'addition.: There is a mistake in the bill.
Pouvez-vous refaire le plat?: Can you remake the dish?
Je voudrais parler au responsable.: I would like to speak to the manager.
Je ne suis pas satisfait(e) du service.: I am not happy with the service.
Pouvez-vous vérifier?: Can you check?

Excusez-moi, mais ce n'est pas ce que j'ai commandé. J'avais demandé le confit de canard et vous m'avez apporté le saumon. Il y a peut-être une erreur.
Excuse me, but this is not what I ordered. I had asked for the duck confit and you have brought me the salmon. There may be a mistake.

Paying the bill

The end of a restaurant dialogue usually involves the bill. These phrases cover the most common exchanges.

l'addition (f): the bill
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.: The bill, please.
C'est pour payer.: We would like to pay.
On paie ensemble / séparément.: We are paying together / separately.
Le service est compris?: Is service included?
laisser un pourboire: to leave a tip
payer en espèces / par carte: to pay in cash / by card
le ticket de caisse / le reçu: receipt
avoir de la monnaie: to have change

L'addition, s'il vous plaît. On paie séparément. Le service est compris? Non? Alors je laisse un pourboire.
The bill, please. We are paying separately. Is service included? No? Then I will leave a tip.

How to practise this

Practice ideas for restaurant vocabulary

Role-play both sides of a restaurant booking dialogue out loud: call, give a name and time, ask for inside or terrace, confirm. Then do the same for an ordering dialogue. Switch roles after each attempt.
Find the online menu of a real French restaurant (search "carte restaurant Paris"). Read through the entrées, plats, and desserts in French. You will encounter vocabulary like "feuilleté", "confit", "émincé", and "sorbet" in authentic context.
Write a short review (60 to 80 words) of an imaginary restaurant meal. Include what you ordered (one entrée, one plat), a small complaint or compliment about the service, and a sentence about the bill. This format mirrors the TEF writing task structure.

Key takeaways

"Prendre le menu" means ordering a set deal; "commander à la carte" means choosing freely: this distinction comes up in listening comprehension questions.
The waiter's opening question is "Vous avez choisi?" and your answer starts with "Je vais prendre..." or "Je voudrais...".
Allergy and dietary vocabulary (allergique, végétarien, sans gluten) is important both for comprehension and for exam speaking tasks.
"L'addition" is the bill in a restaurant: do not confuse it with "la facture" (invoice) used for professional or utility bills.
A complaint in a restaurant always starts with an apology ("Excusez-moi") and a specific description of the problem: this is expected both socially and in an exam answer.