Knowing how to conduct yourself and order food in a French restaurant can be a little tricky. There are some important differences between restaurants in France and other countries, including what foods are offered and how they are prepared. Even the way dishes are listed on most French menus is a little different. Knowing the terms to use in most French restaurants—and especially learning how to pronounce them correctly—is the key to ensuring that your restaurant experience is enjoyable and that you receive the food you want.
Understanding what your waiter is asking you or what the menu says—from "Qu'est-ce que je vous sers?" (What can I get you?) to "service compris" (tip included)—will soon have your server and others wishing you: "Bon appétit!" (Enjoy your meal!).
French Restaurant Terms and Pronunciations
The table below contains key French restaurant terms followed by their English translations. Click on the French words and phrases to hear how to pronounce them correctly.
French Term | English Translation |
to order | |
Have you decided? | |
What would you like? | |
What would you like? (Literally, "I'm listening to you.") | |
What are you having? | |
What can I get you? | |
I would like... | |
I'll have... | |
How much does ... cost? | |
Do you like it? Is everything ok? | |
Have you finished? | |
Was everything ok? | |
I am... | |
allergique à... | allergic to... |
diabetic | |
vegetarian | |
vegan | |
I can't eat... | |
very rare | |
rare | |
medium-rare | |
well done | |
le serveur | waiter |
la serveuse | waitress |
le/la chef | cook |
le menu | fixed-price meal |
la carte | menu |
à la carte | side order |
l'addition | check/bill |
le socle | base of credit card machine |
le pourboire | tip |
tip included | |
tip not included | |
Cheers! | |
Enjoy your meal | |
no smoking | |
no pets allowed |
A Typical French Restaurant Dialogue
Now that you know the key terms you might need to know to dine in a French restaurant, scan the table below to study a typical dialogue that might occur between a server ("serveur") and a student ("étudiant"). The first column lists the speaker, the second gives the French dialogue, and the third provides the English translation.
Serveur | Bonsoir Monsieur/Madame. | Good evening sir/ma'am. |
Étudiant | Bonsoir Madame/Monsieur. Je voudrais une table pour trois personnes, pour dîner, s'il vous plaît. | Good evening ma'am/sir. I would like a table for 3, for dinner, please. |
Serveur | Vous avez une reservation? | Do you have a reservation? |
Étudiant | Non, je n'ai pas de reservation. | No, I don't have a reservation. |
Serveur | Pas de problème. Voici une table pour 3 personnes, et voici la carte. | No problem. Here is a table for 3, and here is the menu. |
Étudiant | Merci Madame/Monsieur. S'il vous plaît. | Thank you ma'am/sir. Excuse me? |
Serveur | Oui Monsieur/Madame ? | Yes sir/ma'am ? |
Étudiant | Je voudrais de l'eau. | I would like some water. |
Serveur | Oui Monsieur/Madame. Et pour dîner, vous avez choisi ? | Yes sir/ma'am. And for dinner, have you decided? |
Étudiant | Je voudrais le menu à 15 Euros. | I would like the set price menu for 15 Euros. |
Serveur | Oui. En entrée ? | Yes. For the appetizer? |
Étudiant | Je voudrais le paté. | I would like the paté. |
Serveur | Et en plat principal. | And for your main course? |
Étudiant | Je voudrais le steak frites. | I would like the steak with French fries. |
Serveur | Bien Monsieur/Madame, quelle cuisson ? | OK sir/ma'am, how would you like it cooked? |
Étudiant | Bien cuit, s'il vous plaît. Non, à point, s'il vous plaît. | Well done please. No, medium rare, please. |
Serveur | En dessert? | For dessert? |
Étudiant | Une glace à la vanille. Et, excusez-moi Madame/ Monsieur, où sont les toilettes ? | Vanilla ice cream. And, excuse me ma'am/sir, where is the restroom? |
Serveur | Au sous-sol. | In the basement. |
Étudiant | Je ne comprends pas. Vous pouvez répéter s'il vous plaît ? | I don't understand. Could you repeat please? |
Serveur | Au sous sol. Vous descendez l'escalier. | In the basement. Go down the stairs. |
Étudiant | Oh, je comprends maintenant. Merci. | Ah, now I understand. Thank you. |
Serveur | Comment vous trouvez votre steak frites ? | How is your steak? |
Étudiant | C'est délicieux. C'est parfait. | It's delicious. It's perfect. |
Étudiant | L'addition s'il vous plaît. | May I have the check, please? |
Serveur | Bien Monsieur/Madame. Vous pouvez payer à la caisse. | OK sir/ma'am. You can pay at the register. |
How to Read a French Menu
Reading the menu in a French restaurant can be a little tricky, and not just due to language difficulties. There may be important differences between restaurants in France and in your own country, including what foods are offered and how they are prepared. Here are some terms and tips to help you find your way around a French menu. Enjoy your meal—or "Bon appétit!"
Types of menus
Le menu and la formule refer to the fixed-price menu, which includes two or more courses (with limited choices for each) and is usually the least expensive way to eat out in France.
The choices may be written on the ardoise, which literally means "slate." Ardoise can also refer to the specials board the restaurant might display outside or on a wall at the entrance. The sheet of paper or booklet that the waiter hands you (what English speakers call the "menu") is la carte, and anything you order from it is à la carte, which means "fixed-price menu."
A couple of other important menus to know are:
- La carte des vins, which is the wine menu
- Une dégustation, which refers to a tasting menu, with small servings of multiple dishes (déguster means "to taste")
Courses
A French meal may include numerous courses, in this order:
- un apéritif - cocktail, pre-dinner drink
- un amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule - snack (just one or two bites)
- une entrée - appetizer/starter (false cognate alert: entree can mean "main course" in English)
- le plat principal - main course
- le fromage - cheese
- le dessert - dessert
- le café - coffee
- un digestif - after-dinner drink
Special Terms
In addition to knowing how French restaurants list their food items and prices, as well as the names of courses, you should also familiarise yourself with special food terms.
- Le plat du jour is the daily special (literally, "dish of the day"), which is usually part of le menu.
- Gratuit and offert both mean "free."
- The waiter will often add the word petit ("little") to his offer: Un petit dessert? Un petit café?
- When you're full, say : "Je n'en peux plus" or "J'ai bien/trop mangé."
Other Terms
There's no way around it: To really feel comfortable ordering from the menu in a French restaurant, you'll need to learn a number of common terms. But, don't fret: The list below includes almost all common terms you would need to know to impress your friends while ordering in French. The list is broken down by categories, such as food preparation, portions and ingredients, and even regional dishes.
Food Preparation | |
affiné | aged |
artisanal | homemade, traditionally made |
à la broche | cooked on a skewer |
à la vapeur | steamed |
à l'etouffée | stewed |
au four | baked |
biologique, bio | organic |
bouilli | boiled |
brûlé | burnt |
coupé en dés | diced |
coupé en tranches / rondelles | sliced |
en croûte | in a crust |
en daube | in stew, casserole |
en gelée | in aspic/gelatin |
farci | stuffed |
fondu | melted |
frit | fried |
fumé | smoked |
glacé | frozen, icy, glazed |
grillé | grilled |
haché | minced, ground (meat) |
maison | homemade |
poêlé | panfried |
relevé | highly seasoned, spicy |
séché | dried |
truffé | with truffles |
truffé de ___ | dotted/speckled with ___ |
Tastes | |
aigre | sour |
amer | bitter |
piquant | spicy |
salé | salty, savory |
sucré | sweet(ened) |
Portions, Ingredients, and Appearance | |
aiguillettes | long, thin slices (of meat) |
aile | wing, white meat |
aromates | seasoning |
___ à volonté (e.g., frites à volonté) | all you can eat |
la choucroute | sauerkraut |
crudités | raw vegetables |
cuisse | thigh, dark meat |
émincé | thin slice (of meat) |
fines herbes | sweet herbs |
un méli-mélo | assortment |
un morceau | piece |
au pistou | with basil pesto |
une poêlée de ___ | assorted fried ___ |
la purée | mashed potatoes |
une rondelle | slice (of fruit, vegetable, sausage) |
une tranche | slice (of bread, cake, meat) |
une truffe | truffle (very expensive and rare fungus) |
Typical French and Regional Dishes | |
aïoli | fish/vegetables with garlic mayonnaise |
aligot | mashed potatoes with fresh cheese (Auvergne) |
le bœuf bourguignon | beef stew (Burgundy) |
le brandade | dish made with cod (Nîmes) |
la bouillabaisse | fish stew (Provence) |
le cassoulet | meat and bean casserole (Languedoc) |
la choucroute (garnie) | sauerkraut with meat (Alsace) |
le clafoutis | fruit and thick custard tart |
le coq au vin | chicken in red wine sauce |
la crême brûlée | custard with a burnt sugar top |
la crème du Barry | cream of cauliflower soup |
une crêpe | very thin pancake |
un croque madame | ham and cheese sandwich topped with fried egg |
un croque monsieur | ham and cheese sandwich |
une daube | meat stew |
le foie gras | goose liver |
___ frites (moules frites, steak frites) | ___ with fries/chips (mussels with fries/chips, steak with fries/chips) |
une gougère | puff pastry filled with cheese |
la pipérade | tomato and bell pepper omelet (Basque) |
la pissaladière | onion and anchovy pizza (Provence) |
la quiche lorraine | bacon and cheese quiche |
la (salade de) chèvre (chaud) | green salad with goat cheese on toast |
la salade niçoise | mixed salad with anchovies, tuna, and hard boiled eggs |
la socca | baked chickpea crêpe (Nice) |
la soupe à l'oignon | French onion soup |
la tarte flambée | pizza with very light crust (Alsace) |
la tarte normande | apple and custard pie (Normandy) |
la tarte tatin | upside down apple pie |