Eating out in an English-speaking country? Want to sound more natural when talking about restaurants? This lesson is for you! Learn useful restaurant phrases, understand cultural differences between the UK and the US, and get real listening practice to boost your fluency.🗣️
What You'll Learn in This Lesson• How to ask where to eat
• Ordering food at a restaurant
• Talking to servers and making requests
• Paying the bill/check and tipping
• Describing your dining experience
• Common restaurant idioms
📖 Essential Restaurant Phrases
Should we eat out tonight?
• Where should we go for dinner?
• I'm in the mood for Italian food.
• What about that place we went to last time?
• Do we need to book a table or can we just show up?
• Do you have a reservation?
• For how many?
• We have a 30-minute wait. Would you like me to put your name on the list?
• Is there room at the bar?
• Can I get a water as well? (British vs. American pronunciation: water vs. wah-der)
• Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?
• I think we’re ready.
• I'll have the pasta with chicken, please.
• Can I get the burger but without onions?
• How is everything?
• Excuse me, I ordered fries, not broccoli.
• Can I get these out of your way? (When they take your empty plates.)
• Can we get the check, please? (US) / Can we get the bill, please? (UK)
Tipping in the US
• Standard tip = 20%
• If the meal is $50, you leave a $10 tip.
• It’s not obligatory, but it’s expected.Talking About the Restaurant Experience• I should have ordered the burger.
• I should have left a bigger tip.
• The food was okay, but it wasn’t worth the price.
• Those portions were way too small.
• That was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time!
• The server was really rude. / The server was great!
🍕 Takeout, Delivery & Fast Food• In the UK, it’s called takeaway. In the US, it’s takeout.
• I rarely get takeout, but sometimes I do on a Friday night.
• Drive-throughs are common in the US, especially for coffee.
🏆 Restaurant Idioms
• Bite off more than you can chew – Taking on too much responsibility.
• Have a lot on your plate – Being very busy with many responsibilities.
• Leave a bad taste in your mouth – Having a negative experience that stays with you.
🎯 What to Do Next:
✅ Rewatch the lesson and repeat the phrases.
✅ Check the description for learning resources.
✅ Share this lesson with a friend!