A1–A2 · Vocabulary list

Food & Restaurants

Order confidently, understand the bill, and talk about food like a regular.

menun

The list of food and drinks a restaurant offers.

“Could I see the menu, please?”

waiter / waitressn

A person who takes your order and brings your food in a restaurant.

“The waiter recommended the fish today.”

orderv/n

To ask for the food or drink you want.

“Are you ready to order, or do you need more time?”

billn

The piece of paper that shows how much you need to pay.

“Could we have the bill, please?”

reservationn

Booking a table in advance.

“I made a reservation for two people at 7pm.”

startern

A small dish eaten before the main meal.

“We shared a starter of garlic bread.”

main coursen

The biggest, central dish of a meal.

“For my main course, I’ll have the grilled chicken.”

dessertn

A sweet dish eaten at the end of a meal.

“Is there any room left for dessert?”

tipn/v

Extra money given to say thank you for good service.

“We left a 10% tip because the service was great.”

takeawayn

Food bought at a restaurant to eat somewhere else.

“Let’s just get a takeaway tonight — I’m too tired to cook.”

leftoversn

Food that is not eaten and is saved for later.

“I’ll have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”

allergicadj

Having a bad reaction to a certain food (or something else).

“I’m allergic to peanuts, so I always check the ingredients.”

spicyadj

Having a strong, hot taste (like chili).

“This soup is too spicy for me — do you have anything milder?”

recipen

A set of instructions for cooking a dish.

“She found the recipe online and tried it that evening.”

ingredientn

One of the foods or substances used to make a dish.

“Flour, eggs and sugar are the main ingredients.”

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