How to order in a French café or restaurant
Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:
Ordering in French is less about vocabulary and more about formula. The conditional je voudrais is your safest tool, bonjour opens every exchange, and a few set phrases carry you from the table to the bill.
The golden formulas
Always begin with bonjour before anything else; skipping it is the most common politeness mistake visitors make. Then order with je voudrais (I would like) or je vais prendre (I will have): je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. Je veux (I want) exists but sounds blunt with strangers.
During the meal
Useful mid-meal phrases: encore un peu d'eau, s'il vous plaît (a little more water), c'est très bon (it is very good), and vous avez... ? to ask what is available. At the end, ask for l'addition, s'il vous plaît for the bill. Service is included by law in France, so a tip is a small extra, not an obligation.
| Situation | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | Bonjour, une table pour deux, s'il vous plaît. | Hello, a table for two, please. |
| Ordering | Je voudrais le menu du jour. | I would like the set menu. |
| Ordering | Je vais prendre un thé. | I will have a tea. |
| Asking | Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | What do you recommend? |
| Paying | L'addition, s'il vous plaît. | The bill, please. |
Mistakes to avoid
Do not start with je veux or just the food name; add je voudrais and s'il vous plaît. Garçon shouted across the room is outdated and rude; say s'il vous plaît or excusez-moi. Remember vous, not tu, with staff. And un café means an espresso; for a longer coffee with milk ask for un café crème or un café au lait depending on the place.
Regional notes help too. In France, un café is an espresso and un café allongé is a longer black coffee; asking for un americano is understood in cities. In France you can ask for a free carafe of tap water: une carafe d'eau. Bread is often included with the meal, but practices vary. Courses follow entrée, plat, dessert, where une entrée is the starter, not the main. If you have an allergy, say je suis allergique aux noix before ordering. Practise the whole exchange as a short dialogue with a partner, swapping roles, because the listening half, understanding the server's questions, is where most learners struggle first.
Quick self-check
Choose the polite order: (Je veux / Je voudrais) un croissant, s'il vous plaît.
Show answer
Je voudrais
What do you say first when entering a café?
Show answer
Bonjour
How do you ask for the bill?
Show answer
L'addition, s'il vous plaît
Choose: un café au lait means a coffee (with milk / black).
Show answer
with milk