It’s Professor Dave, let’s grab a bite.
If you’re planning a visit to Italy, you might be interested in the scenery and the
history, but if you’re anything like me, you’re going there to eat.
There is nothing better than finding a sunny piazza and sitting down to a great meal and
a glass of wine.
Fortunately, it’s pretty tough to find a bad restaurant in most cities, they tend to
range from decent to exquisite.
And even though we’ve already learned a lot of food-related vocabulary, we will definitely
want to make sure that we are ready to communicate at a restaurant, since we will be spending
a lot of time in these places.
Here’s a lovely ristorante.
Let’s head inside for some grub.
First, you’ll want to ask for a table.
If you would specifically like a table outside, you could say:
Contrary to popular belief, you wouldn’t say “al fresco” in such a case, as this
means in the cool, not outside.
If you’ve made a reservation, you might say:
Once we sit down at the table, what do we find?
For a regular meal, this is all the equipment we need.
So what meal are we eating?
If it’s lunch or dinner, there may be several courses.
We’ve already gone over most of the types of food you might order for these various
courses, so make sure to brush up on that vocabulary before you peek at the menu.
But if you’re in Italy, you’ll probably want some wine with your meal.
If you don’t know which wine to order but you like your wine a certain way, you can
communicate this as well.
It rarely disappoints.
If wine isn’t your thing, you may want la birra.
Italians aren’t known for their beer, there are just a few local options like Peroni and
Birra Moretti.
They won’t blow your mind like the wine might, but Italians seem to love them with
pizza on a hot day.
If you don’t like alcohol at all, perhaps just some water.
You can order l’acqua naturale if you prefer still mineral water, or l’acqua gassata
or frizzante, if you prefer sparkling.
Italians don’t drink tap water at all, so get used to purchasing bottled water everywhere
you go.
Also, you’ll probably get some bread at the table.
If they don’t bring any, feel free to ask for it.
It’s delicious.
Eventually you’ll be asked if you’re ready to order.
Before you order, you’ll probably be told about some daily specials.
These are found on il menù del giorno.
If none of these interest you, you can order from the “menù”.
A phrase that is great to use when ordering is “io vorrei”.
Io voglio, which would mean I want, is a little too strong and therefore considered rude when
ordering.
Instead, io vorrei essentially means “I would like”, but it also roughly translates
to “may I have”, so it’s a rather polite way to order.
You may have a question about a specific item on the menu.
If you’re not sure what to order, you can ask for a recommendation.
Some restaurants have specific specialties, so just say
Sometimes there are special menus, like un menù a prezzo fisso.
This is a set price for a meal consisting of several courses, sometimes also called
il menù turistico, but these are never the best, and should be probably be avoided in
favor of simply ordering à la carte.
Perhaps during the meal, you notice that something is missing or wrong with the meal.
But hopefully, none of these issues crop up, and you have the meal of a lifetime.
Once the meal is over, you’ll probably be offered a variety of beverages.
After a moment to digest, it’s time to pay.
That’s all you need to know to get through a meal at an Italian restaurant.
If that’s all you were interested in learning this whole time, by all means stop now and
book that flight.
But if you’re a student, no time to daydream about pasta, we’d better get back to the grammar.