Italy is well known all over the the world for being one of the best countries for food! As a result, next time you go to Italy, you will want to eat in a restaurant or trattoria. Why not have an authentic experience and order your food in Italian?
A typical Italian dinner or cena is usually comprised of a 3 courses.
The first part of the meal is called the antipasto. This is usually brought before the meal and consists of a nice snack like cheese, bread or olives.
The second part of the meal is called the primo. This is the first substantial course and consists of pasta, soup or rice. This is where you will find amazing pasta dishes like the ones in the movies.
Similarly, after the first main course you have the secondo which is the main part of the meal. As a result, this will usually consist of some type of meat or fish.
These are the main courses that comprise an Italian meal. However, you can also order plenty of additional things to go alongside your meal like a vegetable dish, cheese, fruit, and dessert.
Now you know what to expect in an Italian restaurant and it’s time to eat. How do you order your food in Italian?
The first step to ordering food in any restaurant is for you to get a table and the menu, so here are the top phrases you need to know in order to do this.
When you first enter the restaurant you might say something like:
Un tavolo per due, per favore. A table for two, please.
Replace due (two) with the appropriate number: tre, (three), quattro (four), cinque (five).
or
Posso vedere il menù, per favore? Can I see the menu, please?
As a result, this will get you in the door and ready to start thinking about your food. You will enjoy looking out the window at the nice Italian landscape as you order and wait for your meal.
Ordering in Italian: It’s time for drinks!
There are many wonderful drinks to choose from in Italy. Popular choices include juice, wine, beer, ice tea or above all, water.
When you want to order your drink you will start your sentence with:
Vorrei… per favore. (I would like… please.)
Follow this up with one of the most common drinks, and you’ll be ready to go!
un succo (juice)
una birra (a beer)
del tè freddo (some ice tea)
acqua (water)
An example would sound something like this:
Vorrei una birra, per favore. (I would like a beer please.)
Now its time to order your meal! How to order your food in Italian.
Now it is time to order some of that amazing pasta you have heard about! To start off the waiter will approach you and say: Per primo? – For the first course?
If you need to buy some time, there are some appropriate phrases that can help you like allora… (well…). Maybe you will even start thinking in Italian.
You can respond with the name of the dish. Please remember to add per favore (please), because of course you will want to be polite.
Vorrei il risotto ai funghi, per favore. (I would like the mushroom risotto, please.)
Pasta con aglio e olio, per favore. (Pasta with oil and garlic, please.)
Wait! There is more food to come.
Now it is time to have your main course! Yes that’s right! By the time you leave this restaurant you are going to be stuffed! With that in mind, here are some of the most popular main dishes you may find:
Pesce – Fish
Maiale – Pork
Manzo – Beef
Pollo – Chicken
This will get you started off right! Now you know how to order food in Italian. If you would like to learn more Italian you can always do it with Yabla. Start your free trial today.
I really appreciate you talking about how the second course of the meal is usually the main part. My spouse and I are trying to be healthier this year by eating high-quality meals. We want to have some Italian food this weekend so we are going to a real authentic restaurant.
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