This blog post was updated on September 18, 2023.

Eating out while you’re in Italy is an absolute must. Dining out goes hand in hand with seeing ancient ruins, grand piazzas, and priceless artistic treasures.

However, eating out in Italy is not so cut and dry when it comes to language. Although in major tourist cities in Italy, you will generally encounter people who know English, if you want to stand out less and even thrive at the Italian table, you should pack a few key phrases to use when you enter restaurants.

“Un tavolo per uno (due, tre, quattro), per favore.”

“A table for one (two, three, four), please.”

When you arrive to an Italian eatery, a wait staff will most likely greet you with, “Buona sera,” meaning, “Good evening.” You will then want to reply with the same greeting and ask for a table for the number of people in your party. To ask this for a party of two, you would say, “Un tavolo per due.” If you know a few numbers in Italian, it makes it easy to adjust this phrase for how many people you are dining with that evening.

“Potrei vedere il menú?”

“May I see a menu?”

There is no worse feeling than sitting down to a restaurant in Italy and the waiter just stares blankly at you to order, without producing any sort of menu to order from in the process. If you encounter this situation, you need to ask to see a menu. You can say, “Potrei vedere il menu?” You can also say, “Mi porta il menú?”

“Aqua naturale o frizzante?”

“Natural or sparkling water?”

Most waiters in Italy will first ask you what you want to drink before you have even had a look at the menu. To be prepared, you will want to know your types of water. Most likely, you will be asked if you would like aqua naturale or frizzante. Naturale is your basic water while frizzante is sparkling water. In addition, you can generally always order a house wine instead of a bottle from the wine list even if you don’t see it listed on the menu. If you would like to order a house wine, you merely need to request vino rosso della casa, per favore, or vino bianco della casa, per favore. Vino rosso is red wine and vino bianco is white wine.

“Vorrei…/Vorremo…”

“I would like…/We would like…”

So many travelers sit down at a table in Italy and just blurt out English when ordering. If you want to perhaps get treated a little better or fit in a little more, it is actually very simple to say what you want at the Italian table. For yourself, you can say, “Vorrei,” plus what dish you would like. This translates into, “I would like…” If you are a group of two or more ordering one set item, you can say, “Vorremo,” meaning, “We would like.”

You Might also Enjoy: 8 Great Apps to Help You Learn a Foreign Language Before Your Next Trip

“Sono allergico…”

“I’m allergic to…”

As food allergies have become increasingly common, restaurants worldwide have become much more cognizant of accommodating those allergies. But it pays to do a little vocabulary research ahead of your trip to make sure you’re able to clearly alert your server to your allergy. Here’s how to communicate some of the most common food allergies: shellfish (“Sono allergico ai crostacei”), eggs (“…alle uova”), peanuts (“…alle arachidi”), milk (“…al latte”), wheat (“…al grano”), and soy (“…alla soia”). Do a little online searching for how to communicate you’re own particular allergy. 

“Il conto, per favore.”

“The bill, please.”

This phrase is perhaps the most useful one at the Italian table. Many travelers end up waiting and waiting for the bill to arrive. Most waiters will not bring it to you until you ask for it. In general, you can say, “Il conto, per favore,” meaning, “The bill, please,” to get the waiter to bring the bill. If you want to ask for the check a little more completely, you can also say, “Puó portarci il conto, per favore.”

FAQs:

Q: Is it common to tip in Italian restaurants?

A: Yes, it’s customary to leave a tip in Italy. Service charges may be included in the bill, but it’s common to round up the total or leave an additional 10% as a gesture of appreciation for good service.

Q: Can I ask for tap water in restaurants, or do I need to order bottled water?

A: You can certainly ask for tap water, which is often provided for free. If you prefer bottled water, you can specify “Acqua naturale” (still water) or “Acqua frizzante” (sparkling water).

Q: Are vegetarian and vegan options readily available in Italian restaurants?

A: Yes, most Italian restaurants offer vegetarian and vegan options. You can ask for “Opzioni vegetariane” or “Opzioni vegane” to find suitable dishes on the menu.

Q: What’s the best way to call the waiter in an Italian restaurant?

A: Instead of shouting “Waiter!” which can be considered impolite, simply make eye contact and raise your hand slightly. The waiter will come to your table.

Q: How do I ask for the check in an Italian restaurant?

A: To request the bill, you can say “Il conto, per favore” (The check, please) or simply make a writing motion in the air. It’s common for the waiter to bring the bill without you having to ask.

Are there any particular Italian phrases that you’ve found useful? Tell us about it in the comments below!