Vocabulary Worksheet — Intro

Restaurant Ordering

A2 menu • starter • main course • dessert • bill • tip…
Key Vocabulary
Word Meaning Example sentence
menu n. a list of food and drinks in a restaurant The menu has three vegetarian dishes.
starter n. a small dish eaten before the main course I ordered soup as a starter.
main course n. the largest or most important part of a meal Fish is the main course today.
dessert n. sweet food eaten at the end of a meal Would you like dessert?
bill n. paper or information showing how much you must pay Can we have the bill, please?
tip n. extra money given for good service We left a tip for the waiter.
waiter n. a man who serves food and drinks The waiter took our order.
reservation n. an arrangement to keep a table for you We have a reservation at eight.
order v./n. to ask for food or drink in a restaurant I want to order pasta.
table n. furniture where people sit to eat The table by the window is free.
dish n. food prepared in a particular way This dish is very spicy.
portion n. an amount of food for one person The portion was huge.
Common Collocations
menu: restaurant menu, lunch menu
starter: light starter, starter menu
main course: choose a main course, hot main course
dessert: chocolate dessert, dessert menu
bill: pay the bill, split the bill
tip: leave a tip, generous tip
waiter: friendly waiter, call the waiter
reservation: make a reservation, dinner reservation
order: take an order, order food
table: book a table, table for two
dish: main dish, local dish
portion: small portion, extra portion
Language Tips
Ordering politely

Use I would like or Could I have...? when ordering.

Please and thank you make restaurant English sound more natural.

Meal words

A starter comes before the main course. Dessert usually comes after the main course.

The bill shows how much you need to pay.