Eating out in Italy: the phrases that make dinner easy

A meal out is where most people first feel their Italian working. The menu is in Italian, the waiter is fast, and the rules are different from home. This is everything you need for one dinner, from the phone call to the bill. Practise it out loud before the weekend and it will feel natural.

Booking a table

Small places fill up, especially on Friday and Saturday. A one-minute call does it:

Buonasera, vorrei prenotare un tavolo per due, per stasera alle otto. A nome Martin.

They may ask Dentro o fuori? (inside or outside?) and Per che ora? (for what time?). Italians eat late: kitchens open around 19:30 and most people sit down at 20:30 or later.

Arriving and sitting down

Buonasera, ho prenotato a nome Martin. Siamo in due. (We are two.)

If you did not book: Avete un tavolo per due? The answer Ci vuole un po' di attesa means a wait. Prego, accomodatevi means sit wherever they point.

Reading the menu

The structure is always the same, and nobody expects you to order every part of it.

Section	What it is	Typical order
Antipasti	Starters	Shared, or skipped
Primi	Pasta, risotto, soup	The heart of the meal
Secondi	Meat or fish	Comes without sides
Contorni	Side dishes	Ordered separately
Dolci	Desserts	Then coffee

Useful questions: Cosa ci consiglia? (What do you recommend?), Che cos'è …? (What is …?), È piccante? (Is it spicy?), Avete piatti senza glutine / vegetariani?

Ordering

The waiter arrives and says Prego or Ditemi. Then:

Per me, gli spaghetti alle vongole. E lei prende la tagliata. Da bere, mezzo litro di rosso della casa e una bottiglia d'acqua naturale.

Naturale is still water, frizzante is sparkling. Della casa (house wine) is a normal, respectable choice. Order the contorno with the secondo: Con un contorno di patate al forno, grazie.

During the meal

Tutto bene? means "is everything all right?" and the answer is Tutto benissimo, grazie. Need something? Scusi, ci porta un altro po' di pane? (Could you bring us more bread?). Cappuccino after dinner is unusual; un caffè is the expected ending.

Asking for the bill

In Italy the bill never arrives unasked: bringing it early would be rude. Catch the waiter's eye and say:

Il conto, per favore.

You will see coperto on it (a per-person cover charge, usually 1 to 3 euros). Pay at the table or at the cassa near the door. Tipping is not expected; rounding up is a nice gesture.

Five habits of someone who lives here

1. Say buonasera to the room when you enter.
2. Do not ask for parmesan on seafood pasta.
3. Bread is for the sauce at the end, not for butter before.
4. Wine or water with the meal; soft drinks are for lunch.
5. Take your time. Nobody is waiting for your table.

If restaurant Italian is the goal, tell your tutor: at Adesso Italian the first lesson starts from exactly the situation you need.