How to order food in French
A French restaurant rewards a little ceremony. The words are simple; what makes the exchange go smoothly is knowing the order things happen in and the few courtesies that are not optional.
The scene
- Who you talk to
- A waiter at a busy neighborhood restaurant. An AI character, speaking French.
- Your goal
- Order a starter and a main, and handle whatever the waiter asks — drinks, or how you'd like something cooked.
- How it opens
- “Bonsoir ! Vous avez eu le temps de jeter un œil à la carte ?”
Phrases to have ready
- En entrée, je vais prendre la soupe.For a starter, I'll have the soup.
- Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ?What do you recommend?
- Comme boisson, une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît.To drink, a jug of water, please.
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît.The bill, please.
What can go wrong
So no two conversations are the same, the character may bring in one of these, unprompted, once things are under way. This is exactly how the scene describes them to the character:
- The dish the learner orders is sold out; offer something similar.
- The kitchen is running slow tonight; warn them their main will take a bit longer.
- You misheard part of the order and bring the wrong drink, which needs correcting.
- The learner's table was meant to be a reservation for someone else; check their name lightly before seating them.
Bonjour first, always
In France you greet before you ask for anything — “bonjour, monsieur” or “bonsoir, madame” as you arrive and again when the server comes to the table. Skipping it reads as rude, and it is the single most common reason visitors feel French service is cold. You get the waiter’s attention with “s’il vous plaît” or “monsieur / madame”; “garçon” belongs in old films.
Service is vous, from start to finish. The waiter in this scene opens with “Bonsoir ! Vous avez eu le temps de jeter un œil à la carte ?”, and answering in vous is simply correct.
Reading the menu the French way
The false friend to watch is entrée. In France it means the starter, not the main course; the main is le plat. Dessert is le dessert, and many restaurants offer a formule or a menu at a fixed price — entrée + plat, or plat + dessert — which is usually the best value at lunch.
To order, “je vais prendre…” (“I’ll have…”) or simply “pour moi, …” is standard: “en entrée, je vais prendre la soupe”. If you can’t decide, “qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ?” invites a recommendation. For red meat you will be asked how you want it: bleu (barely seared), saignant (rare), à point (medium-rare to medium) or bien cuit (well done). French à point is pinker than many visitors expect.
Timing matters as much as vocabulary. Lunch is usually served from about noon to two and dinner from around half past seven; outside those hours many restaurants serve no food at all, although a brasserie often keeps its kitchen open all day. Arriving without a booking, “vous avez une table pour deux ?” is the question, and “en terrasse ou à l’intérieur ?” may come straight back.
Water, the bill and the tip
Asked what you’d like to drink, “une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît” gets you tap water, which restaurants serve free with a meal; bottled water is “une bouteille d’eau plate” or “gazeuse”. The bill is l’addition, and it will not come until you ask for it — lingering is expected. Prices on the menu include service (service compris), so a tip is a small extra for good service rather than an obligation.