Essential Chinese Restaurant Survival Guide: Key Words, Phrases, and Real Dialogues
Eating at a Chinese restaurant is a great way to experience local culture. Knowing the most common words and sentences will help you easily handle the whole process—from getting a table, ordering food, asking questions, to paying the bill. Below are the must-know words, phrases, and a real example conversation for the restaurant scene, all with pinyin for easy use!
Key Vocabulary
- 餐厅 (cān tīng): restaurant
- 菜单 (cài dān): menu
- 服务员 (fú wù yuán): waiter/waitress
- 点餐 (diǎn cài): order food
- 菜品 (cài pǐn): dishes
- 主食 (zhǔ shí): staple food (rice/noodles/bread)
- 饮料 (yǐn liào): drink/beverage
- 辣 (là): spicy
- 不辣 (bù là): not spicy
- 酸甜 (suān tián): sweet and sour
- 咸鲜 (xián xiān): salty and fresh
- 结账 (jié zhàng): pay the bill
- 发票 (fā piào): receipt/invoice
- 打包 (dǎ bāo): take away/to-go
- 筷子 (kuài zi): chopsticks
- 勺子 (sháo zi): spoon
- 碗 (wǎn): bowl
- 盘子 (pán zi): plate
- 纸巾 (zhǐ jīn): tissue/napkin
- 推荐 (tuī jiàn): recommend
Key Sentences
Getting a Table and Asking Questions
- 请问有座位吗？
qǐng wèn yǒu zuò wèi ma?
Excuse me, do you have a seat? - 我们两个人。
wǒ men liǎng gè rén.
There are two of us. - 可以给我一份菜单吗？
kě yǐ gěi wǒ yì fèn cài dān ma?
Can I have a menu, please? - 你们这里有什么招牌菜？
nǐ men zhè lǐ yǒu shén me zhāo pái cài?
What are your signature dishes? - 这道菜辣吗？
zhè dào cài là ma?
Is this dish spicy? - 可以做不辣的吗？
kě yǐ zuò bù là de ma?
Can you make it non-spicy?
Ordering Food
- 我要点一份鱼香肉丝。
wǒ yào diǎn yì fèn yú xiāng ròu sī.
I'd like to order a serving of Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork. - 再来一碗米饭和一杯柠檬水。
zài lái yì wǎn mǐ fàn hé yì bēi níng méng shuǐ.
One more bowl of rice and a glass of lemon water, please. - 我们要这三道菜，谢谢。
wǒ men yào zhè sān dào cài, xiè xie.
We'll take these three dishes, thank you. - 请快一点上菜，谢谢。
qǐng kuài yì diǎn shàng cài, xiè xie.
Please serve the food quickly, thank you.
During the Meal
- 请给我一双筷子/一个勺子。
qǐng gěi wǒ yì shuāng kuài zi/yí gè sháo zi.
Please give me a pair of chopsticks/a spoon. - 可以再拿点纸巾吗？
kě yǐ zài ná diǎn zhǐ jīn ma?
Can I have some more tissues? - 这道菜非常好吃！
zhè dào cài fēi cháng hǎo chī!
This dish is very delicious! - 麻烦加一壶水，谢谢。
má fan jiā yì hú shuǐ, xiè xie.
Could you add a pot of water, please?
Paying the Bill and Leaving
- 服务员，结账！
fú wù yuán, jié zhàng!
Waiter, check please! - 可以刷卡/扫码支付吗？
kě yǐ shuā kǎ/sǎo mǎ zhī fù ma?
Can I pay by card/scan QR code? - 请给我开一张发票。
qǐng gěi wǒ kāi yì zhāng fā piào.
Please issue me a receipt. - 剩下的菜我要打包。
shèng xià de cài wǒ yào dǎ bāo.
I'd like to take the leftover food away. - 谢谢，服务很周到！
xiè xie, fú wù hěn zhōu dào!
Thank you, the service is very good!
Sample Dialogue
Scene: Tourists Anna (ān nà) and David (dà wèi) are eating at a Chinese restaurant, talking with the waiter (fú wù yuán).
Getting a Table
服务员：您好！欢迎光临！请问几位？
nín hǎo! huān yíng guāng lín! qǐng wèn jǐ wèi?
Hello! Welcome! How many people?
安娜：您好！我们两位。
nín hǎo! wǒ men liǎng wèi.
Hello! Two of us.
服务员：这边请！请坐。这是菜单，请问需要喝点什么？
zhè biān qǐng! qǐng zuò. zhè shì cài dān, qǐng wèn xū yào hē diǎn shén me?
This way, please! Please sit. Here’s the menu. What would you like to drink?
大卫：先给我们两杯白开水，谢谢。另外，你们的招牌菜是什么？
xiān gěi wǒ men liǎng bēi bái kāi shuǐ, xiè xie. lìng wài, nǐ men de zhāo pái cài shì shén me?
Two glasses of plain water first, please. Also, what are your signature dishes?
服务员：推荐我们的宫保鸡丁和清蒸鱼，都很受欢迎。
tuī jiàn wǒ men de gōng bǎo jī dīng hé qīng zhēng yú, dōu hěn shòu huān yíng.
We recommend our Kung Pao Chicken and Steamed Fish. Both are very popular.
安娜：宫保鸡丁辣吗？我不能吃太辣。
gōng bǎo jī dīng là ma? wǒ bù néng chī tài là.
Is Kung Pao Chicken spicy? I can't eat very spicy food.
服务员：可以做微辣或者不辣，您选哪种？
kě yǐ zuò wēi là huò zhě bù là, nín xuǎn nǎ zhǒng?
We can make it mildly spicy or not spicy. Which do you prefer?
安娜：做不辣的，谢谢。
zuò bù là de, xiè xie.
Make it non-spicy, thank you.
Ordering Food
大卫：我们点一份宫保鸡丁（不辣）、一份清蒸鱼，还有两碗米饭。
wǒ men diǎn yì fèn gōng bǎo jī dīng (bù là)、yí fèn qīng zhēng yú, hái yǒu liǎng wǎn mǐ fàn.
We’ll have one Kung Pao Chicken (not spicy), one Steamed Fish, and two bowls of rice.
服务员：好的！宫保鸡丁（不辣）、清蒸鱼、两碗米饭，还有两杯白开水，对吗？
hǎo de! gōng bǎo jī dīng (bù là)、qīng zhēng yú、liǎng wǎn mǐ fàn, hái yǒu liǎng bēi bái kāi shuǐ, duì ma?
Okay! Kung Pao Chicken (not spicy), Steamed Fish, two bowls of rice, and two glasses of water, right?
安娜：对的，麻烦尽快上菜。
duì de, má fan jǐn kuài shàng cài.
Yes, please serve the food quickly.
服务员：好的，稍等片刻，马上为您安排！
hǎo de, shāo děng piàn kè, mǎ shàng wèi nín ān pái!
Sure, please wait a moment. We’ll arrange it right away!
During the Meal
大卫：服务员，能再给我们拿一双筷子吗？
fú wù yuán, néng zài gěi wǒ men ná yì shuāng kuài zi ma?
Waiter, can we have another pair of chopsticks?
服务员：当然可以，马上来！
dāng rán kě yǐ, mǎ shàng lái!
Of course, coming right up!
安娜：这道清蒸鱼太新鲜了，味道真好！
zhè dào qīng zhēng yú tài xīn xiān le, wèi dào zhēn hǎo!
This steamed fish is so fresh, it tastes great!
大卫：宫保鸡丁也不错，酸甜可口。服务员，麻烦加一壶水！
gōng bǎo jī dīng yě bú cuò, suān tián kě kǒu. fú wù yuán, má fan jiā yì hú shuǐ!
The Kung Pao Chicken is good too—sweet and sour. Waiter, please add a pot of water!
服务员：好的，马上给您添水！
hǎo de, mǎ shàng gěi nín tiān shuǐ!
Okay, I’ll add more water right away!
Paying and Leaving
大卫：服务员，结账！
fú wù yuán, jié zhàng!
Waiter, check please!
服务员：您好！一共是186元。请问怎么支付？
nín hǎo! yī gòng shì yì bǎi bā shí liù yuán. qǐng wèn zěn me zhī fù?
Hello! The total is 186 yuan. How would you like to pay?
大卫：扫码支付。另外，能开一张发票吗？
sǎo mǎ zhī fù. lìng wài, néng kāi yì zhāng fā piào ma?
I’ll pay by QR code. Also, can I have a receipt?
服务员：可以的，请问发票抬头是什么？
kě yǐ de, qǐng wèn fā piào tái tóu shì shén me?
Sure, what name should I put on the receipt?
大卫：个人。
gè rén.
Personal.
服务员：好的，这是您的发票和找零（如有），请收好！
hǎo de, zhè shì nín de fā piào hé zhǎo líng (rú yǒu), qǐng shōu hǎo!
Okay, here’s your receipt and any change (if any). Please keep them!
安娜：谢谢，服务很棒！
xiè xie, fú wù hěn bàng!
Thank you, the service was great!
服务员：不客气，欢迎下次光临！
bú kè qì, huān yíng xià cì guāng lín!
You’re welcome, hope to see you again!
Tips
- Most Chinese restaurants offer free plain water. You can ask the waiter for it after you sit down.
- When ordering, clearly tell the waiter how spicy you want your food (mild, medium, very spicy, or not spicy) to match your taste.
- When paying, you can ask, “可以打折吗？(kě yǐ dǎ zhé ma?)” (“Can I get a discount?”) Some places offer discounts for students or regular customers.