How to Order Food in French: Café & Restaurant Scripts

To order food in French, the golden formula is Je voudrais… (zhuh voo-DREH — “I would like…”) followed by what you want, plus a s’il vous plaît at the end: Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît. Say bonjour before anything else, order with je voudrais or je vais prendre, and ask for the bill with l’addition, s’il vous plaît — that’s 80% of every café and restaurant interaction in France.

The rest is scripts and etiquette, and both are wonderfully predictable. French service follows a ritual with fixed lines on both sides — which means you can rehearse the whole scene before you ever sit down. Here’s the full performance, course by course.

Before you order: the entrance ritual

Walking into a café or restaurant, the sequence never changes:

1. Say bonjour. Non-negotiable — service in France starts only after the greeting is exchanged. (This is the famous “bonjour contract” from French greetings.) After 6 p.m., it’s bonsoir.
2. State your party size. Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît. (ewn TAH-bluh poor DUH seel voo PLEH) — “A table for two, please.” Or simply: Nous sommes deux. (noo sum DUH) — “We are two.”
3. Wait to be seated in restaurants. In cafés, you generally seat yourself — terrace or inside, your pick.

Useful early lines:

• Vous avez une table en terrasse ? (voo za-vay ewn TAH-bluh ah(n) teh-RAHSS) — “Do you have a table on the terrace?”
• La carte, s’il vous plaît. (lah KART) — “The menu, please.”
• Vous avez un menu en anglais ? — “Do you have a menu in English?” (Fine to ask — but ordering in French, however imperfect, is always warmly received.)

Teacher’s tip: la carte is the menu you order from; le menu (luh muh-NEW) is a fixed-price set (starter + main + dessert). Le menu du jour is usually the best deal in the building.

Ordering: the three magic structures

When the server arrives — Vous avez choisi ? (voo za-vay shwah-ZEE — “Have you decided?”) — you have three polite ways to answer, from most to least formal:

• Je voudrais… (zhuh voo-DREH) — “I would like…” The classic, always correct.
• Je vais prendre… (zhuh vay PRAH(N)-druh) — “I’ll have…” What French people themselves most often say.
• Pour moi, … s’il vous plaît. (poor MWAH) — “For me, … please.” Casual and natural, great in groups.

Never je veux (“I want”) — grammatically fine, socially a bulldozer. And close every order with s’il vous plaît; if politeness formulas need a refresh, my guide to saying thank you in French pairs perfectly with this one.

A complete café order:

— Bonjour ! Je vais prendre un café et un croissant, s’il vous plaît. — Un café, un croissant. Tout de suite. (“Right away.”) — Merci !

Café vocabulary worth knowing: un café is an espresso — if you want milk, ask for un café crème (kah-FAY KREHM); un déca (day-KAH) is a decaf; une carafe d’eau (ewn kah-RAHF DOH) is the free jug of tap water, and asking for it is completely normal.

Restaurant script: from starter to dessert

French meals run in courses: l’entrée (lah(n)-TRAY — the starter, a famous false friend: it is never the main), le plat or le plat principal (luh PLAH — the main course), then le dessert (luh deh-SEHR).

The server’s questions, and your lines:

— Vous avez choisi ? — “Have you decided?” — Oui. En entrée, je vais prendre la soupe à l’oignon, et en plat, le poulet rôti, s’il vous plaît. — “As a starter, the onion soup, and for the main, the roast chicken, please.” — Et comme boisson ? (ay kum bwah-SO(N)) — “And to drink?” — Un verre de vin rouge et une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît. (uh(n) VEHR duh veh(n) ROOZH) — “A glass of red wine and a jug of tap water, please.”

For steak, one more question is coming — Quelle cuisson ? (kehl kwee-SO(N) — “How cooked?”):

French	Pronunciation	English
bleu	BLUH	very rare
saignant	seh-NYAH(N)	rare
à point	ah PWEH(N)	medium(-rare, by French standards)
bien cuit	byeh(n) KWEE	well done

Mid-meal, the server may ask Tout va bien ? (“Is everything all right?”). The all-purpose answer: Très bien, merci ! — or, to compliment properly, C’est délicieux ! (say day-lee-SYUH — “It’s delicious!”).

Special needs, stated simply:

• Je suis végétarien / végétarienne. (vay-zhay-tah-RYEH(N) / -RYEHN) — “I’m vegetarian.” (masculine/feminine)
• Je suis allergique aux noix / au gluten. (ah-lehr-ZHEEK oh NWAH / oh glew-TEHN) — “I’m allergic to nuts / gluten.”
• Sans fromage, s’il vous plaît. (sah(n) froh-MAHZH) — “Without cheese, please.”

Getting the bill (they won’t bring it unless you ask)

Here’s the cultural point that confuses every visitor: in France, bringing the bill unrequested is considered rude — as if the restaurant were pushing you out. The table is yours for the evening, so when you’re ready, you must ask:

• L’addition, s’il vous plaît. (lah-dee-SYO(N) seel voo PLEH) — “The bill, please.” The universal line; a subtle air-signature gesture works from across a noisy terrace too.
• On peut payer, s’il vous plaît ? (oh(n) puh pay-YAY) — “Can we pay, please?”
• On peut payer séparément ? (say-pah-ray-MAH(N)) — “Can we pay separately?” Common and accepted, though some places prefer one payment.
• Vous prenez la carte ? (voo pruh-NAY lah KART) — “Do you take cards?” (Almost always yes, including contactless.)

Tipping: service is legally included in French prices (service compris). Nobody expects an American-style 20%. Rounding up or leaving a euro or two for good service is a kind gesture, not an obligation.

Then the exit ritual mirrors the entrance: Merci, au revoir ! Bonne soirée ! — thank you, goodbye, have a good evening. If numbers on the bill still trip you up — and French numbers like quatre-vingt-dix trip everyone up — my guide to French numbers settles them for good.

The bakery quick-script

Because half your meals in France will honestly come from a boulangerie:

— Bonjour ! Je voudrais une baguette et deux croissants, s’il vous plaît. — Et avec ceci ? (ay ah-vek suh-SEE) — “Anything else?” (bakery ritual phrase) — C’est tout, merci. (say TOO) — “That’s all, thanks.” — Ça fait quatre euros cinquante. — “That’s €4.50.” — Voilà. Merci, bonne journée !

Four lines, endlessly reusable. Et avec ceci ? is so ritualized that hearing it should trigger your c’est tout, merci automatically.

FAQ

What is the most polite way to order food in French?

Je voudrais… (“I would like…”) followed by the item and s’il vous plaît is polite in every setting: Je voudrais le poulet, s’il vous plaît. French speakers themselves often say je vais prendre… (“I’ll have…”), which is equally acceptable. Avoid je veux (“I want”) — it sounds demanding.

How do you ask for the bill in French?

L’addition, s’il vous plaît (lah-dee-SYO(N) seel voo PLEH). Crucially, you must ask — French servers deliberately don’t bring the bill until requested, because rushing guests is considered poor manners. Catch the server’s eye, say the phrase, and it arrives.

Do you tip in French restaurants?

Service is included by law in the listed prices (service compris), so tipping is optional. Locals typically round up or leave small change — a euro or two at a café, perhaps five for excellent service at a nice restaurant. No one will chase you down for not tipping.

What does “entrée” mean in France?

The starter — not the main course. It comes from entrer (to enter): the dish that opens the meal. The main course is le plat or le plat principal. Ordering an entrée expecting an American-sized main is the most classic menu misunderstanding in France.

Is it rude to order in English in France?

Not rude, but starting with bonjour and attempting even one line of French changes the whole interaction — servers soften visibly and will often meet you halfway in English. The worst move is launching into English with no greeting; the bonjour matters more than the language that follows.