Eating out in France is one of the great pleasures of expat life — and one of the places where limited language most visibly limits your experience. Not because French restaurant staff are unwilling to help (they usually aren't), but because French dining has a specific vocabulary, a specific rhythm, and a set of conventions that, once understood, make the whole experience significantly better.

Here is what you need for the full arc of a French restaurant meal.

Types of Establishments

Restaurant — a restaurant (full menu, table service, lunch and dinner).

Brasserie — a larger, more casual restaurant with a broader menu available throughout the day. Often also serves beer (bière) prominently.

Bistrot / Bistro — a smaller, informal neighbourhood restaurant. Often simpler menu, chalk specials board, relaxed atmosphere.

Café — primarily a drinks venue, but almost always serves simple food (sandwiches, croque-monsieur, quiche).

Brasserie de quartier — a local neighbourhood brasserie, combining café, bar, and restaurant functions.

Crêperie — a restaurant specialising in crêpes and galettes (buckwheat crêpes, savoury, typical of Brittany).

Auberge — an inn/restaurant, typically in a rural or village setting.

Gastronomique — fine dining / gastronomic restaurant.

Étoilé — Michelin-starred.

Reading the Menu

Menu — the fixed-price menu (confusingly, the word menu in French refers to a set meal with multiple courses at a fixed price, not the à la carte list of dishes). The carte is what English speakers call "the menu."

Carte — the à la carte menu.

Formule — a slightly less formal version of the menu; a set option, often at lunch: e.g., plat + dessert or entrée + plat.

Le menu du jour — today's set menu.

Plat du jour — dish of the day.

Entrée — starter. Important: in French, entrée means starter, not main course (as it does in American English).

Plat (principal) — main course.

Dessert — dessert.

Fromage — cheese (often served as a separate course between plat and dessert, or instead of dessert).

Amuse-bouche — a small single-bite appetiser served before the starter, compliments of the kitchen.

Hors-d'œuvre — starter / appetiser (more formal than entrée in some contexts).

Ardoise — the specials board (literally: a slate/chalkboard).

À la carte — ordering individual dishes separately rather than from a menu.

Common menu descriptions:

  • Maison — made in-house, by the restaurant
  • Du terroir — locally sourced, regional
  • Cru — raw
  • Cuit — cooked
  • Grillé — grilled
  • Rôti — roasted
  • Poêlé — pan-fried
  • Braisé — braised
  • Fumé — smoked
  • Confit — slow-cooked and preserved in fat

Ordering

"Nous avons une réservation au nom de [Nom]." — We have a reservation in the name of [Name].

"Nous sommes [nombre] personnes." — We are [number] people.

"Nous n'avons pas encore choisi." — We haven't chosen yet.

"Je prends le menu à [prix]." — I'll take the set menu at [price].

"Pour moi, ce sera le [plat]." — For me, it will be the [dish].

"Qu'est-ce que vous nous recommandez?" — What do you recommend?

"C'est quoi exactement, le [plat]?" — What exactly is the [dish]?

"Je suis allergique à [aliment]." — I am allergic to [food].

"Je ne mange pas de viande." — I don't eat meat.

"C'est sans gluten?" — Is it gluten-free?

"Bien cuit / à point / saignant" — well done / medium / rare (for meat, especially steak).

"Rosé" — medium-rare (between saignant and à point).

Wine

"Quelle est votre suggestion pour accompagner ce plat?" — What's your suggestion to accompany this dish?

"Une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît." — A jug of water, please. (Tap water is free in French restaurants and you are fully entitled to request it.)

Carte des vins — wine list.

Verre de vin — a glass of wine.

Demi-bouteille — a half-bottle.

Vin du pays / vin de table — house wine.

Pétillant / Gazeux — sparkling.

Plat / Non gazeux — still.

During and After the Meal

"C'est très bon." — It's very good.

"C'est excellent." — It's excellent.

"Je peux avoir un peu plus de pain?" — Could I have a little more bread?

"L'addition, s'il vous plaît." — The bill, please.

"On peut payer séparément?" — Can we pay separately?

"Est-ce que le service est compris?" — Is service included? (In France, service compris (SC) — a 15% service charge — is included in all restaurant bills by law. You are not expected to tip additionally, though rounding up is common for good service.)

"Vous acceptez la carte?" — Do you accept card?

"Je vous fais un doggy bag?" — Can I have a doggy bag? (Now fairly accepted in France following a 2016 law; less cultural resistance than previously, though not universal.)

Dining out in French is one of the most rewarding uses of the language you're building — and one of the most visible to the people around you. The vocabulary above is what makes you a diner, rather than a tourist at a table.

French dining vocabulary is practical vocabulary that improves your life immediately. Vokabulo helps you build exactly the words for the table you're at. Available on iPhone and iPad.