Lunch at a restaurant in Japanese, from table to bill
日替わり定食とウーロン茶をお願いします。
higawari teishoku to ūroncha o onegai shimasu.
“The daily set meal and an oolong tea, please.”
When: The moment the server comes to your table
The moment
It is noon in Tokyo and you walk into a packed lunch spot on your own. Get seated, ask what one dish contains, order a main and a drink, answer the server's follow-up question, then ask to pay.
A1 · Unit 2 · Café & food · Checkpoint
This is the unit’s checkpoint: one roleplay that puts the unit’s scenes together.
The lines
Placing the whole order
Name the food and the drink together with 「日替わり定食とウーロン茶をお願いします。」. The server will then check whether that is everything, so keep 「以上です。」 ready.
日替わり定食とウーロン茶をお願いします。
higawari teishoku to ūroncha o onegai shimasu.
“The daily set meal and an oolong tea, please.”
When to use it: The moment the server comes to your table
What you’ll hear back: かしこまりました。ご注文は以上でよろしいですか。 kashikomarimashita. go-chūmon wa ijō de yoroshii desu ka. (Certainly. Is that everything?)
Checking the dish first
Before you commit, ask 「この定食には何が入っていますか。」. It is the one question that keeps egg, shrimp or pork off your plate.
この定食には何が入っていますか。
kono teishoku ni wa nani ga haitte imasu ka.
“What is in this set meal?”
When to use it: While the menu is still in your hand
What you’ll hear back: 鶏肉と野菜が入っています。 toriniku to yasai ga haitte imasu. (It has chicken and vegetables in it.)
Words for this scene
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一人です | hitori desu | just one, table for one |
はい、一人です。 Yes, just one. Tip: Staff ask 何名様ですか at the door; hold up one finger too. | ||
| おすすめは何ですか | osusume wa nan desu ka | what do you recommend? |
迷っています。おすすめは何ですか。 I can't decide. What do you recommend? Tip: They name one dish; order that and you rarely go wrong. | ||
| お会計をお願いします | okaikei o onegai shimasu | the bill, please |
すみません、お会計をお願いします。 Excuse me, the bill, please. Tip: You usually pay at the register, and nobody tips in Japan. | ||
Your objective
Ask for a table, ask what one dish has in it, order a main and a drink, and ask for the bill at the end.
- a table
- your main and your drink
- the bill
Lines that get it done
- 一人です · hitori desu · just one, table for one
- 日替わり定食とウーロン茶をお願いします。
- お会計をお願いします · okaikei o onegai shimasu · the bill, please
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You have finished eating and want to pay. What do you say to the server?
- お会計をお願いします。
- メニューをお願いします。
- おすすめは何ですか。
- 一人です。
Show the answer
お会計をお願いします。
お会計をお願いします is how you ask to settle up, usually on your way to the register.
2. The server offers you the tempura, but you are allergic to shrimp. What do you say?
- えびアレルギーです。
- えびが好きです。
- えびをお願いします。
- えびは何ですか。
Show the answer
えびアレルギーです。
The food name plus アレルギーです is the warning every Japanese server understands.
3. The server asks ご注文は以上でよろしいですか。 You have ordered everything you want. What do you answer?
- はい、以上です。
- はい、おすすめです。
- いいえ、一人です。
- はい、ねぎ抜きです。
Show the answer
はい、以上です。
以上です confirms your order is complete and sends the server off to the kitchen.