How to Order Food in Brazilian Portuguese: 70+ Restaurant Phrases & Real Dialogues
A restaurant conversation is a sequence, not a food vocabulary test.
Learn how to get a table, understand the menu, order naturally, change a dish, answer the server and pay in Brazilian Portuguese.
You do not need to know the Portuguese name of every ingredient before eating in Brazil. You need a small set of reusable restaurant patterns and enough listening vocabulary to recognize the questions staff are likely to ask back.
This guide takes you through the complete interaction—from Uma mesa para dois, por favor to A conta, por favor.
Think in stages
The six-part restaurant conversation
Stage 1
Getting a table in Brazilian Portuguese
What you may hear
| Portuguese | Natural English | Your possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| Para quantas pessoas? | For how many people? | Para três. |
| Tem reserva? | Do you have a reservation? | Tenho. / Não tenho. |
| Pode esperar um pouquinho? | Can you wait a little? | Claro. |
| Prefere dentro ou fora? | Would you prefer inside or outside? | Lá fora, por favor. |
Do not point and hope
Questions that help you understand a Brazilian menu
If question formation is still difficult, review Portuguese Question Words.
Stage 3
Three natural ways to order food in Brazilian Portuguese
Eu vou querer…
I’ll have…
Eu vou querer o frango grelhado.
I’ll have the grilled chicken.
Pra mim…
For me…
Pra mim, o prato executivo.
For me, the set meal.
Eu gostaria de…
I would like…
Eu gostaria de uma água sem gás.
I’d like a still water.
Ordering more than one item
I’ll have the fish and a salad.
E uma água sem gás, por favor.
And a still water, please.
For us, one order of fries.
Depois a gente pede o prato principal.
We’ll order the main course later.
Stage 4
How to remove, replace or add something to your order
| Portuguese | Natural English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Sem cebola, por favor. | No onion, please. | remove one ingredient |
| Pode tirar a cebola? | Can you leave out the onion? | ask staff to remove an ingredient |
| Pode ser sem molho? | Can I have it without sauce? | request a version without something |
| Pode trocar a batata por salada? | Can I swap the fries for salad? | replace a side |
| Posso trocar o acompanhamento? | Can I change the side? | ask whether substitution is possible |
| Quero o molho à parte. | I’d like the sauce on the side. | separate an ingredient |
| Pode colocar mais queijo? | Can you add more cheese? | add an ingredient |
| Tem como fazer sem ___? | Is there a way to make it without ___? | useful flexible spoken pattern |
Drinks generate their own predictable questions
Ordering water, coffee, juice and other drinks
Likely follow-up questions
Sparkling or still?
Which flavor?
With sugar?
Ordering is listening too
20 questions and phrases restaurant staff may say to you
| You may hear | Meaning | Useful answer |
|---|---|---|
| Já escolheram? | Have you decided? | Já. / Ainda não. |
| Já sabe o que vai pedir? | Do you know what you’re going to order? | Sim. / Só mais um minuto. |
| O que vai querer? | What will you have? | Eu vou querer… |
| E pra beber? | And to drink? | Uma água, por favor. |
| Mais alguma coisa? | Anything else? | Só isso, obrigado/a. |
| É só? | Is that all? | É só, sim. |
| Com ou sem gás? | Sparkling or still? | Sem gás. |
| Qual acompanhamento? | Which side? | Salada, por favor. |
| Qual ponto da carne? | How would you like the meat cooked? | Ao ponto. |
| Quer adicionar alguma coisa? | Would you like to add anything? | Não, obrigado/a. |
| Vai querer sobremesa? | Would you like dessert? | Vou, sim. / Não, obrigado/a. |
| Quer café? | Would you like coffee? | Quero, sim. |
| É para viagem? | Is it to go? | Sim. / Não, é para comer aqui. |
| Para viagem ou para comer aqui? | To go or for here? | Para viagem. |
| Crédito ou débito? | Credit or debit? | Crédito. |
| Vai pagar no Pix? | Are you paying by Pix? | Não, no cartão. |
| Vai dividir? | Are you splitting the bill/payment? | Sim, em dois. |
| Quer a nota? | Do you want the receipt? | Sim, por favor. |
| CPF na nota? | Would you like your CPF on the fiscal receipt? | Não, obrigado/a. |
| Tudo certo? | Everything okay? | Tudo ótimo, obrigado/a. |
Clarity matters more than elegance
Food allergies and dietary restrictions in Brazilian Portuguese
Tenho alergia a amendoim.
I am allergic to peanuts.
Minha alergia é grave.
My allergy is severe.
Isso contém amendoim?
Does this contain peanuts?
Pode haver contaminação cruzada?
Could there be cross-contact?
É preparado na mesma chapa?
Is it prepared on the same griddle?
Pode confirmar os ingredientes?
Can you confirm the ingredients?
Sou vegetariano/a.
I’m vegetarian.
Sou vegano/a.
I’m vegan.
Tem opção vegetariana?
Do you have a vegetarian option?
Não posso comer leite e derivados.
I can’t eat milk/dairy products.
Esse prato tem glúten?
Does this dish contain gluten?
Tem alguma opção sem lactose?
Do you have a lactose-free option?
Sometimes you do not order one dish from one server
Restaurant formats you may encounter in Brazil
You order individual dishes from the menu.
You serve yourself from a buffet; payment structure varies.
Buffet food is weighed and the price depends on weight.
A fixed-price format with repeated service of a category of food; details vary by restaurant.
Is it by weight or a fixed price?
Onde pesa o prato?
Where do I weigh the plate?
Does the all-you-can-eat/fixed-price service include drinks?
O que está incluído?
What’s included?
A mistake is another conversation, not a disaster
How to fix an order politely
Sorry, I ordered the chicken.
Useful when the wrong dish arrives.
I think there was a mistake.
I ordered it without onion.
Can you replace/change it, please?
This is cold.
We’re still waiting for our order.
Clear, neutral Portuguese is enough. You do not need highly formal language to make a polite restaurant correction. See Formal vs. Informal Brazilian Portuguese for the larger register system.
Stage 6
How to ask for the bill and pay
Serviço / service charge
You may see a suggested service charge on the bill, commonly labeled serviço, taxa de serviço or gorjeta. A recent Brazilian consumer-protection explanation describes the commonly suggested 10% service charge as optional for the consumer. citeturn893023search0
Is the service charge included?
Can you remove the service charge, please?
Put the phrases into complete interactions
Five realistic restaurant dialogues
1. A simple restaurant order
Garçom: Já escolheram?
Server: Have you decided?
Cliente: Já. Eu vou querer o peixe grelhado.
Customer: Yes. I’ll have the grilled fish.
Garçom: E pra beber?
Server: And to drink?
Cliente: Uma água sem gás, por favor.
Customer: A still water, please.
2. Asking what comes with a dish
Cliente: Esse prato vem com quê?
Customer: What does this dish come with?
Garçom: Arroz, feijão, salada e batata frita.
Server: Rice, beans, salad and fries.
Cliente: Posso trocar a batata por legumes?
Customer: Can I swap the fries for vegetables?
Garçom: Pode, sim.
Server: Yes.
3. A dietary restriction
Cliente: Esse molho leva leite?
Customer: Does this sauce contain milk?
Garçom: Leva creme de leite.
Server: It contains cream.
Cliente: Então pode trazer sem o molho?
Customer: Then can you bring it without the sauce?
Garçom: Claro.
Server: Of course.
4. You did not understand
Garçom: Vai querer trocar o acompanhamento ou manter a batata?
Server: Would you like to change the side or keep the fries?
Cliente: Desculpa, pode repetir mais devagar?
Customer: Sorry, can you repeat that more slowly?
Garçom: Claro. Batata ou salada?
Server: Of course. Fries or salad?
Cliente: Ah, salada, por favor.
Customer: Oh, salad, please.
5. Asking for and splitting the bill
Cliente: A conta, por favor.
Customer: The check, please.
Garçom: Claro. Vai dividir?
Server: Sure. Are you splitting it?
Cliente: Sim. Pode dividir em dois?
Customer: Yes. Can you split it in two?
Garçom: Crédito ou débito?
Server: Credit or debit?
Correct the strategy, not only the grammar
Eight mistakes learners make when ordering food in Portuguese
It is correct, but learn eu vou querer and pra mim too.
Prepare for mais alguma coisa?, e pra beber? and qual acompanhamento?.
State the allergy and confirm ingredients and preparation.
Ask how many people it serves.
The service format may involve food repeatedly brought to your table.
Ask vem com quê? and identify the information you actually need.
Train your ear with real Brazilian audio and a consistent pronunciation guide instead of reading pseudo-Portuguese through English spelling.
Pode repetir? is part of successful communication, not evidence that your Portuguese failed.
Respond before looking at the answer
Quick restaurant practice
Continue from restaurant interaction into the rest of everyday Brazil
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
FAQ: how to order food in Portuguese
How do you order food naturally in Brazilian Portuguese?
A very useful pattern is Eu vou querer…: Eu vou querer o frango grelhado. You can also say Pra mim… or the polite Eu gostaria de….
Is Eu gostaria de… too formal for a Brazilian restaurant?
No. It is correct and polite. It simply is not the only natural pattern. Everyday Brazilian restaurant speech also uses eu vou querer…, pra mim… and short noun phrases plus por favor.
How do you ask for a menu in Brazil?
Use O cardápio, por favor or Pode trazer o cardápio?. Cardápio is the standard Brazilian word for a restaurant menu.
How do you ask what comes with a dish?
Vem com quê? is short and natural. You can also ask O que vem nesse prato?
How do you say “without onions” in Portuguese?
Sem cebola, por favor. You can also say Pode tirar a cebola?
How do I communicate a food allergy in Brazil?
State the allergy directly: Tenho alergia a… If the allergy is severe, say so and ask about ingredients and cross-contact. Do not rely only on sem….
What does prato feito or PF mean?
It commonly refers to an individual set plate with a defined combination of a main item and sides. The exact composition varies, so ask Vem com quê?.
What does por quilo mean in a Brazilian restaurant?
It means the food is priced by weight. You typically serve yourself and the plate is weighed. Ask Onde pesa o prato? if you are unsure where to weigh it.
How do you ask for the check in Portuguese?
A conta, por favor. You can also say Pode trazer a conta?
Is the 10% service charge mandatory in Brazil?
Consumer-protection guidance describes the commonly suggested service charge as optional for the customer. If you need to ask, use O serviço está incluído? or Pode tirar o serviço, por favor?. citeturn893023search0
