Ordering food in Mexico: restaurant and street-food Spanish phrases

TL;DR: To order food in Mexican Spanish, start with polite phrases such as ‘Quisiera…’ (I would like…), ‘¿Me puede dar…?’ (Can you give me…?), and ‘Por favor’ (please). Some other useful restaurant phrases include ‘¿Qué recomienda?’ (What do you recommend?), ‘¿Cuánto cuesta?’ (How much does it cost?), and ‘La cuenta, por favor’ (The bill, please). At street-food stalls, keep orders simple by naming the food, quantity, and any ingredients you want or don’t want.

This guide covers the two sentence patterns that handle most orders, the phrases you need in a sit-down restaurant, how ordering at a street-food stall differs, and how to ask what is in a dish or leave something out. Every question uses the polite usted form, which is the safe default with servers and vendors you do not know.

How do you order food in Mexico?

A simple way to order food in Mexican Spanish is ‘Quisiera…’ (I would like…) followed by the food or drink you want. For instance, ‘I would like some tacos, please’ is ‘Quisiera unos tacos, por favor’ in Spanish.

Another useful structure when ordering food in Mexico is ‘¿Me puede dar…?’ which means ‘Can you give me…?’ in Spanish. For instance, ‘¿Me puede dar dos tacos, por favor?’ means ‘Can you give me two tacos, please?’

Both structures will help you build a suitable order. They are useful phrases that help you avoid memorising a separate sentence for every dish. Learners can use AI conversations in language-learning apps like Memrise to request different dishes and improve their vocabulary.

What Spanish phrases should you use in a Mexican restaurant?

Restaurant conversations often follow a predictable sequence: Greeting, requesting a table, ordering food and drinks, asking questions, and requesting a bill. Here is a detailed look at common Spanish phrases used in Mexican restaurants:

‘¿Qué recomienda?’ is particularly helpful for travellers who want the server to give them a recommendation. On the other hand, ‘¿Qué incluye?’ comes in handy when you are unsure of what is in a particular dish.

Restaurant phrases are only half the exchange. The server will answer, often quickly, and the reply is the part learners tend to miss. Memrise's Mexican Spanish course has a lesson built around ordering at a restaurant, so you can practise the whole exchange rather than single phrases.

How do you order street food in Mexico?

Street-food orders tend to be more direct than restaurant orders. You can name the food, specify the quantity, and add any changes. For example, ‘Dos tacos de pollo, por favor’ means ‘Two chicken tacos, please’.

If the price is not displayed, ask '¿Cuánto cuesta?' (How much does it cost?) before you order. To say how many you want, put one of these quantity words in front of the food:

• Uno/una - One
• Dos - Two
• Tres - Three
• Media orden de - Half an order of…
• Una orden de… - An order of…

While the basic pattern stays the same, the exact wording will vary depending on the food being ordered. Learners should remember the following structure: quantity + food + relevant modification.

At a taquería, orders are often shorter still. 'Dos de pastor' (two al pastor tacos) gives only the quantity and the filling. The vendor may ask '¿Con todo?' (with everything?), which usually means onion and coriander, and '¿Para aquí o para llevar?' (to eat here or to take away?). Before adding salsa, you can ask '¿Pica?' to find out whether it is spicy.

How do you ask what's in a dish?

The phrase ‘¿Qué lleva?’ is useful when you are unfamiliar with a dish. It means ‘What does it contain?’ or ‘What does it have in it?’ Learners can make it even more specific in the following ways:

• ¿Qué ingredientes lleva? - What ingredients does it contain?
• ¿Qué lleva este taco? - What is in this taco?

Individuals with dietary restrictions or allergies can go a step further and make specifications. For instance, ‘Sin cebolla, por favor’ means ‘Without onion, please’ and ‘¿Tiene cacahuate?’ means ‘Does it contain peanut?’

Learn the relevant ingredient names when you have a serious food allergy. This will help you avoid certain meals and decline offers when travelling to Mexico. It is also more helpful than relying only on a general phrase because you can get more specific.

Frequently asked questions

How do you ask for the bill in Mexican Spanish?

Once you are done eating, say ‘La cuenta, por favor’ which means ‘The bill, please’. You can also say ‘¿Me trae la cuenta, por favor?’ which means ‘Can you bring me the bill, please?’ ‘Gracias’ is appropriate when the server brings the bill or after completing the interaction.

How do you politely order food in Mexico?

Start with 'Quisiera…' (I would like…) or '¿Me puede dar…?' (Can you give me…?), then name the food or drink and finish with 'por favor'. For example, 'Quisiera dos tacos, por favor' means 'I would like two tacos, please.' '¿Me puede dar…?' uses the formal usted form, which is the safe choice with servers and street vendors you do not know.