Finding a Table at a Restaurant

En el restaurante: buscar mesa

Sep 6, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

Read along

¿Tiene una mesa para dos?

Do you have a table for two?

Sí, por aquí. La carta, por favor.

Yes, this way. Here's the menu.

¿Y el menú del día?

And what about the menu of the day?

El menú del día es muy bueno.

The menu of the day is very good.

Key vocabulary

mesaf.
table
“Una mesa para dos, por favor.”— A table for two, please.
Pattern a table for two
plural: mesas
💡 From Latin mensa, not related to English 'table', but shares roots with 'mensal' (monthly), as ancient Roman tables were set monthly.
cartaf.
menu; letter
“La carta, por favor.”— The menu, please.
Pattern the menu
Compare menú (menu, common in Latin America)
plural: cartas
💡 From Latin charta (paper), so the menu is the 'paper' with dishes; commonly used in Spain.
menúm.
menu; set menu
“El menú del día es bueno.”— The menu of the day is good.
Pattern the menu of the day
Compare carta (menu, common in Spain)
plural: menús
💡 From French menu, originally 'small', extended to detailed list; in Latin America, menú often means menu.
buenoadj.
good
“El menú es muy bueno.”— The set menu is very good.
Pattern very good
Compare estupendo (excellent)
feminine: buena; plural: buenos/buenas
💡 From Latin bonus, related to English 'bonus'; remember 'good' is bueno.

At the restaurant

In Spanish restaurants, ask for 'la carta' for the menu, while 'menú' usually refers to the set menu of the day (menú del día). In most of Latin America, however, 'menú' simply means menu. It's common to ask '¿Tiene mesa?' before ordering, and once seated, the waiter will bring the menu.

Source: Based on Spanish and Latin American dining customs

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