Lesson 10
Ordering a Meal in a Russian Restaurant
You will learn
- to make a booking in a restaurant
- to order a meal for one and for a group
- to ask for vegetarian dishes
- to find out about drinks
- to ask for the bill
and you will read about how Russians entertain.
Before you begin
You will find it useful to look over lesson 4 in conjunction with this lesson.
Study guide
Dialogues: Ordering Lunch in a Café
1. Tanya has dropped in at a cooperative café for lunch.
меню menu
прошу ознакомиться please look at it
лобио a Georgian vegetable dish with green beans and walnuts
вкусный, -ая, -oe tasty
здесь так много блюд there are so many dishes here. Много ‘much/many’ is always followed by a noun in the genitive case. Блюд is the genitive plural of блюдо.
что вы порекомендуете? what would you recommend?
я порекомендую I would recommend
на холодное for the cold dish, hors d'oeuvres
на горячее for the hot dish
Instead of на холодное you will often hear на закуску, while на горячее is another way of saying на второе for the second course. On this occasion no first course of soup was offered.
блюдо грузинской кухни a Georgian dish. You might also be offered:
блюдо русской кухни a Russian dish
блюдо украинской кухни a Ukrainian dish
я так думаю, что киевскую котлету I would think Kiev cutlet. Although the meaning is clear, this sentence does not bear grammatical scrutiny!
2. Tanya has finished her meal.
будет исполнено it will be done
спасибо за совет thank you for the advice. ‘For’ in this sense is за. ‘Thank you for everything’ would be спасибо за всё.
всё было очень вкусно it was all very tasty. If you are still eating, you can use the present tense: всё очень вкусно it’s all very tasty.
что вам принести на десерт? what can I bring you for dessert? That day the café offered мороженое ice cream, компот fruit compote, ромовая баба rum baba and блины pancakes.
я уже сыта I'm already full. A man would say: я уже сыт.
если можно, чашечку кофе if possible a cup of coffee. Once again the verb has been left out. She might have said принесите bring me.
Чашечку is a common diminutive form. You could also ask for чашку кофе.
Practice what you have learned
1. The café in the dialogues offers dishes of many nationalities. In the menu, the dishes and their origins are mixed up. If you listen to the following snatches of conversation, you will be able to match them correctly.
2. Read the following dialogue and see if you can work out which words are missing before listening to your recording.
3. Your name is Lara, and you are looking for a lightish meal. Andrei will prompt you.
An old handwritten bill from the Izmailovo restaurant in Moscow (late 1980s): dinner cost 6 roubles, including a 5% service charge. Today bills are printed — and to make these prices realistic, just add a zero.
Dialogues: Booking a Table
3. Pavel wants to book a table for this evening.
безусловно of course, without a doubt
у моей жены сегодня день рождения it’s my wife’s birthday today. If it was your birthday, you would say у меня сегодня день рождения.
я вас поздравляю congratulations. More commonly addressed to the person whose birthday it is, but then this waiter has a style of his own...
могу я заказать сегодня столик? may I order a table today? It is more correct to say ‘for today’ - на сегодня. Могу я...? can I...? is another way of asking можно...?
на который час? for what time? Pavel uses на in his answer: часов на семь for about seven. You put the noun before the number in Russian to indicate approximation.
на пять человек for five people. If there were 2, 3 or 4 he would have said: на 2,3,4 человека.
Девятнадцать ноль ноль, пять персон 19:00, 5 persons.
мы вас ждём we’re expecting you. The infinitive of this verb is ждать to expect, to wait for - ‘I am expecting/waiting for you’ would be я вас жду.
4. Does the café sell alcohol?
другие спиртные напитки other alcoholic drinks
но but
приобрести to acquire
Мы будем только очень рады we will be only too pleased
можно у вас заказать вино...? can we order wine... here?
у нас кафе безалкогольное ours is a non-alcoholic café. The waiter’s interpretation of ‘non-alcoholic’ would seem to be somewhat loose!
можно за валюту one can for foreign currency. ⏳ Historical note. Paying за валюту (in foreign currency) was normal in the late 1980s – early 1990s, especially in restaurants and hotels catering to foreign tourists. Today it no longer applies: since the mid-2000s all payments in Russia are made only in roubles – in cash or, most often, by card (картой). Foreigners cannot pay in cash foreign currency either. A modern waiter would rather say:
«Но алкогольные напитки можно заказать за отдельную плату.»
“But alcoholic drinks can be ordered for an extra charge.”
если мы принесём с собой? if we bring it ourselves? If you were by yourself, you would ask:
если я принесу с собой?
After можно the infinitive is always used: можно принести с собой you can bring it with you.
Practice what you have learned
4. Listen to the snatches of conversation on your recording, then fill in the missing spaces in the waiter’s list of bookings for the evening.
5. Shura rings the café to book a table. Listen to the conversation, then decide which of the statements in your book are true, which false.
6. You are taking some Russian friends out to dinner. You’ll need to book in advance. Listen for Andrei’s prompts.
Dialogues: Ordering and Paying
5. Pavel and his friends are ready to order.
свинина по-гречески Greek-style pork
свинина натуральная grilled pork
свинина на косточке pork on the bone
примите у нас заказ take our order.
я вас слушаю lit. ‘I am listening to you.’ This is business-like but perfectly polite.
мы решили взять... we have decided to take... If a man was ordering for himself only, he would say: я решил взять... A woman would say: я решила взять...
четыре салата из холодных закусок four salads from the cold hors-d'oeuvres. Pavel makes a mistake in his next request - he says из горячих закусок ‘from the hot hors-d'oeuvres’, whereas in fact it is из горячих блюд ‘from the hot dishes’. The preposition из (from) is also followed by genitive endings.
6. Are there any vegetarian dishes?
омлет с грибами, с сыром an omelette with mushrooms and cheese
среди нас есть... in our group (lit. among us) there is...
вегетарианец (m.) a vegetarian. A vegetarian woman is вегетарианка.
вы могли бы...? would you be able to...? This is a very polite formula when making a request. It is commonly used in the negative: вы не могли бы...? you couldn’t... could you?
ему что-нибудь предложить to suggest something for him. You will find more about ему in the grammar section.
он без мяса it (i.e. the omelette) is without meat. A vegetarian might also want to check that it has no fish: без рыбы, and a vegan that it has no dairy products: без молочных продуктов.
7. They have finished the meal and are ready to pay.
прошу вас please
счёт готов the bill is ready
благодарю вас another way of saying ‘thank you’
всего доброго all the best
пожалуйста, принесите нам счёт please bring us our bill
сдачи не надо keep the change (lit. no need for change)
Practice what you have learned
Read the menu below before beginning the exercises.
Cold appetizers
Hot dishes
7. Natasha is ordering for a group of eight people. Listen to the dialogue on your recording, then mark on the menu above how many portions they would like of each dish.
8. The waiter has never had a group like this before - vegetarians, a vegan, someone on a diet... Listen to your recording and write down how he caters to each person’s needs.
New word: масло butter, oil
9. You will be ordering a meal for yourself and a friend.
Key words and phrases
To use
мы решили взять...
спасибо за совет
спасибо за всё
всё было очень вкусно
я уже сыта (f.) / сыт (m.)
сдачи не надо
we have decided to have...
thank you for the advice
thank you for everything
everything was very tasty
I'm already full
keep the change
To understand
Useful today
Pronouns are used instead of nouns when it’s clear who is referred to, e.g.: Tanya reads Pushkin. She reads Dostoevsky too. Just as a noun can have many endings depending on its function in the sentence, so too can the pronoun.
The dative case is used to refer to the indirect object of a sentence, e.g. give the book to me. Pronouns with dative endings are particularly useful when you are shopping or ordering meals, being used after verbs such as дать ‘to give’ (дайте мне... give me...), принести ‘to bring’ and предложить ‘to offer, suggest’. They are also used before надо and нужно, both of which mean ‘necessary’, e.g. мне надо работать ‘I have to work’, вам нужен второй троллейбус ‘you need a No. 2 trolleybus’. Here are all the dative pronoun endings:
| Личные местоимения в дательном падеже — Personal pronouns (Dative) | |
|---|---|
| мне | to me |
| тебе | to you (sing., to a child or a friend) |
| ему | to him / to it |
| ей | to her |
| нам | to us |
| вам | to you (pl. or more formal) |
| им | to them |
Here is an example of how they work:
я хочу пообедать. Что вы мне порекомендуете?
ты хочешь пообедать? А что тебе принести?
она хочет пообедать. Что вы ей порекомендуете?
мы хотим пообедать. Что вы нам порекомендуете?
вы хотите пообедать. Что вам принести?
они хотят пообедать. Что вы им порекомендуете?
10. Fill in the missing pronouns in the following sentences.
Read and understand
11. Two cooperative cafés have opened in the center of Moscow. Both hang the day’s menu in the window. Read the menus, then decide which café would best suit each of the visitors to Moscow described below.
КАФЕ «ТЕРЕМОК»
Лобио
Блины с икрой
Салат без масла
Суп гороховый с мясом
Украинский борщ
Бульон
Грибы в сметане
Свинина натуральная
Беф-строганов
Бифштекс натуральный
Мороженое
Ромовая баба
Фрукты
КАФЕ «МОСКВА»
Салат «Летний»
Салат «Арбат»
Икра красная
Уха (рыбный суп)
Бульон
Суп по-вегетариански
Голубцы
Грибы в сметане
Пирог с рыбой
Омлет с грибами
Блины с вареньем
Мороженое
Компот
For the first café write ‘a’, for the second café write ‘b’.
Did you know?
Westerners invited to Russians’ homes, or to a restaurant with them, often leave convinced that their friends are well off, and that no problems exist. They don’t, of course, see the lines their friends have waited in, or the hours spent obtaining and preparing special dishes, coffee, drinks and sweets.
But then their friends don’t want them to. Russians do not stop at half-measures when entertaining guests, or celebrating special occasions such as birthdays, name days (именины – the day of the saint after whom a person is named) or New Year.
If you go to somebody’s home, everything they have is likely to be put on the table at one time, and you will be repeatedly urged to keep eating. (There is a fable by the famous writer Krylov on this very theme – the guest finally rushes out of the house, unable to take another mouthful!)
Vodka and other alcoholic drinks will be served just as liberally – if they are available. During the anti-alcohol campaign of the mid-1980s, when severe restrictions were placed on the sale of alcohol, many people felt resentful that perfectly innocent socialising had been curtailed: how could they invite guests without a single bottle to place on the table?
We mentioned in lesson 4 that most Russians do not frequently dine in restaurants. However, they may invite friends to a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and there they will show the same generosity as at home. Incidentally, it would not occur to a waiter to ask diners whether they are paying together or separately – it could even be taken as an insult!
Today: dining out is much more common, and splitting the bill (разделить счёт) or paying by card is perfectly normal.
Your turn to speak
12. You are staying with some friends in Moscow and would like to take them out for a meal. Study the following menu and expressions. When you have chosen, try ordering the meal, making any necessary requests for vegetarian food, etc. And, of course, you will need to pay! Then turn on your recording to hear what Nadya orders.
примите у нас заказ take our order
на холодное for the cold course
на горячее for the hot course
на десерт for dessert
мы решили взять... we have decided to take...
принесите, пожалуйста, ... bring us please...
всё было очень вкусно it was all very tasty
сдачи не надо keep the change
салат
икра
свинина натуральная
омлет с сыром
пирог с рыбой
фрукты
блины
FAQ
How do you ask for the menu in Russian?
You can say "Дайте, пожалуйста, меню." (Give me the menu, please) or "Принесите, пожалуйста, меню." (Bring me the menu, please).
How do you order a table in a Russian restaurant?
You can ask: "Могу я заказать столик?" (Can I order a table?). You'll often need to specify the time ("на который час?") and the number of people ("на сколько человек?").
How do you ask for the bill in Russian?
Simply ask the waiter: "Принесите, пожалуйста, счёт" (Bring the bill, please) or simply "Счёт, пожалуйста" (The bill, please).
How do you ask for vegetarian food in Russian?
You can inform the waiter that you are a vegetarian ("я вегетарианец/вегетарианка") or ask for something without meat ("у вас есть что-нибудь без мяса?").