How to Order Food in Arabic: Restaurant Words and Phrases

To order food in Arabic, say أُريد (ureed, “I want”) followed by the dish, and add مِن فَضْلِك (min faDlik, “please”) to be polite — for example, أُريد دَجاج مِن فَضْلِك (ureed dajaaj min faDlik, “I would like chicken, please”). The word for restaurant is مَطْعَم (maTʿam), the menu is القائِمة (al-qaaʾima), and the bill is الحِساب (al-Hisaab). With these few words you can walk into any restaurant in the Arab world and order a meal.

This guide covers the food vocabulary and phrases you use most in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the shared form understood from Morocco to the Gulf. Each word comes with its Arabic script, transliteration, and meaning, so you can read the menu, order confidently, and thank the staff on your way out.

What is the Arabic word for restaurant and menu?

The Arabic word for restaurant is مَطْعَم (maTʿam) and the word for menu is قائِمة الطَّعام (qaaʾimat aT-Taʿaam), usually shortened to just القائِمة (al-qaaʾima). These are the first words you need the moment you sit down.

To ask for a table for two, say طاوِلة لِشَخْصَيْن مِن فَضْلِك (Taawila li-shakhSayn min faDlik). When you are ready to leave, الحِساب مِن فَضْلِك (al-Hisaab min faDlik) means “the bill, please.”

What are the main food words in Arabic?

The most useful food words in Arabic are the staples that appear on almost every menu: خُبْز (khubz, bread), أَرُزّ (aruzz, rice), لَحْم (laHm, meat), and دَجاج (dajaaj, chicken). Learn these and you can read most of a menu at a glance.

A popular dish you will see everywhere is حُمُّص (Hummus, the chickpea dip) served with warm خُبْز (khubz). Many Arabic food words have traveled into English almost unchanged, which makes them easy to remember.

What are the Arabic words for drinks?

The core drink words in Arabic are ماء (maaʾ, water), قَهْوة (qahwa, coffee), and شاي (shaay, tea). Coffee and tea are central to Arab hospitality, and you will be offered one or both almost everywhere you go.

To order, pair the drink with “I want”: أُريد قَهْوة مِن فَضْلِك (ureed qahwa min faDlik) means “I would like a coffee, please.” If you want it without sugar, add بِدون سُكَّر (bidoon sukkar, “without sugar”).

How do you say breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Arabic?

Arabic has a separate word for each of the three meals: breakfast is فَطور (faToor), lunch is غَداء (ghadaaʾ), and dinner is عَشاء (ʿashaaʾ). Lunch, غَداء, is traditionally the largest meal of the day in much of the Arab world.

What phrases do you need to order food in Arabic?

The phrases you need most are a way to ask for the menu, a way to say what you want, and a way to ask for the bill. The table below gives you a complete, polite order from start to finish.

A few describing words make ordering easier too: لَذيذ (ladheedh, delicious), حار (Haar, spicy/hot), and حُلْو (Hulw, sweet). To ask the price of a dish, say بِكَم هٰذا؟ (bikam haadhaa?, “how much is this?”) — and knowing your Arabic numbers from 1 to 100 helps you understand the answer and check the bill. When the food arrives, a server may wish you شَهِيّة طَيِّبة (shahiyya Tayyiba), the Arabic equivalent of “bon appétit.”

How do you be polite at the table in Arabic?

You stay polite at the table by using مِن فَضْلِك (min faDlik, “please”) and شُكْراً (shukran, “thank you”) with every request. After a good meal, كانَ لَذيذاً (kaana ladheedhan) means “it was delicious” and is always appreciated.

Food is at the heart of Arab hospitality, so a warm word goes a long way. Pair these phrases with the broader set in our guide to essential Arabic phrases for travelers and you will be ready for far more than just the restaurant.

How do you make Arabic food words stick?

You make food words stick by learning them in small groups — drinks together, meals together, menu phrases together — and reviewing them by ear until each one comes without effort. Because you will actually use these words at every meal, they are some of the fastest vocabulary to lock in.

That is exactly how Kalam Daily works: a new word every day, native-speaker audio so you learn each word’s real sound, and spaced repetition that brings each one back just before you would forget it. Learn ماء, خُبْز, and قَهْوة this week, add the ordering phrases next, and you will be ordering a full meal in Arabic before your next trip. When you are ready for the bigger picture, our Arabic learning path maps out what to study next.