There are many delectable dishes to choose from in Chinese cuisine. Yet ordering food in a Chinese restaurant can be a little intimidating if you need to learn the language or the culture. We made this complete restaurant menu and dining guide to help you navigate China’s food scene. This guide has a sample menu with Chinese characters and pinyin to help you understand and say the names of the dishes. It also has common restaurant words, terms for ordering food and drinks, and phrases. Whether you’ve been to China before or it’s your first time, this guide will help you confidently order in restaurants and enjoy the different flavors of Chinese food.
Some common restaurant vocabulary words in Chinese
1.Basic Words
- 餐厅 (cān tīng) – restaurant
- 餐馆 (cān guǎn) – restaurant
- 饭馆 (fàn guǎn) – restaurant
- 菜单 (cài dān) – menu
- 服务员 (fú wù yuán) – waiter/waitress
- 桌子 (zhuō zi) – table
- 椅子 (yǐ zi) – chair
- 餐具 (cān jù) – tableware
- 筷子 (kuài zi) – chopsticks
- 盘子 (pán zi) – plate
- 碗 (wǎn) – bowl
- 杯子 (bēi zi) – cup/glass
2.Food
- 食物 (shí wù) – food
- 食品 (shí pǐn) – food
- 肉 (ròu) – meat
- 鸡肉 (jī ròu) – chicken
- 猪肉 (zhū ròu) – pork
- 牛肉 (niú ròu) – beef
- 羊肉 (yáng ròu) – lamb
- 鱼 (yú) – fish
- 虾 (xiā) – shrimp
- 蛋糕 (dàn gāo) – cake
- 冰淇淋 (bīng qí lín) – ice cream
- 水果 (shuǐ guǒ) – fruit
- 蔬菜 (shū cài) – vegetables
- 米饭 (mǐ fàn) – rice
3.Beverages
- 饮料 (yǐn liào) – beverages
- 茶 (chá) – tea
- 咖啡 (kā fēi) – coffee
- 可乐 (kě lè) – cola
- 水 (shuǐ) – water
- 啤酒 (pí jiǔ) – beer
- 红酒 (hóng jiǔ) – red wine
- 白酒 (bái jiǔ) – white wine
Ask for a table in a Chinese restaurant
请问有没有空位子？(Qǐng wèn yǒu méi yǒu kòng wèi zi?)
Excuse me, do you have any available tables?
You can also add the number of people in the sentence. For example:
请问有没有四个人的空位子？(Qǐng wèn yǒu méi yǒu sì gè rén de kòng wèi zi?)
Excuse me, do you have any available tables for four people?
Additional sentences you can use when asking for a table in Chinese
1.请问能不能给我们安排靠窗的位置？(qǐng wèn néng bù néng gěi wǒ men ān pái kào chuāng de wèi zhì?) “Excuse me, can we have a table by the window?”
2.我们有七个人，请问有没有能坐下的大桌子？(wǒ men yǒu qī gè rén, qǐng wèn yǒu méi yǒu néng zuò xià de dà zhuō zi?) “There are seven of us, do you have a large enough table for us?”
3.我们想要室外的位置，能给我们安排吗？ (wǒ men xiǎng yào shì wài de wèi zhì, néng gěi wǒ men ān pái ma?) “We would like an outdoor table, can you arrange that for us?”
Restaurant menu in Chinese
1.Appetizers
- 凉拌黄瓜 (liáng bàn huáng guā) – Cold cucumber salad
- 花生米 (huā shēng mǐ) – Peanuts
- 酱牛肉 (jiàng niú ròu) – Beef in sauce
- 煮干丝 (zhǔ gàn sī) – Boiled shredded pork
2.Soups
- 酸辣汤 (suān là tāng) – Hot and sour soup
- 鸡蛋汤 (jī dàn tāng) – Egg drop soup
- 西红柿汤 (xī hóng shì tāng) – Tomato soup
- 鲫鱼汤 (jì yú tāng) – Carp fish soup
- 冬瓜排骨汤 (dōng guā pái gǔ tāng) – Winter melon and pork rib soup
3.Entrees
- 宫保鸡丁 (gōng bǎo jī dīng) – Kung Pao chicken
- 鱼香肉丝 (yú xiāng ròu sī) – Shredded pork with garlic sauce
- 红烧肉 (hóng shāo ròu) – Braised pork
- 糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐ jǐ) – Sweet and sour pork
- 干煸四季豆 (gān biān sì jì dòu) – Dry-fried green beans
- 麻婆豆腐 (má pó dòu fu) – Mapo tofu
- 家常豆腐 (jiā cháng dòu fu) – Home-style tofu
- 鱼香茄子 (yú xiāng qié zi) – Fish-flavored eggplant
- 辣子鸡丁 (là zǐ jī dīng) – Spicy diced chicken
- 剁椒鱼头 (duò jiāo yú tóu) – Fish head with chopped chili
4.Rice and Noodles
- 米饭 (mǐ fàn) – Rice
- 炒饭 (chǎo fàn) – Fried rice
- 炒面 (chǎo miàn) – Fried noodles
- 饺子 (jiǎo zi) – Dumplings
- 面条 (miàn tiáo) – Noodles
- 炒牛河 (chǎo niú hé) – Stir-fried rice noodles with beef
5.Desserts
- 糯米团子 (nuò mǐ tuán zi) – Glutinous rice balls
- 豆腐花 (dòu fu huā) – Tofu pudding
- 椰汁西米露 (yē zhī xī mǐ lù) – Coconut sago pudding
- 水果沙拉 (shuǐ guǒ shā lā) – Fruit salad
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