Hungry for Portuguese? Today we’ll walk into a Brazilian restaurant together and order with confidence. You’ll learn the most useful phrases, polite ways to ask, and what to say to the garçom (server) from hello to “A conta, por favor.” Practice along the way with quick exercises you can do in under a minute.

Essential phrases you’ll use

These are the building blocks for ordering. Keep them simple and polite.

• Por favor — please
• Eu quero… — I want…
• Eu gostaria de… — I would like… (more polite)
• Para mim, … — For me, …
• O que você recomenda? — What do you recommend?
• A conta, por favor. — The bill, please.
• Sem cebola / com gelo — Without onion / with ice
• Água sem gás / água com gás — Still water / sparkling water

Polite ordering patterns

Use any of these to sound friendly and clear:

• Eu gostaria de + item: Eu gostaria de um café.
• Para mim, + item: Para mim, uma água sem gás.
• Eu quero + item, por favor: Eu quero um sanduíche, por favor.

Try this quick fill-in:

Eu um suco de laranja, por favor.

Talking to the server: key words

Learn these high-frequency words you’ll hear and use at the table.

Mini‑dialogue practice

Put the lines in order to make a natural restaurant exchange.

Building simple orders

Keep your order short and friendly. You can name the item directly and add por favor.

• Para mim, um suco de manga.
• Eu gostaria de um café sem açúcar.
• Um hambúrguer, por favor.

Now practice word order:

Special requests

Use com (with) and sem (without) to customize your food:

• Sem cebola, por favor. — Without onion, please.
• Com gelo, por favor. — With ice, please.
• Sem açúcar. — No sugar.

Quero um café açúcar.

Eu quero a conta. → A conta, por favor. This is more polite and sounds natural. Um água sem gás, por favor. → Uma água sem gás, por favor. Água is feminine in Portuguese: **uma** água.

Prices and paying

To ask about prices, say: Quanto custa? (How much does it cost?) or Quanto é? (How much is it?) When you’re done, say A conta, por favor. Many places accept card (cartão). You can ask: Posso pagar com cartão?

Tip: In Brazil, decimals use a comma (R$ 12,50). In Portugal you’ll also see € 12,50.

Quick verb focus: pedir (to order/ask for)

You’ll also hear pedir when ordering. Here’s the present tense you need at A1:

Scenario check: what would you say?

Choose the best phrase for each situation.

Wrap-up: your mini-order

Try to say a full order out loud:

1. Greet the server. Boa tarde!
2. Ask for the menu. Posso ver o cardápio?
3. Order a drink. Para mim, uma água sem gás, por favor.
4. Order food. Eu gostaria de o prato do dia, por favor. (More natural: Eu gostaria do prato do dia, por favor.)
5. Ask for the bill. A conta, por favor.

If you practice these 5 steps, you can handle almost any simple restaurant situation at A1. Bom apetite e bons pedidos!