🇷🇺 RussianA1–A2

Russian Restaurant and Café Phrases

Use this page for a normal café or restaurant visit in Russian. It covers the most useful things you need in real life: asking for a table, asking for the menu, ordering, saying what you cannot eat, and paying. Russian service language often uses short polite requests, so phrases like "Счёт, пожалуйста." and "Можно..." are especially useful. You will also see how Russian uses "без" to mean "without" in food requests.

Useful in real conversations

Essential Russian phrases

Getting a table

Useful phrases for arriving, asking for a seat, and getting the menu.

У вас есть свободный столик на двоих?
Transliteration: U vas yest' svobodnyy stolik na dvoikh?
Do you have a free table for two?
Мы бы хотели сесть у окна.
Transliteration: My by khoteli sest' u okna.
We’d like to sit by the window.
Нам нужно подождать?
Transliteration: Nam nuzhno podozhdat'?
Do we need to wait?
Можно нам меню, пожалуйста?
Transliteration: Mozhno nam menyu, pozhaluysta?
Could we have a menu, please?
Спасибо, мы готовы заказать.
Transliteration: Spasibo, my gotovy zakazat'.
Thanks, we’re ready to order.

Ordering and making requests

Simple ways to order food and ask for small changes.

Я возьму суп и салат.
Transliteration: Ya voz'mu sup i salat.
I’ll have the soup and the salad.
Можно без лука?
Transliteration: Mozhno bez luka?
Could it be without onions?
Мне, пожалуйста, чай без сахара.
Transliteration: Mne, pozhaluysta, chai bez sakhara.
Tea without sugar, please.
Можно ещё хлеб?
Transliteration: Mozhno eshchyo khleb?
Could we have some more bread?
Что вы посоветуете?
Transliteration: Chto vy posovetuyete?
What do you recommend?

Dietary needs and problems

Phrases for allergies, ingredients, and when something is wrong.

У меня аллергия на орехи.
Transliteration: U menya allergiya na orekhi.
I’m allergic to nuts.
Это без мяса?
Transliteration: Eto bez myasa?
Is this meat-free?
Я не ем молочные продукты.
Transliteration: Ya ne yem molochnye produkty.
I don’t eat dairy.
Извините, это не то блюдо.
Transliteration: Izvinite, eto ne to blyudo.
Sorry, this isn’t the right dish.
Можно заменить гарнир на салат?
Transliteration: Mozhno zamenit' garnir na salat?
Could I swap the side for a salad?

Paying and leaving

Useful lines for asking for the bill, paying, tipping, and saying goodbye.

Счёт, пожалуйста.
Transliteration: Shchyot, pozhaluysta.
The bill, please.
Можно оплатить картой?
Transliteration: Mozhno oplatit' kartoy?
Can I pay by card?
Я могу оставить чаевые здесь?
Transliteration: Ya mogu ostavit' chaevye zdes'?
Can I leave a tip here?
Спасибо, всё было очень вкусно.
Transliteration: Spasibo, vsyo bylo ochen' vkusno.
Thanks, everything was very tasty.
До свидания.
Transliteration: Do svidaniya.
Goodbye.

Example conversations

Arriving at a café and ordering lunch

You arrive with a friend, ask for a table, and place an order.

You
У вас есть свободный столик на двоих?
U vas yest' svobodnyy stolik na dvoikh?
Do you have a free table for two?
Other person
Да, конечно. Проходите, пожалуйста.
Da, konechno. Prokhodite, pozhaluysta.
Yes, of course. This way, please.
You
Мы бы хотели сесть у окна.
My by khoteli sest' u okna.
We’d like to sit by the window.
Other person
Хорошо. Вот меню. Что вы будете заказывать?
Khorosho. Vot menyu. Chto vy budete zakazyvat'?
Sure. Here’s the menu. What would you like to order?
You
Что вы посоветуете?
Chto vy posovetuyete?
What do you recommend?
Other person
Попробуйте суп дня и салат.
Poprobuyte sup dnya i salat.
Try the soup of the day and the salad.
You
Я возьму суп и салат.
Ya voz'mu sup i salat.
I’ll have the soup and the salad.
Other person
Отлично, сейчас принесу.
Otlichno, seychas prinesu.
Great, I’ll bring it right away.

Checking ingredients and paying

You need to avoid nuts, ask for a change, then pay and leave.

You
Извините, в этом салате есть орехи?
Izvinite, v etom salate yest' orekhi?
Excuse me, does this salad have nuts?
Other person
Да, есть.
Da, yest'.
Yes, it does.
You
У меня аллергия на орехи. Можно без них?
U menya allergiya na orekhi. Mozhno bez nikh?
I’m allergic to nuts. Could I have it without them?
Other person
Да, конечно. Я попрошу кухню приготовить без орехов.
Da, konechno. Ya poproshu kukhnyu prigotovit' bez orekhov.
Yes, of course. I’ll ask the kitchen to make it without nuts.
You
Счёт, пожалуйста.
Shchyot, pozhaluysta.
The bill, please.
Other person
Конечно. Можно оплатить картой.
Konechno. Mozhno oplatit' kartoy.
Of course. You can pay by card.
You
Спасибо, всё было очень вкусно.
Spasibo, vsyo bylo ochen' vkusno.
Thanks, everything was very tasty.
Other person
Пожалуйста. До свидания.
Pozhaluysta. Do svidaniya.
You’re welcome. Goodbye.

A few things to know

polite by default

Use polite вы with staff and strangers. The safest default is short, polite requests with пожалуйста. Informal ты is not appropriate with restaurant staff unless the other person clearly switches to it first in a very familiar setting.

grammar

Requests with можно + dative

Russian often uses impersonal можно for polite requests. If you mention who is asking, use the dative case, as in "Можно нам меню, пожалуйста?" or "Можно мне...". If the subject is obvious, it can be left out, as in "Можно оплатить картой?".

grammar

без + genitive

After без, the noun changes to the genitive case. That is why you say "без лука", "без сахара", and "без орехов" instead of the base form of the noun.

usage

Leaving a tip

In many Russian cafés and restaurants, a card terminal may not automatically offer a tip option. If you want to tip, asking "Я могу оставить чаевые здесь?" helps you find out whether the tip can be added on the terminal or should be left separately.

Try it yourself

Choose the right phrase

Pick what you would say in each situation.

Question 1 of 3

Question 1
Question 2
Question 3

You have just arrived with one friend and want to ask for a table before looking at the menu. Which phrase fits best?

У вас есть свободный столик на двоих?Можно оплатить картой?Счёт, пожалуйста.

Keep building your everyday vocabulary

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Put the phrases in context