Going to a restaurant in Japan is a pleasant experience.
There are thousands of restaurants to choose from; different types of food and also different prices – from relatively yummy and cheap to stunningly beautifully presented and delivered food at extraordinary prices. Something for everyone. It also depends on the type of restaurant as to what formality is used by the waiter or the waitress.
Just assuming you are visiting a restaurant that fits somewhere in the middle, friendly, but not over the top.
Your friend at the table might ask you:
nani ni shimasu ka?
What are you going to have?
and you would say:
(whatever) ni shimasu.
I’m going to have (whatever).
Very useful phrases. Another fairly common, but more polite phrase you may hear is:
(whatever) wa ikaga desu ka?
Would you care for some (whatever)?
Then you could answer with:
(whatever) o itadakimasu.
I would like some (whatever).
Another way of asking someone about like and dislike would be:
tabetai desu
I want to eat
and
nomitai desu
I want to drink
These two phrases can both be made into a question:
~ ですか。
The Japanese waiter/waitress always repeats the order and then you reply at the end:
onegaishimasu
would you do that for me, please
Now we come to the more difficult part: how to change the direction of the request? For instance: you have had enough, it wasn’t quite what you expected, you didn’t like it all that much… How to do that without offending your hosts:
If you didn’t like it all that much:
chotto
It is a little …
If you thought it was difficult to eat…:
anmari…
It’s a little bit…
If you would like some more:
mo sukoshi kudasai
a little bit more, please.
Lami Japan 