I can read a Czech menu, order soup, a main course, and a side dish, ask what the waiter recommends and what has no meat, call the waiter, pay together or separately, by card or in cash, and leave a tip.
At a restaurant: the menu, ordering, and the check
At a restaurant: the menu, ordering, and the check
Places to eat: restaurace (a restaurant), hospoda (a pub with food), and, at lunchtime, jídelna (a cafeteria). At lunch many people order polední menu: a daily special at one price. The menu is jídelní lístek; its sections are in the table. A side dish is příloha: with řízek or kuře you order it separately. To recognize: svíčková — beef in cream sauce, omáčka — sauce, houska — a round roll, příbor — cutlery, kuchař — cook.
The waiter is číšník, but you call him Pane vrchní! That's the vocative; vrchní here means “waiter” (literally “head waiter”). He'll ask „Co si dáte?“ Answer with si in second position: „Dám si…“ or „Chtěl bych…“ (a woman says „Chtěla bych…“). To ask for advice: „Co nám doporučíte?“; with no meat: „bez masa“. Learn both phrases as a whole.
To pay: „Zaplatím!“ (“I'll pay”), also as a whole. The waiter will ask how you're paying: dohromady, nebo zvlášť — together or separately. By card: kartou; in cash: hotově. The receipt is účtenka.
The tip isn't included: round the total up, usually by 5–10%, and say the new total aloud. For a 190-crown check you say „dvě stě“ (200) and „To je v pořádku“: keep the change.
Common mistakes:
• ×Dám polévku (that means “I'll give away the soup”) → Dám si polévku.
• ×Pan vrchní! → Pane vrchní!
• ×Platím karta → Platím kartou.
The waiter asks — you answer
On the left the step, in the middle the waiter's question, on the right a short reply.
| Step | Waiter | You |
|---|---|---|
| ordering | Co si dáte? | Dám si guláš. |
| drink | A k pití? | Jedno pivo, prosím. |
| anything else | Ještě něco? | Ne, děkuju. |
| paying | Platíte dohromady, nebo zvlášť? | Dohromady. |
Menu sections
This is how a menu is divided: first soup, then the main course and a side dish, and dessert at the end.
| In Czech | In English |
|---|---|
| polévka | soup |
| hlavní jídlo | main course |
| příloha | side dish |
| dezert | dessert |
Lesson notes
At a restaurant: the menu, ordering, and the check
Places to eat: restaurace (a restaurant), hospoda (a pub with food), and, at lunchtime, jídelna (a cafeteria). At lunch many people order polední menu: a daily special at one price. The menu is jídelní lístek; its sections are in the table. A side dish is příloha: with řízek or kuře you order it separately. To recognize: svíčková — beef in cream sauce, omáčka — sauce, houska — a round roll, příbor — cutlery, kuchař — cook.
The waiter is číšník, but you call him Pane vrchní! That's the vocative; vrchní here means “waiter” (literally “head waiter”). He'll ask „Co si dáte?“ Answer with si in second position: „Dám si…“ or „Chtěl bych…“ (a woman says „Chtěla bych…“). To ask for advice: „Co nám doporučíte?“; with no meat: „bez masa“. Learn both phrases as a whole.
To pay: „Zaplatím!“ (“I'll pay”), also as a whole. The waiter will ask how you're paying: dohromady, nebo zvlášť — together or separately. By card: kartou; in cash: hotově. The receipt is účtenka.
The tip isn't included: round the total up, usually by 5–10%, and say the new total aloud. For a 190-crown check you say „dvě stě“ (200) and „To je v pořádku“: keep the change.
Common mistakes:
• ×Dám polévku (that means “I'll give away the soup”) → Dám si polévku.
• ×Pan vrchní! → Pane vrchní!
• ×Platím karta → Platím kartou.