Persian Conversation 8: Ordering Food at a Restaurant

Order food in Persian at a restaurant: kebab, salad and doogh, waiter and customer phrases, spoken vs written forms and a short quiz.

Ordering at a restaurant in Persian

A waiter takes a customer's order in an Iranian restaurant. The customer chooses kebab, a mixed salad and a glass of دوغ (dugh), the yogurt drink that is often served with kebab. The waiter speaks politely with شما forms, and the customer keeps the answers short with لطفاً (lotfan), "please".

This short exchange gives you almost everything you need to order a simple meal.

The dialogue

Key words and phrases

Spoken vs written Persian

The waiter's questions are spoken forms. A menu or a written note would use the formal forms on the right.

Usage notes

Persian uses the present tense for an immediate decision: کباب می‌خورم (kabâb mikhoram), literally "I eat kebab", means "I'll have kebab". You can also order with می‌خوام (mikhâm), "I want": یه کباب می‌خوام (ye kabâb mikhâm).

X چی؟ (X chi?) is a quick way to say "what about X?". The waiter's سالاد چی؟ asks whether the customer wants a salad too.

دوغ is a cold, salty drink made from yogurt and water, often flavored with dried mint. It is a very common drink with kebab in Iran. سالاد فصل is the basic mixed salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber found on most restaurant menus.

Try it yourself

• Tell the waiter you have decided: بله، انتخاب کردم (bale, entekhâb kardam).
• Order a dish with "please": کباب لطفاً (kabâb lotfan).
• Ask for water instead of doogh: آب لطفاً (âb lotfan).
• Ask for the bill at the end of the meal: صورت‌حساب لطفاً (surat-hesâb lotfan).
• Play the waiter yourself and ask a partner سالاد چی؟ and نوشیدنی چی باشه؟, then switch roles and order something different each time.

In many Iranian restaurants the waiter is called over with آقا (âghâ), "sir", or ببخشید (bebakhshid), "excuse me". When the food arrives, you may hear نوش جان (nush-e jân), a friendly wish meaning "enjoy your meal"; a simple ممنون (mamnun) is the right reply.

• Previous: Lesson 7 (jobs)
• Next: Lesson 9 (at a hotel)

Practice

1. What does the waiter mean by {{انتخاب کردید؟}}?

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   Have you decided (what to order)?

2. Order kebab using "I want".

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   ye kabâb mikhâm یه کباب می‌خوام

3. How do you ask for doogh politely?

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   dugh lotfan دوغ لطفاً

4. What is {{دوغ}}?

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   A salty yogurt drink, often with mint.

5. Write {{نوشیدنی چی باشه؟}} in written Persian.

   Show answer

   nushidani che bâshad? نوشیدنی چه باشد؟

Find more dialogues in the Farsi conversation lessons series, and review the sounds behind the transliteration on the Persian pronunciation page.