Cafe and restaurant in Thai
A table, the menu, what you cannot eat, and a compliment to the kitchen. Play the ten Thai words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Thai phrases in this lesson
- โต๊ะสำหรับสองคนtoh-sum-rup-SONG-khon
- A table for two
- เมนูค่ะmeh-NOO kha
- The menu, please
- แนะนำอะไรดีnae-NAM a-rai DEE
- What do you recommend?
- ไม่กิน...mai GIN
- I don't eat...
- แพ้...PAE
- I'm allergic to...
- เนื้อNEUA
- Meat
- ไก่GAI
- Chicken
- ปลาPLAH
- Fish
- อร่อยa-ROI
- It's delicious
- ชนแก้วchon-GAEW
- Cheers
Seating yourself at casual Thai cafes is normal. At nicer restaurants, make eye contact and nod. Bangkok restaurants book up; smaller cities usually have walk-in space.
Most Thai menus have pictures or are in English in tourist areas. At street-level restaurants, asking "arai sai?" (what is in this?) gets instant explanation.
"ไม่กินเนื้อ" (mai gin NEUA), I don't eat beef. Fish sauce is in almost everything.
แพ้ถั่ว (pae THUA), allergic to peanuts.
On its own often means beef. Pork is หมู (MOO).
Literally "delicious". Thais appreciate compliments to food and will likely bring you extra. "Aroi mak" (very delicious) earns smiles in the kitchen.
Raising your glass: make eye contact with everyone at the table, say this while clinking, and maintain the eye contact briefly. In Thailand the ritual is less rigid than in Scandinavia but genuinely appreciated.