Essential Turkish Phrases For Ordering Food At A Restaurant
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Knowing how to order food in Turkish will instantly improve your dining experience in Turkey.
Locals always appreciate it when you make an effort to speak their language.
Turkish hospitality is world-famous, and restaurant staff will be thrilled to help you.
In this guide, I’ll show you the exact phrases you need to confidently navigate a Turkish restaurant from start to finish.
Table of contents:
Arriving at the restaurant
When you first walk into a Turkish restaurant, a staff member will usually greet you at the door.
They’ll likely say hoş geldiniz, which means “welcome”.
You should reply with hoş bulduk, which is the standard polite response meaning “we found it pleasant”.
Next, you’ll need to ask for a table.
You can specify the number of people in your group by using the word kişilik.
İki kişilik bir masa lütfen.
Hoş geldiniz. Bu taraftan.
Asking for the menu
In many tourist areas, the waiter will hand you a menu as soon as you sit down.
If they don’t bring one right away, you can easily ask for it.
The Turkish word for menu is simply menü.
You can use the verb almak (to take/get) in its polite request form to ask for it.
Menüyü alabilir miyim, lütfen?
Ordering your food and drinks
When the waiter is ready to take your order, they’ll ask you what you’d like to have.
A very common question you’ll hear from staff is ne alırdınız? (what would you like to get?).
To respond, you can say the name of the food item followed by alayım (let me get) or istiyorum (I want).
Both options are perfectly polite and natural in Turkish.
Ne alırdınız?
Ben bir kebap alayım, lütfen.
Here is a quick table of common Turkish food and drink items to help you build your sentences.
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Su | Water |
| Çay | Tea |
| Kahve | Coffee |
| Çorba | Soup |
| Tavuk | Chicken |
| Et | Meat (usually beef or lamb) |
| Ekmek | Bread |
It’s very customary in Turkey to order your drinks first while you continue looking at the food options.
If you need more time to decide on your main meal, you can tell the waiter to give you a few more minutes.
Biraz daha zamana ihtiyacımız var, lütfen.
Dietary requirements and preferences
Communicating dietary restrictions is a very important part of dining in a foreign country.
Turkish cuisine relies heavily on meat, but there are always plenty of vegetarian options available.
If you don’t eat meat, you should state this clearly to the waiter before you order.
Ben vejetaryenim.
You can also ask the waiter directly if a specific dish contains meat.
Bunun içinde et var mı?
If you have food allergies, you must use the word alerji.
Just place the name of the food you’re allergic to right before the phrase alerjim var (I have an allergy).
Fıstık alerjim var.
Asking for the bill
When you’re finished with your meal and ready to leave, you’ll need to ask for the bill.
The Turkish word for the bill is hesap.
You can simply say hesap lütfen to quickly get the waiter’s attention.
Hesap lütfen.
A slightly more polite way to ask is to use the phrase alabilir miyim (can I get) just like you did when asking for the menu earlier.
Hesabı alabilir miyim, lütfen?
As a cultural tip, you can also make a small writing motion in the air with your hand to signal for the bill from across the room.
Turkish waiters are very attentive and will immediately understand this silent gesture.
It’s always good practice to thank the staff as you leave by saying teşekkür ederim (thank you).
You can also say elinize sağlık (health to your hands) after you finish your meal.
Saying elinize sağlık is a deeply cultural way to praise the chef and the person serving you for preparing a delicious meal.
