10 Phrases for Ordering Coffee and Food in English

Why these ten phrases?

When you walk into a cafe in an English-speaking country, you only need a few short sentences. This article is for A1 learners. Each phrase is easy to memorise, and you can change just the last word: coffee, tea, sandwich. Read each phrase aloud three times, then read the two examples.

One key rule: ask politely

In English, I want a coffee can sound too direct. Most people say Can I have… or I’d like… and add please at the end. When you get your order, say Thank you. These two small words, please and thank you, make any simple order polite.

The ten phrases with examples

1. Can I have a coffee, please?

Meaning: you ask for a coffee in a polite way. It is the most useful order phrase.

• Can I have a coffee, please?
• Can I have two teas, please?

Note: the thing you want comes right after Can I have. Do not say Can I have to coffee.

2. I’d like a sandwich, please

Meaning: I would like a sandwich. I’d is short for I would. It is a little more formal than Can I have.

• I’d like a chicken sandwich, please.
• I’d like a glass of water, please.

Note: a common mistake is I’d like to a sandwich. The correct form is I’d like a sandwich.

3. What do you recommend?

Meaning: what is good here? Use it when you do not know the menu.

• I’m new here. What do you recommend?
• What do you recommend for breakfast?

Note: in recommend, the stress is on the last part: re-com-MEND.

4. Does it have milk in it?

Meaning: you ask what is inside a food or drink.

• Does it have milk in it?
• Does this salad have nuts in it?

Note: after Does we use have, not has. Say Does it have, not Does it has.

5. A large one, please

Meaning: you choose the size: small, medium, or large.

• A large one, please.
• Can I have a small tea, please?

Note: one replaces a word that is already known, so you do not need to repeat coffee every time.

6. To go, please

Meaning: I will take it with me. If you want to sit and eat, say For here, please.

• Can I have a latte to go, please?
• For here, please.

Note: British speakers often say takeaway, and American speakers often say to go. Both are understood.

7. No sugar, please

Meaning: I do not want sugar. Use No before the thing you do not want.

• Tea with no sugar, please.
• A sandwich with no onions, please.

Note: you can also say without sugar. The meaning is the same.

8. Can I have the menu, please?

Meaning: you ask to see the list of food and drinks.

• Can I have the menu, please?
• Can we have two menus, please?

Note: we say the menu because the restaurant has one known menu. Use we when you are with other people.

9. Can I pay by card?

Meaning: you ask if you can use a bank card.

• Can I pay by card?
• Can I pay by cash?

Note: use by with the way of paying: by card, by cash.

10. Can I have the bill, please?

Meaning: you ask for the paper that shows how much to pay. Use it at the end of a meal.

• Can I have the bill, please?
• Can we have the bill, please?

Note: in Britain people say bill. In the United States they often say check: Can I have the check, please?

Common mistakes and corrections

British and American differences

Most of the phrases work in both. The main differences are a few words: takeaway in Britain and to go in America, and bill in Britain and check often in America. If you forget which one to use, people will understand either.

A short cafe dialogue

1. Waiter: Hello! What would you like?
2. You: Can I have a coffee, please?
3. Waiter: Small, medium, or large?
4. You: A large one, please. No sugar.
5. Waiter: For here or to go?
6. You: To go, please. Can I pay by card?
7. Waiter: Yes, of course.

This dialogue uses the same phrases as the article. Read it aloud, then change coffee to another drink.

Practice

Complete each sentence with the correct choice:

1. ___ a tea, please? (Can I have / Give me)
2. I’d ___ a sandwich, please. (like / to like)
3. Does it ___ milk in it? (has / have)
4. Tea with ___ sugar, please. (no / not)
5. Can I pay ___ card? (by / in)
6. Ask for coffee to take with you: Coffee, ___ ___, please.

Answer key

1. Can I have
2. like
3. have
4. no
5. by
6. to go

If you made mistakes, go back to the matching phrase and say it aloud again. A few minutes of repetition each day is better than one long study session.