How to say “What do you recommend?” in Chinese
“What do you recommend?” in Chinese is 有什么推荐？, written in pinyin as Yǒu shénme tuījiàn?.
有什么推荐？
Yǒu shénme tuījiàn?
What do you recommend?
Word by word
What each part of 有什么推荐？ actually means.
- 有yǒuto have
- 什么shénmewhat
- 推荐tuījiànto recommend
When you use it
- Ask it when the menu is long, the characters are unfamiliar and you would rather trust the server than guess.
- 推荐 means to recommend, and in a busy restaurant the answer is usually one or two dishes the kitchen is known for, not a tour of the whole menu.
Use 有什么推荐？ in restaurant situations. Order food, ask for the bill, handle spice levels.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
招牌菜是什么？
Zhāopái cài shì shénme?
What is the signature dish?
招牌 is the shop's signboard — 招牌菜 is literally the dish they hang their name on.
有特色菜吗？
Yǒu tèsè cài ma?
Any local specialties?
特色 highlights what is distinctive about this kitchen, often what is local to the region.
哪个点的人最多？
Nǎge diǎn de rén zuì duō?
Which gets ordered the most?
The best-seller question — crowd wisdom instead of one person's taste, and the easiest for a busy server to answer.
What usually trips people up
- 推荐 is not only about food — hotels, apps and walking routes all take it, so the pattern 有什么推荐 works again the next day at the hotel desk.
- “What's good here” maps to two different questions — 哪个最好卖 (which sells best) and 什么最好吃 (which tastes best) — and the honest answers can differ.
- If the recommendation is expensive, the server will usually say so outright; following up with 有便宜一点的吗 is a normal question in China, not an insult to the kitchen.
What you might hear back
- 我们的招牌是红烧肉。Wǒmen de zhāopái shì hóngshāoròuOur signature is red-braised pork.
- 这个点的人最多。Zhège diǎn de rén zuì duōThis one gets ordered the most.
- 今天的鱼很新鲜。Jīntiān de yú hěn xīnxiānToday's fish is very fresh.
Common questions
- How do you say "What do you recommend?" in Chinese?
- "What do you recommend?" in Chinese is 有什么推荐？ — written in pinyin as Yǒu shénme tuījiàn?. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.
- What does 有什么推荐？ mean in Chinese?
- 有什么推荐？ (Yǒu shénme tuījiàn?) means "What do you recommend?". Broken down word by word: 有 (yǒu) means "to have"; 什么 (shénme) means "what"; 推荐 (tuījiàn) means "to recommend".
- When would you use "What do you recommend?" in Chinese?
- Ask it when the menu is long, the characters are unfamiliar and you would rather trust the server than guess. 推荐 means to recommend, and in a busy restaurant the answer is usually one or two dishes the kitchen is known for, not a tour of the whole menu.
Where you'll use it
有什么推荐？ comes up in these situations, in this order.
More Restaurant phrases
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