Ordering food in Chinese: from menu to bill
Chinese menus are the reason most visitors give up and point. Even with a translation app you'll meet dishes that aren't in it, and the two things that decide whether you enjoy the meal — how spicy, and whether there's meat in it — are easy to get wrong by pointing alone.
There's a shortcut worth knowing: in most Chinese restaurants the menu is now a QR code stuck to the table, and you order in the mini-program that opens. Screenshots and photos work as a translation aid there; the phrases below are what you need when you'd rather ask a person.
9 steps · 9 phrases · tap any phrase to hear it
Listen to all 9
Hands-free playback — good for a taxi, a queue, or the plane.
Back-to-back Chinese — good once the phrases are familiar.
- 1
Get a menu you can read
You may hear
有的，扫码点餐。
Yǒu de, sǎo mǎ diǎncān.
Yes — scan the code to order.
Two things happen at the door before anything else: you'll be asked 几位？ (jǐ wèi?, how many people?) and pointed at a table. Then comes the QR code. If you'd rather have a paper menu or order from a person, this sentence is what gets you there — 菜单 (càidān) is the word.
- 2
Ask what's good
You may hear
这个卖得最好。
Zhège mài de zuì hǎo.
This one sells best.
The single highest-value sentence in a restaurant you can't read. Servers will point at one or two dishes, and those are reliably the ones the kitchen is fast at and the regulars order — a much better bet than a translated menu.
- 3
Order by pointing
You may hear
好，还要别的吗？
Hǎo, hái yào bié de ma?
OK — anything else?
Point and say it; no full sentence needed. Where this really pays off is a 面馆 or street stall with no menu at all: point at what the next customer is eating, say 我要这个, and you're done.
- 4
Say it when you order, not after
You may hear
微辣可以吗？
Wēi là kěyǐ ma?
Is mildly spicy OK?
Chinese spice levels run 不辣 (none), 微辣 (mild), 中辣 (medium), 特辣 (very hot) — and 微辣 in Sichuan or Hunan is still not mild by most visitors' standards. Say 不要辣 at the moment you order, because it's much harder to fix afterwards.
- 5
Fix a dish that's already on the table
You may hear
给你换一个？
Gěi nǐ huàn yīgè?
Shall I swap it for something else?
This is the after-the-fact version of 不要辣, and restaurant staff generally take it well — asking for a swap is normal here. 太…了 is the “too much” frame, so the same shape gives you 太咸了 (too salty) and 太贵了 (too expensive).
- 6
Say what you don't eat
You may hear
这个是素的。
Zhège shì sù de.
This one is vegetarian.
肉 covers pork, beef and lamb in one word, which is why 我不吃肉 works better than naming each animal. If you're vegetarian, 我吃素 is the direct version — and worth pairing with 我过敏 (I'm allergic) if that's the real reason.
- 7
Ask for more of the cheap things
You may hear
免费的。
Miǎnfèi de.
It's free.
Rice refills are usually free in sit-down restaurants; tea and hot water almost always are. 加 means to add, so the same pattern buys you 加汤 (more soup) or 加水 (more water) at no extra charge.
- 8
Get the total
You may hear
一共一百二十八。
Yígòng yībǎi èrshíbā.
128 yuan altogether.
This is where the numbers page earns its keep. 一百二十八 is literally “one hundred, two ten, eight” — the number system is entirely regular, so once you can hear 百 (hundred) and 十 (ten) you can read any bill back.
- 9
Ask to pay
You may hear
扫码付款。
Sǎo mǎ fùkuǎn.
Scan the code to pay.
买单 (mǎidān) is the mainland phrase for “the bill”; in Taiwan people say 结账. Then it's the QR code again — the till prints or shows one, you scan and confirm. Tips are not expected in China, and a service charge would be listed on the menu if there is one.
Also worth having ready
Not part of the flow, but the ones people wish they'd practised before this situation.
Common questions
- How do you order food in Chinese?
- Point at the dish and say 我要这个 (I want this one). If you can't read the menu, ask 有什么推荐 (what do you recommend?) and order what the server points at. In most restaurants the menu is a QR code on the table and you order in the app instead.
- How do I say “not spicy” in Chinese?
- 不要辣 (bú yào là) when you order. Say it clearly and early, because 微辣 (mild) in Sichuan or Hunan cooking is still hot for most visitors. If the dish arrives too hot already, 太辣了 works and staff will usually offer to swap it.
- How do I ask for the bill in a Chinese restaurant?
- 买单 (mǎidān) — literally “buy the bill”, and the standard phrase in mainland China. Tips aren't expected. When the bill arrives, 一共多少钱 (how much altogether?) is the version to use if there are several dishes on the table.
Every phrase used here, in full
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💴 Paying for things
QR codes, cash and what to do when a card fails.
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