💬 The お in front is a politeness prefix that softens everyday nouns. 水 (mizu) alone means the same thing, but お水 (omizu) is what you'll normally hear in a restaurant.
🇯🇵 At an izakaya 居酒屋 "Japanese pub", a group often starts by ordering a round of beers before looking at the food. People wait for everyone's drink to arrive and toast with 乾杯 (kanpai) "cheers" before drinking.
💬 名 (mei) attaches to a number to count people in formal settings: 三名 (san-mei) "three people". In casual speech people use 人 (nin) instead, but you'll hear 名 from restaurant staff.
🇯🇵 In many casual restaurants you take the bill to the register by the door rather than paying at the table. A common wordless signal is crossing your index fingers into an X to ask for the check.
💬 The ending い marks a describing word that works as a full sentence by itself, so おいしい！ alone means "It's delicious!" To be a bit more polite, add です: おいしいです.
🇯🇵 It is the all-purpose phrase for getting a waiter's attention, squeezing past someone, apologizing, or even thanking someone who went out of their way for you. In casual speech it often sounds like (suimasen).
🇯🇵 Staff often call this out loudly, sometimes all together, as you walk in. You don't need to answer it. A nod or a smile is enough, and many locals just walk in without replying.
💬 様 (sama) is a respectful ending staff add when they talk about you, so 何名様 (nanmei-sama) is the polite way to ask how many guests. Never add 様 when you talk about your own group.
💬 しています describes a state that is still true, so this means you've made a booking and it's in place. Add your name to it: 田中で予約しています "I have a reservation under Tanaka".
💬 To make the polite verb negative, swap the ending います for いません. The same swap works with many polite verbs: 食べています "eating" becomes 食べていません "not eating".
🇯🇵 Smoking inside restaurants has been heavily restricted since 2020. Many places are now fully non-smoking, but some small bars and izakaya still allow it, so asking is still useful.
🇯🇵 Asking this is welcome, and staff often point to the restaurant's signature dish or a seasonal special. It's a good way to order well when the menu has no pictures.
🇯🇵 Staff usually won't hover. Many restaurants have a call button on the table, or you can call out すみません "excuse me" when you're ready, which is not considered rude.
💬 てください after a verb turns it into a polite request: 待って "wait" becomes 待ってください "please wait". The small っ in 待って (matte) is a short held pause before the (t).
💬 一つ (hitotsu) belongs to the general counting set for objects: 二つ (futatsu) "two", 三つ (mittsu) "three". The number goes after the item and before ください, as in ビールを二つください "two beers, please".
🇯🇵 Fish stock だし (dashi) is in many Japanese dishes that look vegetarian, and staff may not think of it as meat. Vegetarians may want to ask about fish separately too.
💬 食べられません means "can't eat". Note that it's 肉が with が, not を, because the meat is the thing you can't manage. Swap the food: 卵が食べられません "I can't eat eggs".
🇯🇵 Sushi chefs often put wasabi under the fish already, so ask before you order if you don't want it. Children's sushi is often served with no wasabi as standard.
🇯🇵 Said quietly to yourself, often with hands pressed together, right before the first bite, even when eating alone. It's also a polite nod to whoever cooked or paid, so it's worth saying when someone treats you.
🇯🇵 Saying this to staff or the chef is warmly received. When you leave, ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita) "thank you for the meal" is the classic way to show thanks.
🇯🇵 In small restaurants and ramen shops, people say this to the staff on the way out, and it's warmly received. It's also the natural thing to say to whoever paid for your meal.
🇯🇵 Many small restaurants, ramen shops and food stalls still take cash only, so carry yen. Some places use a ticket machine at the entrance where you pay before you sit down.
💬 Put a noun in front of できますか to ask "Can I do this?": 予約できますか "Can I make a reservation?" or カードできますか "Can I pay by card?" (casual but widely understood).
🇯🇵 At fast-food counters, staff will often ask you first: 店内でお召し上がりですか "Will you be eating here?" Takeout is taxed at a lower rate than eating in, which is why they check.
💬 The ました ending puts the thanks in the past tense, so it's used once something is finished. While the favor is still happening, it's ありがとうございます.
🇯🇵 Staff will call this out as you leave a restaurant. As a customer, the natural thing to say on your way out is ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita) "thank you for the meal."
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