How to Order at a Restaurant or Café in Japan: Phrases & Etiquette

Ordering food in Japan is smoother than most visitors expect — but a handful of set phrases and a little etiquette will make you feel confident instead of frozen at the counter. Here's a friendly, practical guide you can use from the moment you walk in to the moment you say thanks and leave.

Getting the staff's attention

The one word that does almost everything:

• すみません。(Sumimasen.) — "Excuse me." Use it to call a server over. Saying it out loud across the room is completely normal and polite in Japan.

Many casual restaurants also have a call button on the table — press it and someone comes. Some places (especially ramen shops) use a ticket machine by the door: buy a meal ticket first, then hand it to the staff.

Being seated

• 何名様ですか。(Nan-mei sama desu ka.) — "How many people?" (the staff will ask)

• 二人です。(Futari desu.) — "Two people." (一人 hitori = 1, 二人 futari = 2, 三人 san-nin = 3)

• 喫煙席ですか、禁煙席ですか。(Kitsuen-seki desu ka, kinen-seki desu ka.) — "Smoking or non-smoking?"

The core ordering phrases

• メニューをください。(Menyū o kudasai.) — "The menu, please."

• これをください。(Kore o kudasai.) — "This one, please." (point at the menu — totally fine)

• 〜をお願いします。(~ o onegai shimasu.) — "I'd like ~, please." (a touch softer than ください)

• おすすめは何ですか。(Osusume wa nan desu ka.) — "What do you recommend?"

To say how many of something, use the small "-tsu" counter:

• 一つ (hitotsu) — one

• 二つ (futatsu) — two

• 三つ (mittsu) — three

• コーヒーを一つください。(Kōhī o hitotsu kudasai.) — "One coffee, please."

• 生ビールを二つお願いします。(Nama-bīru o futatsu onegai shimasu.) — "Two draft beers, please."

Counting other things — bottles, plates, animals — uses different counter words. See our guide to Japanese counters for the full picture.

At a café: "for here or to go?"

This is the café question you'll hear the most:

• 店内でお召し上がりですか、お持ち帰りですか。(Tennai de o-meshiagari desu ka, o-mochikaeri desu ka.) — "For here, or to take away?"

• 店内で。(Tennai de.) — "For here."

• 持ち帰りで。(Mochikaeri de.) — "To go." (テイクアウトで / teikuauto de also works)

And for temperature:

• ホットで。(Hotto de.) — "Hot."

• アイスで。(Aisu de.) — "Iced."

During the meal

• いただきます。(Itadakimasu.) — Said quietly before you start eating. It's a small thank-you for the food — not religious, just gracious.

• お水をください。(O-mizu o kudasai.) — "Water, please." Water and tea are usually free.

• おしぼり (oshibori) — the wet towel you're given on arrival, for your hands. Also free.

Paying

• お会計をお願いします。(O-kaikei o onegai shimasu.) — "The check, please." (お勘定 / o-kanjō is the same idea)

• In most places you pay at the register by the exit, not at your table. Bring the little bill slip with you.

• ごちそうさまでした。(Gochisōsama deshita.) — "Thank you for the meal." Say it as you leave; staff love hearing it.

Etiquette that surprises visitors

• No tipping. It isn't customary and can genuinely confuse staff. Good service is included — just say ごちそうさま.

• Slurping noodles is fine — even a sign you're enjoying them. Ramen and soba are meant to be slurped.

• Calling staff is expected. A clear すみません or the call button is polite; you don't need to wait to be noticed.

• Cash is still king in some spots, but IC cards (Suica, PASMO), credit cards, and QR pay are increasingly common. Carry a little cash just in case.

• Chopstick manners: don't stand chopsticks upright in rice, and don't pass food chopstick-to-chopstick — both echo funeral customs.

• Oshibori is for your hands, not your face or the table.

A quick order, start to finish

• Staff: いらっしゃいませ！(Irasshaimase!) — "Welcome!"

• You: すみません、これを一つお願いします。(Sumimasen, kore o hitotsu onegai shimasu.) — "Excuse me, one of these please."

• Staff: 店内でお召し上がりですか。(Tennai de o-meshiagari desu ka.) — "For here?"

• You: はい、店内で。(Hai, tennai de.) — "Yes, for here."

• …later… お会計をお願いします。ごちそうさまでした。(O-kaikei o onegai shimasu. Gochisōsama deshita.)

Wrap-up

You really only need a few phrases — すみません to call, 〜をください or 〜をお願いします to order, and お会計 to pay — plus the little rituals of いただきます and ごちそうさま. Nail those and you'll order like a regular, whether it's a tiny ramen counter or a cozy neighborhood café.

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Planning a trip, or just want to practice ordering out loud before you go? I offer relaxed, English-friendly 1-on-1 lessons — book a session and we'll rehearse real situations together. — Naoki, cozykotobar