You sit down at a Chinese restaurant, the waiter comes over and asks, “Nín xiǎng diǎn shénme?” (您想点什么？), and your mind goes blank.

That moment is easier than it feels. Ordering in Mandarin runs on a handful of repeatable patterns: ask for the menu, say what you want with the right counting word, adjust it to your taste or diet, and ask for the bill. This guide walks through the restaurant visit in order, with characters, pinyin and English for every phrase, so you can say each line out loud.

The phrases are standard Mandarin as spoken in mainland China. They also work in Taiwan and Singapore, with a few differences covered near the end.

If you don’t have knowledge about Chinese language and you are in restaurant in China 1st time and you don’t know what you speak, learn these:

Pointing plus 我要这个 is the most useful survival move you have. It works even when you can’t read a single character on the menu.

1. You’re greeted and seated.
2. You get the menu (a printed menu, a picture menu, or a QR code).
3. You order the dishes, drinks and rice.
4. You adjust spice, salt, ingredients or dietary needs.
5. The dishes arrive, often one by one, not together.
6. You ask for the bill and pay.

The sections below follow that order.

The waiter is called 服务员 (fúwùyuán). It’s also what you call out to get attention, and it’s perfectly normal to do that in China.

Chinese menus are grouped by type of dish. Spotting these headings makes a long menu feel much smaller.

One character often tells you how a dish is made, which says a lot about what you’ll get.

You’ll also see 肉 (ròu, meat), 蛋 (dàn, egg) and 鸡 (jī, chicken) used alone inside dish names.

If you can’t read the menu

Don’t panic. Use this order of attack:

1. Look for photos. Many menus have them, and the waiter will happily wait while you point.
2. Ask for a recommendation: 有推荐的菜吗？
3. Point to a neighbouring table’s dish and say 我要这个.
4. Use a camera translation app for a rough read, but treat it as a guide, not a guarantee. Menu translations can be literal or odd.

Here is a basic & simple formula to order food:

“我要 (wǒ yào) + number + counting word + dish”

「我要」 means “I want” and is perfectly polite in a restaurant when paired with 请 or a friendly tone. A softer alternative is 我想要 (wǒ xiǎng yào, “I’d like”), and 来一份…… (lái yí fèn…, “bring me a portion of…”) is what you’ll hear from locals.

Chinese needs a counting word between the number and the food, much like “a bowl of soup” in English. These are the ones you’ll use most.

Two things to know:

• When you mean “two,” use 两 (liǎng) before a counting word, not 二. So: 两碗米饭, two bowls of rice.
• The word for “one,” 一, changes tone in speech depending on what follows it. That’s why you’ll see yí gè and yì wǎn above. Don’t stress over this at first: say it naturally and you’ll be understood.

If you’re unsure which counting word to use, 份 is a safe fallback for most dishes.

A common rule of thumb is about one dish per person, plus rice, since Chinese meals are shared. If you’re unsure, start smaller. You can always add more with 再来一份……

This is where ordering gets personal, and it’s the part most phrase lists skip.

Spice levels

Spice levels vary from restaurant to restaurant, so asking is wiser than assuming.

Taste and ingredient requests

For many readers, this is the part that actually decides whether a meal is possible. Be direct and specific. “No pork” is a clearer instruction than a general label.

Here are some practical notes for better understanding:

• 清真 (qīngzhēn) is the Chinese word for halal. Look for it on signs and menus. Halal restaurants are often run by Hui or Uyghur communities, and lamb noodle dishes are a common specialty. 
• “Vegetarian” may not be enough. Dishes can be cooked in meat broth or with lard, or have small bits of meat added. Saying exactly what you don’t want, as in the phrases above, gives the kitchen something clear to follow. 
• Always confirm. A sign saying 清真 is a good start, but this guide can’t certify any restaurant. If halal status matters to you, ask directly, and check recent local reviews before you go. 
• For severe allergies, write the allergen in Chinese on your phone and show it to the staff. A spoken phrase alone isn’t a safe substitute for careful communication.

If you want to order water, juice, liquid or other minerals. Here are below some phrases which help you in ordering them.

If you’re particular about temperature, say so. Drinks in China are often served at room temperature unless you ask for cold, and warm or hot water is a common thing to order with a meal. Some restaurants, especially Cantonese-style ones, charge a small per-person fee for tea (茶位费, cháwèifèi), so it’s worth glancing at the menu or bill.

Things don’t always go smoothly. These phrases keep it polite.

• In many mainland restaurants you’ll pay at the counter or by phone, not at the table.
• Tipping is generally not expected in mainland China, and in some places it may even be politely declined.
• Mobile payment through WeChat Pay and Alipay is extremely common. Payment options for foreign visitors have been changing, so check the current rules for your cards and apps before you travel rather than relying on any article, including this one.
• Splitting the bill the way people do in the West isn’t always the norm. In group meals, one person often hosts and pays, and a friendly tussle over the bill is common.

QR-code ordering is increasingly common. You scan a code on the table and place your order on your phone, often inside a messaging or payment app. If you can’t use it, or can’t read the screen, ask:

Here’s how a simple meal for three might go.

Waiter: 欢迎光临！几位？ Huānyíng guānglín! Jǐ wèi? Welcome! How many people?

You: 三位。 Sān wèi. Three people.

Waiter: 这边请。这是菜单。 Zhèbiān qǐng. Zhè shì càidān. This way, please. Here’s the menu.

Waiter: 您想点什么？ Nín xiǎng diǎn shénme? What would you like to order?

You: 我要一份宫保鸡丁，一份炒青菜，还有两碗米饭。 Wǒ yào yí fèn gōngbǎo jīdīng, yí fèn chǎo qīngcài, hái yǒu liǎng wǎn mǐfàn. I’d like one kung pao chicken, one stir-fried greens, and two bowls of rice.

Waiter: 要辣的吗？ Yào là de ma? Would you like it spicy?

You: 微辣，谢谢。 Wēi là, xièxie. Slightly spicy, thanks.

Waiter: 喝点什么？ Hē diǎn shénme? Anything to drink?

You: 一壶茶，谢谢。 Yì hú chá, xièxie. A pot of tea, please.

(Later)

You: 服务员，买单。 Fúwùyuán, mǎidān. Waiter, the bill, please.

Waiter: 一共一百二十八元。 Yígòng yì bǎi èrshíbā yuán. That’s 128 yuan in total.

Common mistakes to avoid:

Here are some common mistakes which beginners make in China or some where else during Chinese restaurant while ordering food.

• Skipping the counting word. “我要饺子” works, but adding 一盘 or 一份 sounds more natural and helps the kitchen know the portion.
• Using 二 instead of 两 before a counting word.
• Assuming “vegetarian” covers broth and lard. Spell it out.
• Assuming a dish isn’t spicy. Ask: 这个辣吗？
• Over-ordering. Shared dishes add up fast.
• Trusting menu translations blindly, especially literal ones.
• Ignoring tones. A wrong tone can change the word. If you get a puzzled look, say it again slowly, or point.

Etiquette in brief

• Dishes are shared, so you’ll usually eat from the middle of the table.
• Offer to pour tea for others before yourself.
• Don’t stick chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice. It resembles incense offerings and is considered bad manners.
• Complimenting the food is always welcome: 很好吃！ (Hěn hǎochī! It’s delicious!)
• At a meal with a host, wait for them to begin or invite you.

Regional differences worth knowing

• Taiwan uses traditional characters, so you’ll see forms like 菜單 and 結帳 on menus, though the spoken words are mostly the same.
• Singapore uses Mandarin widely, and English is understood almost everywhere, so you can mix the two.
• Southern China and Hong Kong often have Cantonese as the local language. Mandarin is widely understood, but menus and speech can differ.

Say each phrase out loud three times, then try it without reading. Start with the five phrases at the top, then add one new section per day. Listening to native audio helps your tones far more than reading alone.

If you’d like guided practice with real-life situations like this one, Axinstitute’s Market Chinese language course is built around practical Chinese, and our private Chinese lessons let you rehearse restaurant scenarios one-to-one.