Top 50 phrases to get by Portugal: Dining out

💬 In Portugal, both [menu] and [ementa] are used, but [ementa] is the more distinctively European Portuguese word. If you ask for [a ementa], that will sound very natural.

🇵🇹 This will be understood, but in a restaurant it can sound a bit blunt on its own. Softer options like [Queria isto] or adding [por favor] are more natural with staff.

🇵🇹 In Portugal, you usually ask for the bill when you're ready; staff often won't bring it without being asked. [A conta, por favor] is standard and polite.

💬 This changes to match who or what it describes: [vegetariano] for a man, [vegetariana] for a woman. The same pattern is common with food-related words like [alérgico] / [alérgica].