A1 — Food & Ordering: Theory
Level A1
Food & drinks
Café & restaurant
Goal
Talk about food and drinks, say what you like, and order something in a café or restaurant using polite phrases.
Meals & basic food
- breakfast (morning), lunch (middle of the day), dinner (evening).
- food = things you eat; drink = things you drink.
- Common food: bread, rice, salad, soup, chicken, fish, egg, cheese, sandwich, pizza.
- Common fruit: apple, banana, orange.
Drinks & café language
- water, coffee, tea, juice, milk.
- Places: café, restaurant.
- Paper with food: menu. Money at the end: bill (check).
Ordering politely
- Can I have a coffee, please?
- I’d like a cheese sandwich, please.
- For me, a tea, please.
- Typical questions from staff: Anything else? / Is that all?
- Your answers: That’s all, thank you. / Yes, a water as well, please.
Likes & dislikes
- Use like / don’t like: I like pizza. / I don’t like coffee.
- My favourite food is… / My favourite drink is…
- Adjectives: hungry (want food), thirsty (want drink), delicious (very good taste).
Small quantities & simple grammar
- Use a / an with countable food: an apple, a sandwich.
- Use some in offers: Would you like some tea?
- Useful chunks: a glass of water, a cup of coffee, a piece of cake.
Vocabulary — 30 food & café words
1. food
The food is very good.
2. drink
What would you like to drink?
3. breakfast
I have breakfast at 8.
4. lunch
We have lunch at 1.
5. dinner
We have dinner at home.
6. meal
My favourite meal is dinner.
7. bread
I eat bread for breakfast.
8. rice
We often eat rice.
9. salad
I have a salad for lunch.
10. soup
The soup is hot.
11. chicken
I like chicken and rice.
12. fish
She doesn’t like fish.
13. egg
I eat an egg for breakfast.
14. cheese
I’d like a cheese sandwich.
15. sandwich
Can I have a sandwich, please?
16. pizza
Pizza is my favourite food.
17. apple
I eat an apple every day.
18. banana
Bananas are sweet.
19. orange
I drink orange juice.
20. vegetables
I eat vegetables with dinner.
21. fruit
I like fresh fruit.
22. water
Can I have some water, please?
23. coffee
I drink coffee in the morning.
24. tea
She has tea for breakfast.
25. juice
We have orange juice.
26. milk
He drinks milk at night.
27. restaurant
We eat in a restaurant on Friday.
28. café
Let’s meet in a café.
29. menu
Can I see the menu, please?
30. bill (check)
Can we have the bill, please?
Tip: learn full chunks you can use in real life: Can I see the menu, please?, Can we have the bill, please?.
Booster — 20 extra words for food & ordering
1. snack
I have a snack in the afternoon.
2. dessert
We have ice cream for dessert.
3. starter
For starter, I’d like a soup.
4. main course
The main course is chicken and rice.
5. sweet
The cake is very sweet.
6. salty
The soup is too salty.
7. spicy
I like spicy food.
8. hot
Be careful, the tea is hot.
9. cold
I want a cold drink.
10. to order
We are ready to order.
11. to eat out
We eat out at the weekend.
12. to cook
I cook dinner every day.
13. to try
I want to try this dessert.
14. vegetarian
Is there a vegetarian dish?
15. hungry
I’m hungry. Let’s eat.
16. thirsty
I’m thirsty. I want some water.
17. cheap
This café is cheap.
18. expensive
That restaurant is expensive.
19. table
We have a table near the window.
20. waiter / waitress
The waiter is very friendly.
Combine these words with your core vocab: a cheap restaurant, a hot starter, I want to try this dessert.
Mini-dialogues
- A: I’m hungry. Let’s eat. — B: Good idea. There is a café near here.
- A: Can I see the menu, please? — B: Of course. Here you are.
- A: I’d like a pizza and a juice, please. — B: Anything else? — A: No, that’s all. Thank you.
Conversation pattern
- A: What food do you like?
- B: I like pizza and salad. My favourite drink is coffee.
- A: How often do you eat out? — B: I eat out at the weekend.
Keep your answers short and natural. Use I like…, I don’t like…, My favourite… when you talk about food and drinks.