How To Understand A Menu In Spanish (When You Don’t Really Know The Language)

Have you ever traveled to a foreign country and struggled to read the menu? Or visited a local restaurant that had some words in Spanish that you couldn’t quite decipher?

If you’re curious about learning a better way to understand a menu in Spanish without committing to learning the whole language. Or you want to be more independent at a restaurant on your next trip out of the country without completely relying on your translator app or translator. Then this post is for you!

So let’s dive into this little cheater’s guide to understanding a menu in Spanish, without you ever having to understand the whole language.

While you’re here, be sure to also check out our other language-learning posts, or check out our travel or favorites pages!

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Look For The Main Item In The Meal

Usually, your main thing is going to be the protein source of the meal. Maybe a meat or vegetable, if there are vegetarian options. In this case, we’ll assume the former. When you go to a restaurant and try to read the menu, it will probably list the main ingredients under the title of the food on the menu. Nothing unusual there from your average menu in English, right?

With this in mind, try to learn some common words that you would typically find in a meal. I’m thinking things like:

• Meat – Carne
• Chicken – Pollo
• Pork – Chancho
• Fish – Pescado
• Shrimp – Langostinos

Knowing these main protein sources should help these items jump out when you look at the menu. As a very first step, you’ll at least be able to know what is in the dish you’re looking at.

Learn Some Veggies

In addition to learning the main protein source, I would recommend you learn some vegetables. Knowing even a few words for common vegetables that you find in an average dish could help you grasp what the dish might taste like.

Consider learning and/or looking for words like:

• Onion – Cebolla
• Tomato – Tomate
• Potato – Papa
• Carrot – Zanahoria
• Pepper – Pimienta
• Broccoli – Brocoli
• Cauliflower – Coliflor

Also, check out this post where I talked about learning the words for the things you put on your grocery list. It’s a practical way to learn a new language without having to go out of your way to learn it. Doing this early in my language journey has really helped lay the foundation for a lot of the food words I know today.

Salsas/Cremas = Sauces

I think something important to know if you want to understand a menu in Spanish, is that “salsa” isn’t the typical chip dip we think of back in the USA (at least not in Perú). Typically a salsa is some kind of sauce or dip, but it’s not necessarily something you’ll want to dip some tortilla chips in.

Salsas or cremas in Spanish can be something like a sauce like tomato sauce, a creamy sauce. It could also be referring to sauce for your burger, like mustard and mayonnaise, or even a sweet or spicy sauce. When you’re looking at the Spanish menu in front of you, try to figure out what kind of sauce it is. For example, it could be written like this:

• Salsa de…
• Crema de…

If you saw something that was written, “Salsa de tomate,” you would know that this dish has a “tomato sauce.” So pay close attention to what word follows the “de.”

You could also hear someone ask you what kind of cremas you wanted, for example, on your burger. In that case, they’re usually asking if you want mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, a spicy sauce, maybe a creamy olive sauce, or even avocado cream.

Con = With

Another important thing to note: Con = with.

If you’re wondering about all the little words here and there on the menu, outside of the vegetables and meat, and you want to know what sides come with this dish, then look for the word “Con.”

If you see an item on the menu that says something like, “Pescado frito con frijoles,” you would know that your fried fish dish comes with a side of beans. Or if it says “con papas fritas,” you’re getting french fries. It’s one tiny little word, but shows you what is served with your prospective dish.

Know Your Side dishes

On the side dish topic, your meal could come with several different things on the side. If you’re in Perú, one of those side dishes is probably rice.

So knowing these simple words gives you an idea of what kind of meal you’re getting. Oftentimes you’ll see some variation of something below listed along with your meal description.

• Rice – Arroz
• French fries – Papas fritas
• Noodles – Fideos
• Vegetables – Verduras
• Salad – Ensalada

I feel like I should note that these items might not be listed specifically as a side dish. You might find the menu says it is served with french fries, rice, or the dish is made up of noodles.

For example, there’s a dish here called Tallarín Saltado, and there’s also one called Lomo Saltado (or even Pollo Saltado). These three dishes are all very similar to each other, however, Tallarín Saltado is served on a bed of fideos, whereas the other two are served on a bed of papas fritas.

Salad Is Different

Maybe this point should end up in a Culture Shocks post, but I think it’s important to mention it here as well. If you’re trying to understand a menu in Spanish, it’s incredibly important to note that salad is different. By that I mean, salad isn’t the salad we think of back in the States.

If you’re looking for a salad on a menu in Spanish, make sure you specify what kind of salad you want. In other words, if you want a salad that resembles something you might see at a typical restaurant in the USA, you’re going to want some variation of an “ensalada de lechuga,” or a, “lettuce salad.”

I cannot tell you the number of times my husband has ordered us a side of salad to go with our meal and I end up being confused when they brought back a plate of onion with lemon juice on it. In Perú, oftentimes when you ask for a salad, they bring you an “ensalada de cebolla,” an “onion salad,” which isn’t always specified. Sometimes they really just call it salad with no titles to go with it. It is normal for Peruvian meals to come with a side of onion salad.

Just be aware when you’re trying to understand a menu in Spanish, things aren’t always what you’re expecting, like salad. Things are not likely to look exactly the same as they might be at an American restaurant.

I hope you found this little cheater’s guide helpful. With these tips, I’ve been able to order off the menu with a general understanding of what I was getting – without help from my husband.

Even if you cannot fully understand what the little blurb under the dish title is saying is included in the meal, knowing these few things can help you improve and successfully navigate your way around the dinner table.

While you’re here – if you’re interested in other Peruvian foods and desserts, check out these posts. Or explore a little and check out our favorites page.

Happy eating!

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