Vocabulary Hub · B1–C1
Useful English for booking tables, ordering food, discussing dietary needs and dealing with restaurant problems.
Topic level: B1, B2, C1 · Category: Travel & Everyday Life
← Vocabulary HubUseful English for booking tables, ordering food, discussing dietary needs and dealing with restaurant problems. Learn each item as part of a phrase or situation rather than as an isolated translation. After reading an example, close the page and produce your own sentence aloud.
| Word | Meaning | Active practice |
|---|---|---|
| reservation | an arrangement to keep a table for a particular time | Write or say your own example using reservation. |
| starter | a small first course before the main dish | Write or say your own example using starter. |
| main course | the principal dish of a meal | Write or say your own example using main course. |
| side dish | a smaller dish served with the main course | Write or say your own example using side dish. |
| bill | the statement showing how much you must pay | Write or say your own example using bill. |
| service charge | an additional amount charged for service | Write or say your own example using service charge. |
| allergy | a physical reaction to a particular food or substance | Write or say your own example using allergy. |
| vegetarian | not eating meat or fish | Write or say your own example using vegetarian. |
| recommendation | a suggestion about what is good to choose | Write or say your own example using recommendation. |
| portion | the amount of food served to one person | Write or say your own example using portion. |
| Phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| book a table | reserve a table at a restaurant |
| Could we have the bill? | a polite way to ask to pay |
| What do you recommend? | ask a server to suggest a dish |
| Is this suitable for...? | ask whether food meets a dietary requirement |
When practising, replace vague language such as thing, good, bad, problem or say with a more precise item from this guide where it genuinely fits. Precision makes your English clearer; unnecessary complexity does not.
1. Which item means “an arrangement to keep a table for a particular time”?
2. Which item means “a small first course before the main dish”?
3. Which item means “the principal dish of a meal”?
4. Which item means “a smaller dish served with the main course”?
5. Which item means “the statement showing how much you must pay”?
Speak for 90 seconds about restaurants & eating out. Use at least five core words and two phrases from this page. Record yourself if possible. Listen again and identify one repeated basic word you could replace with something more precise.
Write 100–150 words on this topic. Underline the vocabulary you deliberately used. Then check whether each expression is grammatically correct and naturally collocated with the words around it.
This vocabulary can support B1–C1 speaking and writing, including Cambridge and IELTS-style tasks when the topic is relevant. In real communication, prioritise clarity and natural phrasing. Do not force memorised expressions into an answer that does not need them.
Learn vocabulary in phrases and realistic sentences, then retrieve it through speaking and writing instead of repeatedly rereading a list.
Yes. The page mixes high-frequency vocabulary with more precise expressions so learners can expand their range progressively.
Much of it is useful for speaking and writing when the topic is relevant. Accuracy, collocation and natural use matter more than using unnecessarily difficult words.
Explore all vocabulary topics, strengthen accuracy in the Grammar Hub, or book a free level assessment.