How to Read a French Menu

Reading the menu in a French restaurant can be a little tricky, and not just because of language difficulties. There may be important differences between restaurants in France and in your own country, including what foods are offered and how they are prepared.

Types of menus

Le menu and la formule refer to the fixed-price menu, which includes two or more courses (with limited choices for each) and is usually the least expensive way to eat out in France.

The choices may be written on the ardoise, which literally means "slate." Ardoise can also refer to the specials board the restaurant might display outside or on a wall at the entrance. The sheet of paper or booklet that the waiter hands you (what English speakers call the "menu") is la carte, and anything you order from it is à la carte, which means "fixed-price menu."

A couple of other important menus to know are:

• La carte des vins, which is the wine menu
• Une dégustation, which refers to a tasting menu, with small servings of multiple dishes (déguster means "to taste")

Courses

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Must-Know Vocabulary for French Restaurant Dining

By ThoughtCo Team

A French meal may include numerous courses, in this order:

1. Un apéritif > cocktail, pre-dinner drink
2. Un amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule > snack (just one or two bites)
3. Une entrée > appetizer/starter (false cognate alert: entree can mean "main course" in English)
4. Le plat principal > main course
5. Le fromage > cheese
6. Le dessert > dessert
7. Le café > coffee
8. Un digestif > after-dinner drink

Special Terms

In addition to knowing how French restaurants list their food items and prices, as well as the names of courses, you should also familiarize yourself with special food terms.

• Le plat du jour is the daily special (literally, "dish of the day"), which is usually part of le menu.
• Gratuit and offert both mean "free."
• The waiter will often add the word petit ("little") to his offer: Un petit dessert? Un petit café?
• When you're full, say: "Je n'en peux plus" or "J'ai bien/trop mangé."

Other Terms

To really feel comfortable ordering from the menu in a French restaurant, you'll need to learn a number of common terms. The list below includes almost all common terms you would need to know to impress your friends while ordering in French. The list is broken down by categories, such as food preparation, portions and ingredients, and even regional dishes.

Food Preparation 

Tastes 

Portions, Ingredients, and Appearance 

Typical French and Regional Dishes