Ordering at a French café without panicking
Un crème, une noisette, l’addition: the phrases waiters actually expect to hear.
A French café is a small theatre with its own script. Know your lines and the waiter will treat you like a regular. Forget them and you’ll get an espresso when you wanted a latte. Here’s the script.
Act 1: Bonjour, always
Before anything else, say « Bonjour ! » (or « Bonsoir ! » in the evening). Walking in and ordering straight away is the one thing that really sounds rude in France.
Act 2: Where to sit
- Au comptoir: standing at the bar, quick and often the cheapest
- En salle: at a table inside
- En terrasse: outside, the best seat for people-watching
In many cafés, the same coffee costs a little more at a table than at the bar. That’s normal, and the price list usually says so.
Act 3: Know your coffee
| Ask for… | And you’ll get |
|---|---|
| un café / un express | an espresso (yes, “un café” is an espresso) |
| un café allongé | an espresso lengthened with hot water, close to an americano |
| un crème | espresso with lots of hot milk, the closest thing to a latte |
| une noisette | an espresso with a dash of milk (it’s named after its hazelnut colour) |
| un déca | a decaf |
| un chocolat chaud | a hot chocolate |
Act 4: Order like a regular
Je voudrais un crème, s’il vous plaît.
Pour moi, une noisette.
Et une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît.
A carafe d’eau is a jug of tap water, and it’s free. If you just ask for de l’eau, you may be brought a bottle, which isn’t.
To call the waiter, catch their eye or say « S’il vous plaît ! ». Please don’t shout « Garçon ! »: it went out of fashion a long time ago.
Act 5: Paying
L’addition, s’il vous plaît. — The bill, please.
Je peux payer par carte ? — Can I pay by card?
Service is included in French prices (service compris). A tip is a kind extra, not an obligation: leaving the small change is common.
Final scene
Leave with « Merci, bonne journée ! ». The waiter will answer « Merci, vous aussi ! », and you’ll have played the whole scene in French.
