Japanese - Cafe & Restaurant

Lesson 103 of 168

A cozy Japanese café scene showing a small wooden table with a menu and a steaming cup of coffee — lesson about cafe and restaurant phrases in Japanese.

Goal: Ordering, asking about ingredients, and the bill — polite phrases for cafés

Free Japanese lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome! This short lesson helps you handle common cafe moments: asking what’s in a dish, buying time to decide, and dealing with the bill. Try to say each line out loud — speaking helps a lot!

Level A2: Lesson 103 focuses on polite phrases you'll use in cafés and casual restaurants. In this lesson you'll practice asking if a menu item contains something, checking what is included with a dish, asking for more time, requesting the check, and pointing out billing mistakes. This CEFR-aligned pack is friendly and practical — perfect for your next visit to a café.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Ask whether a dish contains a specific ingredient and ask what’s included (A2).
  • Politely ask for more time, request the check, and point out a mistake on the bill.
  • Recognize staff questions like “for here or to go?” and ask where to pay.
A friendly barista behind a counter asking a customer whether they will eat in or take away — Japanese café interaction for this lesson.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

___は付いていますか。

___ wa tsuite imasu ka

Does it come with ___?

Meaning: Does it come with ___?

When to use: Use this to ask whether a dish comes with a side, drink, or accompaniment.

Tip: Beginners sometimes put the item after the verb (e.g., 付いていますかサラダ). Always place the item before は: サラダは付いていますか。

サラダは付いていますか。

Sarada wa tsuite imasu ka

Does it come with a salad?
スープは付いていますか。

Sūpu wa tsuite imasu ka

Does it come with soup?

これに___は入っていますか。

kore ni ___ wa haitte imasu ka

Is there ___ in this?

Meaning: Is there ___ in this?

When to use: Use this to ask whether a specific ingredient is inside a dish (good for allergies and preferences).

Tip: Don’t forget に after これ (これに…); learners sometimes say これ___入っていますか without に, which sounds unnatural.

これにナッツは入っていますか。

Kore ni nattsu wa haitte imasu ka

Does this have nuts in it?
これに牛乳は入っていますか。

Kore ni gyūnyū wa haitte imasu ka

Does this contain milk?

今は以上です。ありがとうございます。

ima wa ijō desu. arigatō gozaimasu

That's all for now, thanks.

Meaning: That's all for now, thanks.

When to use: Say this when you’ve finished ordering and don’t need anything more right now.

今は以上です。ありがとうございます。

Ima wa ijō desu. Arigatō gozaimasu

That's all for now. Thank you.
今は以上です。デザートはまた今度で結構です。

Ima wa ijō desu. Dezāto wa mata kondo de kekkō desu

That's all for now. Dessert can wait until another time.

お会計に間違いがあると思います。

o-kaikei ni machigai ga aru to omoimasu

I think there's a mistake on the bill.

Meaning: I think there's a mistake on the bill.

When to use: Use this politely when checking your receipt and you find a possible error.

すみません、お会計に間違いがあると思います。

Sumimasen, o-kaikei ni machigai ga aru to omoimasu

Excuse me, I think there's a mistake on the bill.
お会計に間違いがあると思います。コーヒーが二つになっています。

O-kaikei ni machigai ga aru to omoimasu. Kōhī ga futatsu ni natte imasu

I think there's a mistake on the bill. The coffee is listed twice.

もう少し時間をください。

mō sukoshi jikan o kudasai

We need a few more minutes.

Meaning: We need a few more minutes.

When to use: Ask this before ordering when you and your group aren’t ready yet.

すみません、もう少し時間をください。

Sumimasen, mō sukoshi jikan o kudasai

Excuse me, please give us a few more minutes.
決められないので、もう少し時間をください。

Kimerarenai node, mō sukoshi jikan o kudasai

We can't decide yet, so please give us a bit more time.

お会計をお願いします。

o-kaikei o onegai shimasu

Could we get the check, please?

Meaning: Could we get the check, please?

When to use: Say this at the end of the meal when you’re ready to pay.

お会計をお願いします。カードで払えますか。

O-kaikei o onegai shimasu. Kādo de haraemasu ka

Could we get the check, please? Can we pay by card?
お会計をお願いします。別々でお願いします。

O-kaikei o onegai shimasu. Betsubetsu de onegai shimasu

Could we get the check, please? We'll pay separately.

___には何が入っていますか。

___ ni wa nani ga haitte imasu ka

What's in the ___?

Meaning: What's in the ___?

When to use: Ask this when you want to know the ingredients or contents of a menu item.

サラダには何が入っていますか。

Sarada ni wa nani ga haitte imasu ka

What's in the salad?
キッシュには何が入っていますか。

Kisshu ni wa nani ga haitte imasu ka

What's in the quiche?

店内ですか、お持ち帰りですか。

tennai desu ka, o-mochikaeri desu ka

For here or to go?

Meaning: For here or to go?

When to use: This staff question asks whether you will eat inside (店内) or take the order away (お持ち帰り).

店内ですか、お持ち帰りですか。

Tennai desu ka, o-mochikaeri desu ka

For here or to go?
店内でお召し上がりですか、それともお持ち帰りですか。

Tennai de o-meshiagari desu ka, soretomo o-mochikaeri desu ka

Will you eat inside, or is this for takeout?

どこで払いますか。

doko de haraimasu ka

Where do I pay?

Meaning: Where do I pay?

When to use: Ask this when you aren’t sure whether to pay at the table or at the register.

すみません、どこで払いますか。

Sumimasen, doko de haraimasu ka

Excuse me, where do I pay?
お会計はどこですか。レジで払いますか？

O-kaikei wa doko desu ka. Reji de haraimasu ka?

Where is the check? Do we pay at the register?

これ、持ち帰りできますか。

kore, mochikaeri dekimasu ka

Can we take this to go?

Meaning: Can we take this to go?

When to use: Ask this when you want to know if a particular item can be packaged for takeout.

このケーキ、持ち帰りできますか。

Kono kēki, mochikaeri dekimasu ka

Can we take this cake to go?
注文したサンドイッチは持ち帰りできますか。

Chūmon shita sandoicchi wa mochikaeri dekimasu ka

Can the sandwich we ordered be taken away?

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Two friends check ingredients and finish ordering at a café.

Two friends at a cafe table asking about ingredients and the bill, practicing polite Japanese phrases from the lesson.

What are Anna and David mostly asking about at the start?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

これに卵は入っていますか。

Kore ni tamago wa haitte imasu ka

Is there egg in this?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

カレーには何が入っていますか。

Karē ni wa nani ga haitte imasu ka

What's in the curry?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

もう少し時間をください。

Mō sukoshi jikan o kudasai

Please give us a few more minutes.

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

今は以上です。ありがとうございます。

Ima wa ijō desu. Arigatō gozaimasu

That's all for now. Thank you.

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

お会計をお願いします。

O-kaikei o onegai shimasu

Could we get the check, please?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

お会計に間違いがあると思います。

O-kaikei ni machigai ga aru to omoimasu

I think there's a mistake on the bill.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which phrase means 'Can we take this to go?'

Which phrase asks 'For here or to go?' (staff question)?

Which phrase means 'I think there's a mistake on the bill'?

Which phrase asks 'Where do I pay?'

I've finished ordering, excuse me, could we get the check, please?

注文が終わったので、すみません、___

I have a nut allergy, excuse me, is there nuts in this?

ナッツアレルギーがあるので、すみません、___

I can't find the register, excuse me, where do I pay?

レジが見当たらないので、すみません、___

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

___は付いていますか。

___ wa tsuite imasu ka

Does it come with ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

これに___は入っていますか。

Kore ni ___ wa haitte imasu ka

Is there ___ in this?

Say this phrase out loud:

今は以上です。ありがとうございます。

Ima wa ijō desu. Arigatō gozaimasu

That's all for now, thanks.

Say this phrase out loud:

お会計に間違いがあると思います。

O-kaikei ni machigai ga aru to omoimasu

I think there's a mistake on the bill.

Say this phrase out loud:

もう少し時間をください。

Mō sukoshi jikan o kudasai

We need a few more minutes.

Say this phrase out loud:

お会計をお願いします。

O-kaikei o onegai shimasu

Could we get the check, please?

Say this phrase out loud:

___には何が入っていますか。

___ ni wa nani ga haitte imasu ka

What's in the ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

店内ですか、お持ち帰りですか。

Tennai desu ka, o-mochikaeri desu ka

For here or to go?

Say this phrase out loud:

どこで払いますか。

Doko de haraimasu ka

Where do I pay?

Say this phrase out loud:

これ、持ち帰りできますか。

Kore, mochikaeri dekimasu ka

Can we take this to go?