How to read a French menu

Start by identifying the courses. In this context, entrée means the starter, plat means the main course, and dessert names the sweet course. This is especially useful if you are used to the English word “entrée” meaning a main dish.

The teaching menu below combines those words with a price and a choice of courses. Open a course heading for its explanation, then read the line about drinks.

This is an illustrative menu and price for reading practice, not an offer from a restaurant. Open each course heading to decode it.

A restaurant’s carte lists available dishes. A menu or formule may describe a fixed combination. The useful question is not only “What is the dish?” but also “What does this offer include?”

Read the connectors. Here, ou means “or”. The menu offers two courses, not all three.

Apply the wording to the illustrative menu above. These checks are about that particular offer; other menus can include different courses, drinks or choices.

When a condition is unclear, ask directly. The first question checks what the offer includes. The second requests a possible change; the restaurant may or may not be able to make it.

Qu’est-ce qui est compris dans le menu ?

What is included in the set menu?

Est-ce que je peux choisir un autre accompagnement ?

Can I choose a different side dish?

These questions request information or a change. The answer depends on the restaurant; the wording does not guarantee a substitution.