German for Beginners: Asking 'What Do You Recommend?' in a Restaurant or Café
Learn to ask for recommendations in German with phrases like Was empfehlen Sie? and Was ist gut hier?, and understand how this differs from simply ordering food.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you order in German, you usually name a dish directly: Ich nehme die Suppe, bitte. Asking for a recommendation is a different speech act: you are asking the other person to give an opinion or advice. In this lesson you will learn short, polite German questions for asking what someone recommends, how to ask what is good in a particular place, and how to respond when you receive a suggestion. The focus is on standard contemporary German, with notes on regional and register differences where they matter.
By the end, you can…
- ask a server or friend what they recommend in German.
- ask what is good at a specific restaurant, café or region.
- understand and respond to a simple recommendation.
- choose between polite Sie and informal du forms appropriately.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Was empfehlen Sie?
What do you recommend?
vas em-PFAY-len zee
Polite standard German, using the formal Sie. Use this with servers, shop staff or people you do not know well. The verb empfehlen takes an accusative object if you name it: Was empfehlen Sie mir?
Was können Sie empfehlen?
What can you recommend?
vas KUR-nen zee em-PFAY-len
Very common and slightly more conversational than Was empfehlen Sie? It still uses formal Sie and works well in restaurants and cafés.
Was ist gut hier?
What is good here?
vas ist goot heer
Direct and natural when asking about a specific place. The word hier means 'here'. It is neutral in register and can be used with either Sie or du depending on the situation.
Was ist die Spezialität des Hauses?
What is the house specialty?
vas ist dee shpets-ee-ah-lee-TAYT des HOW-zes
A useful question in traditional restaurants. Spezialität is feminine, so it is die Spezialität. This asks about the restaurant's signature dish rather than a personal recommendation.
Was würden Sie mir empfehlen?
What would you recommend to me?
vas VUR-den zee meer em-PFAY-len
A polite conditional form. The word mir means 'to me'. This is helpful when you want a recommendation tailored to you, for example if you do not eat meat.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is a question word plus a form of empfehlen: Was empfehlen Sie? or Was können Sie empfehlen? The verb empfehlen is irregular in the present tense: ich empfehle, du empfiehlst, er/sie/es empfiehlt, wir empfehlen, ihr empfehlt, sie/Sie empfehlen. Notice the vowel change from e to ie in du and er/sie/es. If you want to say 'recommend something to me', add mir: Können Sie mir etwas empfehlen? The word etwas means 'something'. For a specific place, use Was ist gut hier? or Was ist hier gut? Both word orders are acceptable; the second puts slight emphasis on gut.
When to use it
Use the formal Sie forms with servers, hotel staff and strangers. Use du forms with friends, family and people your own age in informal settings: Was empfiehlst du? or Was kannst du empfehlen? In southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, you may hear regional food terms, but the recommendation questions above remain standard. If you are asking about a town or region rather than a restaurant, say Was ist in dieser Gegend gut? ('What is good in this area?'). Avoid asking Was empfehlen Sie? if you actually just want to order; in that case say Ich nehme..., bitte. Asking for a recommendation invites a longer answer, so be ready to listen for a dish name and perhaps a short reason.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Tag! Was empfehlen Sie heute?
Good day! What do you recommend today?GOO-ten tahk! vas em-PFAY-len zee HOY-teHeute empfehle ich die Kartoffelsuppe. Sie ist sehr gut.
Today I recommend the potato soup. It is very good.HOY-te em-PFAY-le ikh dee kar-TOF-el-zup-e. zee ist zair gootDanke. Und was ist gut hier?
Thank you. And what is good here?DAN-ke. unt vas ist goot heerDer Apfelkuchen ist auch beliebt. Möchten Sie ein Stück?
The apple cake is also popular. Would you like a piece?dair AP-fel-koo-khen ist oukh be-LEEPT. MURKH-ten zee ine shtookA little context goes a long way
In German-speaking countries, asking for a recommendation is normal and usually welcome, but the formality depends on the setting. In a casual café or Imbiss, du may be fine with staff who look similar in age, but Sie is always safe with strangers. In Austria and parts of southern Germany, servers may use regional greetings and dish names; the standard questions in this lesson are still understood. A recommendation is not a guarantee, so you can politely decline with Danke, ich nehme lieber etwas anderes ('Thank you, I would rather have something else').
One thing to watch for
Using Was empfehlen Sie? when you simply want to order a specific item, or using the informal du form with a server you do not know.
Try this instead: For ordering, say Ich nehme die Suppe, bitte. For a polite recommendation question with a stranger, use Was empfehlen Sie? If you are talking to a friend, use Was empfiehlst du? The verb form changes: empfehlen with Sie, empfiehlst with du.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask a server what they recommend?
Show a sample answer
Was empfehlen Sie?
This uses the formal Sie and the verb empfehlen. Was können Sie empfehlen? is also correct and slightly more conversational.
2How do you ask a friend what they recommend?
Show a sample answer
Was empfiehlst du?
The informal du requires the verb form empfiehlst, with the vowel change e to ie. Was kannst du empfehlen? is also a valid alternative.
3How do you ask what is good in a specific place?
Show a sample answer
Was ist gut hier?
This directly asks about the current place. Was ist hier gut? is also acceptable, with a slight shift in emphasis.
To ask for a recommendation in German, use Was empfehlen Sie? with strangers and Was empfiehlst du? with friends. Use Was ist gut hier? for a specific place, and remember that this is different from simply ordering with Ich nehme..., bitte.
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