Spanish for Beginners: Asking 'What Do You Recommend?' at a Restaurant
Learn to ask for recommendations in Latin American Spanish, including polite ways to say 'What do you recommend?' and 'What's good here?'
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you are at a restaurant or market and want advice rather than just placing an order, you need a different set of Spanish phrases. This lesson teaches you how to ask 'What do you recommend?' and 'What's good here?' in broadly useful Latin American Spanish. You will learn polite questions, how to respond to suggestions, and a short dialogue that shows the skill in action.
By the end, you can…
- ask a server or vendor for a recommendation in Spanish.
- ask what is good or popular at a restaurant or food stall.
- understand and respond to a simple recommendation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿Qué me recomienda?
What do you recommend (to me)?
keh meh reh-koh-MYEN-dah
Polite and standard. Use the usted form with a server, vendor, or someone you do not know well.
¿Qué recomiendas?
What do you recommend?
keh reh-koh-MYEN-dahs
Informal tú form. Use with a friend, a peer, or someone you know well.
¿Qué está bueno aquí?
What's good here?
keh es-TAH BWEH-noh ah-KEE
Common in Latin America. Literally 'What is good here?' Use it at a restaurant or food stall.
¿Qué me aconseja?
What do you advise me?
keh meh ah-kohn-SEH-hah
A bit more formal. Useful when you want advice, not just a food suggestion.
¿Cuál es su especialidad?
What is your specialty?
kwahl es soo es-peh-syah-lee-DAHD
Ask this at a restaurant or bakery to find the dish or item the place is known for.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is ¿Qué me recomienda? or ¿Qué recomiendas? The verb recomendar means 'to recommend.' Use me before the verb to say 'to me': ¿Qué me recomienda? means 'What do you recommend to me?' For a more casual question, use ¿Qué está bueno aquí? This asks what is good in this place. You can also ask ¿Cuál es su especialidad? to ask about the specialty. Notice that recomienda is the usted form and recomiendas is the tú form.
When to use it
Use ¿Qué me recomienda? when you are talking to a server, a market vendor, or someone you do not know well. Use ¿Qué recomiendas? with a friend or someone your age. Use ¿Qué está bueno aquí? when you want a general opinion about the food or drinks at a place. Use ¿Cuál es su especialidad? when you want to know what the restaurant or shop is known for. These questions seek advice; they are not the same as ordering. After you hear a recommendation, you can say Suena bien ('That sounds good') or Gracias, lo voy a probar ('Thanks, I'm going to try it').
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buenas tardes. ¿Qué me recomienda?
Good afternoon. What do you recommend?BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs. keh meh reh-koh-MYEN-dahLe recomiendo el pollo a la plancha. Está muy bueno.
I recommend the grilled chicken. It's very good.leh reh-koh-MYEN-doh el POH-yoh ah lah PLAN-chah. es-TAH mwee BWEH-noh¿Y qué está bueno aquí?
And what's good here?ee keh es-TAH BWEH-noh ah-KEETambién la sopa de verduras es popular.
The vegetable soup is popular too.tahm-BYEN lah SOH-pah deh behr-DOO-rahs es poh-poo-LARA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American countries, using usted with a server or vendor shows respect and is common in formal or unfamiliar situations. The tú form is fine with friends or people your own age. In some regions, such as parts of Mexico and Central America, usted may also be used among family or close friends, so listen to how people around you speak. The phrase ¿Qué está bueno aquí? is widely understood, but in some places people may say ¿Qué hay de bueno? or ¿Qué me recomienda? more often.
One thing to watch for
Using ¿Qué quieres? to ask what the server recommends.
Try this instead: ¿Qué quieres? means 'What do you want?' and asks about the other person's desires, not their recommendation. To ask for a recommendation, say ¿Qué me recomienda? or ¿Qué recomiendas? For example, ask ¿Qué me recomienda? to a server, not ¿Qué quieres?
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask a server politely, using usted, what they recommend?
Show a sample answer
¿Qué me recomienda?
This uses the usted form recomienda and the pronoun me to ask what the server recommends to you. It is polite and standard. A valid alternative is ¿Qué me aconseja? if you want advice.
2How do you ask a friend informally what they recommend?
Show a sample answer
¿Qué recomiendas?
This uses the tú form recomiendas. It is informal and appropriate with a friend or peer. You could also say ¿Qué me recomiendas? with the same meaning.
3What does ¿Qué está bueno aquí? mean?
Show a sample answer
What's good here?
It asks what is good in this place, usually about food or drinks. It is a common way to ask for a recommendation in Latin American Spanish. Another valid question is ¿Qué hay de bueno?
To ask for a recommendation in Spanish, use ¿Qué me recomienda? with strangers or staff, ¿Qué recomiendas? with friends, and ¿Qué está bueno aquí? for a general 'What's good here?'
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