How to Say "Enjoy Your Food" in Dutch

eet smakelijk

/ˌeːt ˈsmaː.kə.lək/

The Dutch phrase for "enjoy your food" is eet smakelijk.

eet smakelijk is the standard way to wish someone a good meal in both casual and semi-formal settings in the Netherlands and Flanders.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the imperative form of eten (to eat) and the adverb smakelijk (tasty/appetizing), literally meaning "eat tastily".

The word eet is the singular imperative form of the verb eten.

/ˌeːt ˈsmaː.kə.lək/. The second of the four syllables is stressed.

When someone says eet smakelijk to you, a common way to respond is to say Dank je wel (thank you) or Dank je (thanks).

While eet smakelijk is polite, some strict etiquette experts in the Netherlands consider it slightly impolite to say it to a guest, as it could imply that the guest should begin eating immediately.
The word smakelijk is closely related to the English word 'smack', linking the Dutch sense of taste to a sensory, physical impact.
Although eet is the singular imperative, the phrase is used universally for groups, regardless of whether you are addressing one person or many.

Eet smakelijk!
Enjoy your food.
This example shows how to use eet smakelijk to wish someone a good meal.
Tatoeba #377965 by Dorenda, translation #4430565 by Zaher
Geniet van uw maaltijd, meneer/mevrouw
Enjoy your meal, sir/madam
Eet smakelijk allemaal!
Enjoy your meal, all!
Eet smakelijk, jongens!
Enjoy your food, guys!
Eet smakelijk, de maaltijd is klaar.
Enjoy your food, the meal is ready.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Lucas and Emma are sitting down at a dining table.

Sources

Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry eet smakelijk, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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