restaurante
standard, Mexico
In Mexico a restaurant is a restaurante. Small family places that serve home-style meals are called a fonda or a cocina económica.
Meaning: place to eat meals (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| restaurante | standard, Mexico |
| fonda | casual, Mexico |
| cocina económica | casual, Mexico |
Use restaurante for any sit-down place. A fonda usually offers a fixed lunch menu called a comida corrida at a modest price.
Which one should you use?
A taquería sells tacos and a cafetería sells coffee and snacks, so Mexican Spanish has many specific words under the general restaurante.
How does it change in a sentence?
Restaurante is masculine: un restaurante mexicano.
Did you know?
- A comida corrida is a set lunch that usually includes soup, a main dish and a drink, and it is a staple of Mexican fondas.
Examples in context
- Reservamos mesa en un restaurante.We booked a table at a restaurant.
- Comimos en una fonda muy buena.We ate at a very good fonda.
- Este restaurante abre a la una.This restaurant opens at one.
Example conversation
Colleagues Iván and Paty decide where to eat lunch near their office in Monterrey.
- IvánPaty, ¿vamos a un restaurante o a una fonda?Paty, shall we go to a restaurant or a fonda?
- PatyA la fonda, la comida corrida es buena.To the fonda, the set lunch is good.
- IvánPerfecto, vamos.Perfect, let us go.
