You do not need to translate every dish before you can find your way around a Greek menu. Start with the section headings, then look for the food and the word describing its preparation. This simplified practice menu gives you a small set of words to recognise before you move to a longer restaurant menu.
Read the practice menu
| Σαλάτες | Χωριάτικη σαλάτα |
| Κυρίως πιάτα | Κοτόπουλο ψητό · Ψάρι ψητό |
| Συνοδευτικά | Πατάτες τηγανητές · Λαχανικά βραστά |
| Επιδόρπια | Γιαούρτι με μέλι |
Find the right section
Σαλάτες means salads. Κυρίως πιάτα means main courses: here you find chicken and fish. Συνοδευτικά means side dishes, while επιδόρπια means desserts. The menu lists χωριάτικη σαλάτα, a village-style Greek salad, and γιαούρτι με μέλι, yoghurt with honey. Με means with; it connects the yoghurt to the honey.
Separate the food from its preparation
Κοτόπουλο is chicken and ψάρι is fish. Ψητό describes food cooked by dry heat, for example grilled or roasted; the word alone does not specify the exact cooking equipment. Τηγανητές means fried in πατάτες τηγανητές, fried potatoes. Βραστά means boiled in λαχανικά βραστά, boiled vegetables. Do not read all three preparation words as grilled.
Notice the changing endings
The adjective agrees with its noun. In this menu, κοτόπουλο ψητό and ψάρι ψητό have a neuter singular ending. Πατάτες τηγανητές uses feminine plural forms, and λαχανικά βραστά uses neuter plural forms. Learn each food and adjective together first. You can recognise the cooking method even when its ending changes.
Ask about a detail
Μπορώ να δω τον κατάλογο; means “May I see the menu?” To ask about the fish, say Πώς είναι μαγειρεμένο το ψάρι; — “How is the fish cooked?” A dish name is not a full ingredient list. Τι περιέχει; asks “What does it contain?” Use the answer to learn more about that particular dish.
Check your reading
- Which heading contains the chicken?
- Which dish is described as boiled?
- What comes with the yoghurt?
- Does ψητό alone tell you whether the food was cooked on a grill or in an oven?
Show the answers
1. Κυρίως πιάτα, main courses. 2. Λαχανικά βραστά, boiled vegetables. 3. Μέλι, honey. 4. No: ask for the specific cooking method if you need that detail.
Make your own choice
Choose a main course and a side from the menu. Practise Θα ήθελα ψάρι ψητό και λαχανικά βραστά, “I would like grilled or roasted fish and boiled vegetables.” Then change the choice to chicken and fried potatoes. Keep the preparation word beside the correct food.
Other ways to ask for the menu
Μπορώ να δω τον κατάλογο; is one polite option. These are shorter, more everyday or useful when you need help choosing:
- Τον κατάλογο, παρακαλώ. — The menu, please (short).
- Μας φέρνετε τον κατάλογο; — Could you bring us the menu?
- Μπορώ να δω το μενού; — May I see the menu? (μενού is just as common as κατάλογος)
- Έχετε κατάλογο στα αγγλικά; — Do you have a menu in English?
- Τι μας προτείνετε; — What do you recommend?
Longer menus often add these headings:
- Ορεκτικά — starters
- Μεζέδες — small plates for sharing
- Μαγειρευτά — cooked dishes such as stews and oven dishes
- Ψητά της ώρας — grilled dishes cooked to order
Common mistakes
- ψάρι ψητός → ψάρι ψητό: the adjective agrees with ψάρι, which is neuter.
- πατάτες τηγανητό → πατάτες τηγανητές: πατάτες is feminine plural, so the adjective is too.
- Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώ. asks for the bill, not the menu. For the menu, use κατάλογο or μενού.
Questions about Greek menus
How do you say “menu” in Greek? Ο κατάλογος or το μενού. Both are understood in restaurants.
What does μαγειρευτά mean on a Greek menu? Cooked dishes, usually stews or oven dishes prepared in advance, as opposed to food grilled to order.
What does “της ώρας” mean on a menu? Literally “of the hour”: the dish is cooked when you order it, usually on the grill.
Continue with booking a table in Greek or practise asking for the bill.