N5 · 5 min
The Restaurant レストラン
Lunch rush. A tiny ramen shop — six seats, steam fogging the window, a line forming behind you. Your stomach growls. No English menu, no time to panic. Today, you order a bowl of ramen — in Japanese.
You duck under the noren curtain. Steam, the smell of pork broth, six stools at a counter.
The staff waves you to a counter seat and slides over a plastic menu — thank god, with photos.
A few minutes later a steaming bowl lands in front of you. いただきます! You dig in.
There it is — a water dispenser and cups at the end of the counter. Self-serve, free. You pour your own.
You finish every last drop of broth. Now — the bill. You raise a hand gently.
Belly full, you step back out through the noren into the afternoon. Solo ramen run: cleared. 🎉
Phrases you take home
おすすめは何ですか
you say itosusume wa nan desu ka
What do you recommend?
〜をお願いします
you say it~ o onegai shimasu
I'll have ~, please
お会計をお願いします
you say itokaikei o onegai shimasu
The check, please
一人です
you say ithitori desu
Just one (person)
何名様ですか
you hear itnanmei-sama desu ka
How many people? (listen for this)
かしこまりました
you hear itkashikomarimashita
Certainly / understood (staff say it)
Words in this scene
🏮 Culture note
Ordering is just three phrases
Small Japanese eateries run on a tight, friendly script. Call the staff with すみません, ask おすすめは何ですか if the menu overwhelms you, then order with 〜をお願いします. Water (お水) and tea are almost always free — often self-serve at the counter, so don't wait to be served. Two bookend phrases matter: いただきます before you eat and ごちそうさまでした after. Many ramen shops skip waiters entirely — you buy a 食券 (meal ticket) from a machine by the door and hand it over. When in doubt, point at a photo and say これをお願いします.
Did you survive?
🎉
Scene complete! 🎉