Question
I’m planning a trip to Japan and want to experience local dining at a traditional Japanese restaurant. How do I ask the waiter to recommend a popular dish in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
おすすめの料理（りょうり）を教（おし）えてください。
Osusume no ryoori o oshiete kudasai.
Please tell me a recommended dish.
When dining out in Japan, especially in traditional restaurants, it’s helpful to know how to ask for recommendations. “Osusume” means “recommendation,” “ryoori” means “dish,” and “oshiete kudasai” means “please tell me.” This phrase is useful for discovering local specialties and popular dishes that you might not find in guidebooks.
Feel free to practice this phrase and adjust it to fit other situations by replacing “ryoori” with any specific type of recommendation you’re looking for, such as beverages (“nomimono”).
