Question
I’m traveling in Japan and want to try ordering food by myself at a restaurant. However, I’m worried I might not be able to understand when they ask me what I want. How can I say “Please recommend a dish” in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
おすすめの料理（りょうり）を教えて（おしえて）ください。
Osusume no ryouri o oshiete kudasai.
Please recommend a dish.
This phrase is great for when you want to explore new flavors but aren’t sure what to order. Osusume means “recommendation,” ryouri means “dish,” and oshiete kudasai means “please tell me” or “please teach me.” By using this phrase, you can ask the restaurant staff for their recommendations, allowing you to enjoy some local specialties and flavors you might not have encountered otherwise.
Additionally, this expression can be slightly modified to fit other contexts where you’d like a recommendation. Simply replace ryouri with other nouns like “osake” (sake) or “omiyage” (souvenir) to ask for a drink or souvenir recommendation. Enjoy your meal!
