Question
I’m traveling in Japan and want to compliment a chef at a traditional restaurant after a fantastic meal. How do I express that the food was delicious in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
とても美味（おい）しかったです。
Totemo oishikatta desu.
The food was very delicious.
This is a polite expression you can use to compliment the chef or staff after enjoying a meal. “Totemo” means “very” and “oishikatta” is the past tense of “oishii” which means “delicious”. “Desu” adds a polite tone to the sentence.
If you want to be more specific, you can mention the dish by saying “[Dish name] wa totemo oishikatta desu.” For example, “Sushi wa totemo oishikatta desu” means “The sushi was very delicious.” This expression is sure to bring a smile to the chef’s face!
