Question
I’m planning a trip to Japan and I want to try the local food. When I go to a restaurant, how do I ask the waiter “What do you recommend?” in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
おすすめは何（なん）ですか。
Osusume wa nan desuka?
What do you recommend?
This is a useful phrase when you’re dining out and want to try something that the staff thinks is especially good. The word “osusume” means “recommendation(s)”, and “nan desuka?” is asking “what is it?”. You can simply use “osusume wa nan desuka?” at any restaurant to get good suggestions from the waiter.
If you want to be more specific, you can ask for recommendations on a particular type of dish, like “魚料理のおすすめは何ですか?” (Sakana ryoori no osusume wa nan desuka?) which means “What do you recommend for fish dishes?” Enjoy your culinary adventures in Japan!
