1. Izakaya Experience I

This dialogue walks you through a full izakaya experience in Japan, including ordering dishes and drinks, asking for additional items, dealing with order mistakes, requesting services like clearing plates or calling a taxi, and settling the bill.

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(The customers enter the restaurant.)
Staff: Do you have a reservation?
Customer: No.
Staff: How many in your party?
Customer: Three.
Staff: Please wait a moment while I check the seating… Thank you for waiting. We have available seats, so I’ll show you to your table. This way, please. (To other staff) Three guests, please assist!
Other Staff: Welcome!
Staff: Please take a seat here. …I’ll bring you water and wet towels right now, so please look at the menu while you wait.
…………
Staff: Here is your water and wet towels. Have you decided on your drinks?
Customer: For now, three draft beers, please.
1. An izakaya is generally a place that serves “dishes that go well with alcohol” as its main focus, and unlike a restaurant, it is normal for each dish to come in smaller portions. Many izakaya offer a wide variety of dishes, and it often takes some time just to look through the menu and see what’s available. For that reason, it is common to order drinks first before deciding on food, so that people can start drinking while still looking at the menu. The phrase とりあえず生なま (draft beer for now) uses とりあえず in the sense of “for the time being” or “as a temporary measure”, meaning that you will choose what food and drinks to order later, but before doing that, you order something right away to start off with.
Staff: Three draft beers. I’ll bring them right away.
Staff: Here are your draft beers. …Have you decided on your order?
Customer: Then, yakitori: chicken thigh, pork belly, and tsukune (chicken meatballs) three of each, please.
2. 〜ずつ indicates “each”, “apiece”, or “per item”. For example, AとBを三みっつずつください means “Please give me three of A and three of B” (three of each).
Staff: Chicken thigh, pork belly, and tsukune, three of each, got it.
Customer: Yes. Also, one grilled gyoza and one Caesar salad.
Staff: One grilled gyoza and one Caesar salad. For the salad, which size would you like? We have large, medium, and small.
Customer: Large, please.
Staff: One large Caesar salad. Any other orders?
Customer: Also, one edamame and one assorted sashimi platter.
Staff: One assorted sashimi platter, got it.
Customer: For now, that’s all.
3. とりあえず here indicates they would order other items later.
Staff: Understood. We’ll bring your order as soon as it’s ready. Please wait a moment.
…………
Staff: Thank you for waiting. Here are the sashimi platter and Caesar salad.
Customer: Excuse me, could I also get one highball and one oolong-hai?
Staff: One highball and one oolong-hai, got it.
Customer: Ah, and one more draft beer.
Staff: One draft beer. I’ll bring it right away.
…………
Customer: Excuse me, the edamame hasn’t come yet.
4. が is a conjunction used to connect clauses. In this sentence, the speaker ends the sentence with が to indicate that it isn’t finished. Since their “request” is obvious from the context, the main sentence, asking them to bring the food quickly, is left unsaid. You can use けど same way.
Staff: I’m sorry. I’ll check right away… It seems the order wasn’t entered, so we’ll prepare it immediately and bring it out.
5. When a customer places an order, it has to be “registered” or “entered” into the system. The verb 入はいる is used to mean “to register” or “to enter”, which is why it is used here.
Customer: Thank you.
…………
Staff: Here’s the edamame. We apologize for the wait.
Customer: No, that’s fine. Excuse me, could you clear the empty plates?
6. 下さげる literally means “to make (something) descend”, and it is also used to mean “to take away” or “to clear” objects from the table.
Staff: Certainly.
…………
Customer: Excuse me, could you call a taxi for me?
Staff: A taxi, right? May I call it now?
Customer: Yes, please.
…………
Staff: The taxi should arrive in about 20 minutes.
Customer: Understood. Thank you. Then, may we settle the bill?
Staff: Certainly. Please pay at the register.
…………
Staff: The total is 12,300 yen. How would you like to pay?
Customer: By card, please.
Staff: Please insert your card here. …Here’s your receipt. Oh, the taxi seems to have arrived.
Customer: Great. Thank you very much, it was delicious!
Staff: Thank you!
Customer: We’ll come again!
Staff: Thank you very much! Please visit us again!

Vocabulary

  • reservation, booking
  • “How many in your party?”
  • seats
  • to check, to make sure
  • available, empty
  • other
  • to head (to somewhere), to face
  • right now
  • cold water (to drink)
  • to bring (humble), to carry, to hold
  • menu
  • to look (honorific form of 見みる)
  • drinks, beverage
  • “have you decided on ~?”
  • for now, for the time being (more details in note 1)
  • draft beer (shortened form of 生なまビール)
  • draft beer
  • order, request
  • yakitori (literally: “grilled bird”) is chicken cooked on skewers, usually over a charcoal fire. Nowadays, it generally refers to the traditional Japanese style of cooking meats and vegetables on sticks (not necessarily chicken).
  • chicken thigh
  • pork belly
  • meat ball
  • each, apiece (more details in note 2)
  • pan-fried dumplings
  • Caesar salad
  • salad
  • large
  • medium
  • small
  • edamame (green soybeans)
  • sashimi (raw sliced fish or shellfish)
  • platter
  • “that’s all”
  • “as soon as it's ready”
  • highball (whiskey and sparkling water)
  • oolong-hai (oolong-tea and highball)
  • not yet
  • “it seems ~”
  • right away, immediately
  • to prepare
  • tough (not easy and tiring), serious (grave), very, extremely
  • empty plates (plates that became empty)
  • clear, take away (more details in note 6)
  • to call taxi
  • “it will arrive in ~” (time length)
  • “I heard that ~” (used when reporting something you heard from someone else, not something you saw or realized yourself)
  • accounting, payment, check (settling account)
  • “please insert”
  • taxi
  • “it looks like ~”, “it seems like ~”
Complete and Continue