Food & Drinks

1. Enak sekali!

   Delicious!

   Grammar Note

   "Enak" = delicious AND comfortable/pleasant. "Enak sekali" = very delicious. "Mantap" is an enthusiastic "great!"

2. Minta daftar menu

   Can I have the menu?

   Grammar Note

   "Minta" is a polite request without a subject. More direct than "Tolong" but not rude. "menu" is an English/French loanword widely used in Indonesian

3. Tidak pedas ya

   Not spicy please

   Usage

   The "ya" at the end softens the request. Essential for travellers as Indonesian food is often spicy

   Grammar Note

   "Tidak" (formal) or "Nggak" (casual) negation. "Jangan" for prohibition. "Kurang pedas" = not very spicy

4. Saya tidak bisa makan pedas

   I can't eat spicy food

   Grammar Note

   "tidak bisa" = cannot. Indonesian follows SVO word order like English. "bisa" is a modal verb for ability/possibility; negate with "tidak" before it

5. Saya mau pesan...

   I would like to order...

   Grammar Note

   "mau" is a modal for desire/intention, tense-neutral. "Saya ingin" is a more formal alternative. "pesan" means both "to order" and "to reserve"

6. Minta air putih

   Water please

   Usage

   "Air putih" literally means "white water" and refers to plain water; "air minum" also works

   Grammar Note

   "Air putih" (white water) is the Indonesian idiom for plain water. Adjectives follow nouns in Indonesian. "Air" covers all water: "air mineral" (mineral water), "air panas" (hot water)

7. Minta tagihan

   Check please / The bill please

   Grammar Note

   "tagihan" = verb "tagih" (to bill) + noun suffix "-an". The suffix "-an" nominalizes verbs in Indonesian (e.g. "makan" → "makanan" = food)

8. Tanpa daging

   Without meat

   Grammar Note

   "Tanpa" (without) is useful for dietary restrictions: "Tanpa babi" (no pork), "Tanpa telur" (no egg). Specify meat type: "daging sapi" (beef), "daging ayam" (chicken)

9. Saya alergi kacang

   I am allergic to peanuts / nuts

   Grammar Note

   "alergi" is an English loanword. Indonesian omits a linking verb: "Saya alergi kacang" has no "am" equivalent. Indonesian often drops the copula in predicate constructions

10. Satu lagi

    One more

    Grammar Note

    "lagi" = more/again, a very versatile adverb. "Satu lagi" (one more), "Mau lagi" (want more), "Tunggu lagi" (wait a bit more)

11. Ini halal?

    Is this halal?

    Usage

    Indonesia has a large Muslim population so halal food is common, but pork is served in some areas like Bali

    Grammar Note

    "Ini halal?" is a minimal question formed by intonation alone. Indonesian yes/no questions need no inversion — just rising intonation or add "-kah". "halal" is from Arabic

12. Ada makanan vegetarian?

    Do you have vegetarian food?

    Grammar Note

    "Ada" = there is / have / exist — a crucial word for asking availability. "Ada + noun" = "Do you have [noun]?" "makanan" = "makan" (eat) + nominal suffix "-an"

13. Untuk dibawa pulang

    To take away / Takeout

    Grammar Note

    "dibawa" = passive prefix "di-" + "bawa" (carry/bring). The "di-" prefix forms the passive voice in Indonesian (active "membawa" ↔ passive "dibawa"). Passive voice is common in everyday speech

14. Berapa harganya?

    How much is it?

    Grammar Note

    "harganya" = "harga" (price) + definite/anaphoric suffix "-nya". The suffix "-nya" indicates a specific referent. "Berapa + noun + -nya?" is a versatile question pattern

15. Rekomendasinya apa?

    What's your recommendation?

    Grammar Note

    "rekomendasi" is from English "recommendation" + "-nya". Indonesian freely borrows English vocabulary (hotel, restoran, taxi). Placing "apa" at the end forms a "what is it?" question

16. Di mana toilet?

    Where is the toilet?

    Grammar Note

    "Di mana" = where (location). "Di" is the locative preposition. "toilet" is an English loanword. Alternatives: "kamar kecil" (lit. small room) or "WC"

17. Es teh manis

    Sweet iced tea

    Usage

    A staple Indonesian drink. Unsweetened is "teh tawar"; hot tea is "teh panas"

    Grammar Note

    Adjectives follow nouns in Indonesian. Swap the adjective to specify: "teh manis" (sweet), "teh tawar" (plain/unsweetened), "teh panas" (hot). "Es" also refers to cold drinks generally

18. Kopi hitam

    Black coffee

    Grammar Note

    "kopi hitam" (black coffee) is a classic example of noun-before-adjective order. Variants: "kopi susu" (coffee + milk), "kopi tubruk" (traditional unfiltered). Indonesia is a major coffee producer

19. Nasi

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    Cooked rice; uncooked rice is "beras" and the rice plant is "padi"

20. Roti

    Bread

    Usage

    Bread in general; plain sliced white bread is "roti tawar"

21. Mi

    Noodles

    Usage

    Noodles; usually spelled "mie" on signs and packaging

22. Pedas

    Spicy (chilli hot)

    Usage

    Point to this to check or adjust how spicy a dish is

23. Manis

    Sweet

    Usage

    Point to this to check or adjust sweetness

24. Mentah

    Raw (uncooked)

    Usage

    Checks whether food is uncooked; applied to fruit it also means "unripe", so use it about dishes

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