Before choosing a dish, check three things: how the meal is organized, which choices the price covers, and whether that price applies to one person or something shared. A familiar food name can appear in several formats, so the heading and small print matter as much as the description.
What is the difference between a course and a dish?
A course is a stage of a meal. A dish is a particular preparation served during it. Several dishes can arrive together within one course; counting plates does not necessarily tell you how many courses you have ordered. Merriam-Webster’s definition of course identifies it by the part of the meal served at one time.
On a menu organized into three familiar stages:
- A starter or appetizer opens the meal, often with a smaller portion.
- A main course is the central, usually more substantial part.
- Dessert is the sweet course toward the end.
These headings help explain the restaurant’s sequence, rather than imposing a universal way to eat. A menu organized around shared plates may work differently. If you want two smaller dishes instead of a main, ask about portion sizes and whether they can arrive together.
Does entrée mean a starter or a main course?
This depends on language and location. In American English, entrée generally means the main course, as recorded by Merriam-Webster. On a French-language menu, entrée means the starter or first course, as shown in Collins’ French-English dictionary.
Read the surrounding headings rather than translating the word in isolation. If the sequence or portion size is unclear, ask whether the dish is served as a starter or a main. A French word on an English-language menu does not automatically mean the restaurant uses the French convention.
What do à la carte and prix fixe tell you?
À la carte means that menu items have separate prices. You choose individual items and their prices add together. It does not, by itself, tell you whether a particular main includes vegetables or whether you need to order a side. Read the dish description and ask what comes with it. Merriam-Webster explains à la carte in terms of separately priced items.
Prix fixe means a meal offered at a fixed price. A set menu commonly uses this arrangement. The important next question is which courses and choices that price covers. A menu may offer a choice within each course, rather than every listed dish arriving. Merriam-Webster’s prix fixe entry establishes the fixed-price meaning.
Look for instructions such as “choose one,” and check whether drinks, sides or other additions are included. The phrase “set menu” alone does not answer those questions.
How is a tasting menu different?
A tasting menu presents a sequence of smaller dishes intended to be experienced as one meal. It usually gives the kitchen more control over the selection than à la carte ordering. The number of courses varies, so the term does not promise a particular length or quantity. WebstaurantStore’s tasting-menu guide explains the small-dish format and variable course count.
Ask how long the menu normally takes and whether everyone at the table needs to choose it. Those practical details can matter more than the number of courses when you are comparing options.
What does a supplement add?
A supplement indicates an extra price associated with an option. It may apply to an additional dish or to choosing a particular item within a set menu. Check whether it adds a course or replaces one, and whether it applies per person. The MICHELIN Guide’s dining advice discusses supplements as optional additions worth asking about before choosing.
Is the price per person or for the shared dish?
“Per person” or “pp” applies to each diner covered by that order. “To share” describes how food is served; it does not establish the pricing unit. Restaurants can offer shared dishes within a per-person menu, as RPM Italian’s published menus demonstrate.
Consider this fictional menu wording:
- Three-course set menu: per person; choose one dish from each course.
- Roasted squash: supplement when selected as the main.
- Garden platter: for two; price per platter.
Two diners choosing the set menu would each have a base menu price. The squash choice would add its stated supplement. The platter’s wording explicitly makes its price apply to the whole platter. Without that last detail, ask rather than assuming.
What should you ask when the menu says market price?
Market price, often abbreviated MP, replaces a fixed printed amount with a price that can vary with ingredient costs. Square’s explanation describes why restaurants use it.
Before ordering, ask for today’s price, the quantity it buys, and what is included. If it is priced by weight, ask what the selected portion will cost. Finish with one simple check: does the quoted amount cover the dish, each diner, or the whole shared order?
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