Useful Phrases to Describe Takeouts, Dine-in and More in Chinese

We’ve been waiting for this for a long time: dine-in service in low-risk areas finally resumes this week!

Learn 5 ways to describe having a meal, takeout or dine-in in Chinese — and enjoy your dinner out with friends.

01. DINE-IN

The first question you will probably hear in most cafes and restaurants in China is whether you’d like to dine in or take away.

Use these phrases if you want to dine in:

堂食 / 堂吃
táng shí / táng chī
to dine in

(在)这里吃 / (在)店里吃
(zài) zhèlǐ chī / (zài) diàn lǐ chī
to dine here / to dine in the restaurant

And this week you will notice in headlines and on WeChat moments the phrase 恢复堂食 (huīfù táng shí), “dine-in resumes” 🎉

02. SELF PICK-UP

You can always make an order in a WeChat mini-program in any restaurant and pick up your food by yourself. Another option is to make an order at the restaurant and take the food away.

自取
zìqǔ
to pick up by yourself

带走
dàizǒu
to take away

03. DELIVERY

Food delivery is very common in China and you can order your food from any cafe and restaurant through WeChat mini-programs and delivery apps, such as Eleme or Meituan.

外卖
wàimài
(to order) a takeout

04. COOKING AT HOME

Even though we all have busy schedules, it’s really nice to stay and cook your dinner at home once in a while. Some restaurants provide a quick and easy option for their customers. You can order a package of ingredients and cook your favorite meals at home.

在家做饭
zài jiā zuò fàn
to cook at home

宅家
zhái jiā
to ‘dwell’ at home

Recently on Eleme and other platforms, you can find meals with this keyword (e.g. 宅家套餐 zhái jiā tàocān, “home set”), which refers to a package or box of prepared ingredients that you can buy and cook at home.

05. PICNIC

As the dine-in service was not available in many areas recently, people enjoyed picnics in parks. You can always have a picnic with your friends on the weekend.

野餐
yěcān
picnic

We hope these phrases will be useful and help you next time you’re going to dine-in or order a takeout. To find out more interesting phrases and questions in Chinese, check out one of our blog posts 5 Small Talk Phrases in Chinese