Restaurants in the uk

Eating out in the UK is an international adventure - you can find restaurants serving almost any kind of food you would like to try, especially in the cities and larger towns. Popular options include Chinese, Indian, Italian, Creek and Thai food. Traditional British food is also available, of course, and different regions have their own specialities. Many pubs also serve excellent food. With all this choice, the hardest thing about eating out in the UK is deciding where to go.

Most restaurants display their menu outside so that you can check what they have to offer - and their prices - before you go in. Prices vary widely from one restaurant to another, so do look first.

Opening hours vary. Some restaurants are open from about 11.00 or 11.30 a.m. (for lunch) through to about midnight. Some may open for a couple of hours for lunch, then close for a while and reopen at about 6.00 or 7.00 p.m. for dinner. Some may open for dinner only. On Sundays, some restaurants may close early, and smaller ones may not open at all.

When you pay your restaurant bill in the UK, tipping (leaving extra money for good service) is optional. But most people do leave a tip, unless they were very unhappy with the service. The usual amount is about 10-15 per cent of the total cost of the bill. Some restaurants will add a 'service charge' (basically a tip) on to your bill automatically. If you think the service was poor, you do not have to pay this charge.

EXERCISE 1. Complete the sentences, using your own ideas.

1. The dish is really …….. 2. Help yourself to some more …. . 3. The service was ……… 4. Have some more …. 5. Would you like ….? 6. Could you pass me the …….., please? 7. The coffee smells ….. 8. Here comes ….. 9. Do you take ….. in your tea? 10. I’d rather have….. 11. Here is ….. 12. Shall we have….? 13. What would you like for …..? 14. I feel like ….. 15. No, thank you. I’m not ……16. Can you recommend ….? 17. Is there a ……… restaurant near here? 18. I’d like a book a table for ….. 19. Could we sit ….? 20. That will take ….. minutes. 21. Enjoy your …… 22. Does the meal come with … ? 23. I’m allergic to …..

EXERCISE 2. Read the text. Put the words into the correct form.

My favourite restaurant

My ………….. (FAVOUR) restaurant is the Scherezade. It is on the corner of my street and my wife and I go there at least …… (ONE) a week. The ……. (SERVE) is excellent, the staff are polite and attentive, the décor is understated and, most …… (IMPORTANT), the food is divine. We ……. (USUAL) have a sea food dish as a ……. (START). The ceviche is a specialty of the house. There are normally three or four courses to choose from, …… (HELP) are generous and the food is always livingly presented. What I like most about the Scherezade are their mouth-watering desserts which, because we are ….. (REGULAR), are often on the house.

EXERCISE 3. Read the text. Put the words into the correct form.