Taquería Spanish: How Mexico Actually Talks About Food phrases and words in English
This isn't a menu — it's the living, joyful language Mexicans use to crave, order, and rave about food. You'll learn how to say a dish makes your mouth water, how to ask for your tacos "with everything," and how to warn (or not warn) about the salsa that'll make you cry. Along the way you'll pick up real grammar: reflexive verbs, diminutives that soften everything, and slang like "está bien chido" that instantly makes you sound less like a textbook and more like a local.
10 phrases · meanings & example sentences
“se me antoja”
This means "I'm craving it" or "I really feel like having it," but literally it's closer to "it appeals itself to me" — the food is the subject, not you. It comes from the verb "antojarse," a reflexive verb that works like "gustar": the thing you want does the action. Mexicans use this constantly, all day, about tacos, coffee, anything. Mastering it teaches you the tricky "gustar"-style construction that trips up every learner, and it's the single most natural way to express a craving. Say it once out loud and food will start appearing.
- Se me antojan unos tacos al pastor. — I'm craving some al pastor tacos.
- ¿No se te antoja algo dulce? — Don't you feel like something sweet?
- Se me antojó desde que vi la foto. — I've been craving it since I saw the photo.
“con todo”
Literally "with everything," this is the magic phrase for ordering street food exactly how the locals do — cilantro, onion, salsa, lime, the works. When the taquero asks "¿Con todo?" they're asking if you want all the toppings, and answering confidently marks you as someone who knows the ritual. You can also flip it to "sin cebolla" (without onion) or "sin picante" (without spice) to customize. It teaches the super-useful "con / sin" pair for adding or removing anything, far beyond food. Simple, punchy, and you'll use it at every taco stand you ever visit.
- Dos de suadero, con todo, por favor. — Two suadero tacos, with everything, please.
- ¿Con todo? — Sí, pero sin cebolla. — With everything? — Yes, but without onion.
- A mí ponme el mío con todo y bien picoso. — Make mine with everything and really spicy.
“¿de qué los quiere?”
This is what the taquero fires at you the second you walk up: "What do you want them of?" — meaning which filling. It's a beautifully compact bit of real Mexican speech, using "de" to mean "made of / of the type," which is how fillings are named (taco de pastor, de bistec, de lengua). Understanding it means you won't freeze when a fast-talking vendor rattles it off. The answer is just "de" plus the filling, so it's easy to fire back. This one phrase turns an intimidating order into a smooth conversation.
- ¿De qué los quiere? — De pastor y uno de bistec. — What do you want them of? — Al pastor and one of steak.
- ¿De qué va a querer sus quesadillas? — What are you going to want your quesadillas of?
- Están ricos todos, ¿de qué me recomienda? — They're all good, which do you recommend?
“¿pica mucho?”
"Is it very spicy?" — your survival question at any Mexican table. The key is the verb "picar," which literally means "to sting/prick" but is THE word for spicy heat (never "caliente," which means temperature-hot). You'll also hear "picoso/picosa" as the adjective and "pica" as the warning. Knowing this distinction saves you from ordering a lava-level salsa by accident and teaches a verb that also means to chop, to snack ("picar algo"), and to itch. It's practical, it's protective, and it opens up a whole family of useful words.
- ¿Pica mucho esta salsa? — Does this salsa sting a lot?
- La verde pica más que la roja. — The green one is spicier than the red one.
- Está bien picoso, pero riquísimo. — It's really spicy, but delicious.
“está bien chido”
"It's really cool/awesome" — pure Mexican slang you'll hear about a taco, a song, a plan, anything great. "Chido" is the quintessential Mexican word for "cool," and pairing it with "bien" (here meaning "really," not "well") cranks up the enthusiasm. This teaches you that "bien + adjective" is the everyday way Mexicans intensify things — "bien rico," "bien picoso," "bien padre." Drop "chido" and you instantly sound like a friend rather than a tourist. It's the kind of word that makes people smile and switch into casual mode with you.
- Ese lugar de tacos está bien chido. — That taco place is really cool.
- ¡Qué chido que viniste! — How cool that you came!
- Todo salió bien chido, gracias. — Everything turned out great, thanks.
“¡provecho!”
Short for "buen provecho," this is "enjoy your meal" — but here's the magic: in Mexico you say it to strangers as you pass their table or leave a restaurant, and they'll say it back to you. It's a tiny act of everyday warmth with no real English equivalent (French has "bon appétit," English just awkwardly borrows it). Learning it teaches you a piece of table etiquette that instantly makes you feel woven into the culture. It's one word, impossible to get wrong, and it earns you a smile every single time.
- ¡Provecho! — Gracias, igualmente. — Enjoy! — Thanks, you too.
- Nos retiramos, provecho a todos. — We're heading out, enjoy your meal everyone.
- Siempre dice provecho al pasar por las mesas. — He always says 'enjoy' when passing the tables.
“¿me da...? / ¿me regala...?”
The polite, local way to order or ask for something: "Will you give me…?" or, softer still, "Will you gift me…?" "¿Me regala una servilleta?" doesn't mean you expect a free napkin — in Mexico "regalar" is just an extra-courteous way to request. Using "me da" or "me regala" instead of the blunt "quiero" (I want) makes you sound gracious and native. It teaches the indirect-object "me" that powers polite Spanish requests everywhere. This is the difference between demanding and charming your way through an order.
- ¿Me da un agua de horchata, por favor? — Could you give me a horchata drink, please?
- ¿Me regala más salsa? — Could I get some more salsa?
- ¿Nos da la cuenta cuando pueda? — Could you bring us the check when you can?
“¡échale limón y salsa!”
"Throw some lime and salsa on it!" — the golden rule of Mexican eating, and a lesson in the verb "echar," which means to throw/toss but is used everywhere to mean "add / put on." The "-le" ending is a friendly little nudge that Mexicans attach to commands ("échale," "dale," "ándale") to make them lively and encouraging. You'll hear "échale ganas" (give it your all) far beyond the kitchen. So this phrase teaches a verb and a whole flavor of upbeat, imperative Mexican speech. Plus it's just genuinely good food advice.
- Está un poco simple, échale limón y salsa. — It's a bit plain, add lime and salsa.
- Échale tantita sal, le hace falta. — Add a little salt, it needs it.
- ¡Échale ganas al examen! — Give it your all on the exam!
“¡qué rico! / está riquísimo”
"How delicious!" and "it's super delicious" — the reactions that make any cook light up. "Rico" means both "rich (wealthy)" and "delicious," and for food it's the go-to compliment. The real gem is "-ísimo," the ending that means "extremely": "riquísimo" = incredibly tasty (note the c→qu spelling shift to keep the hard sound). Learn this suffix and you can supercharge almost any adjective — "buenísimo," "carísimo," "lejísimos." It's the most heartfelt, useful thing you can say at a Mexican table, and it teaches a grammar trick you'll use forever.
- ¡Qué rico está el mole! — How delicious the mole is!
- Los tamales están riquísimos. — The tamales are incredibly delicious.
- Cocinas riquísimo, de verdad. — You cook amazingly, really.
“una probadita”
"A little taste" — from "probar" (to try/taste) plus the diminutive "-ita," which shrinks and sweetens the word. Mexicans adore diminutives: "un ratito" (a little while), "ahorita" (right now-ish), "tantito" (a tiny bit), and offering "una probadita" is a warm, hospitable gesture at any meal or market. Learning this teaches you how the "-ito/-ita" ending doesn't just mean "small" — it adds affection and softness that's core to how Mexico sounds. Ask for or offer a probadita and you're speaking the emotional register of the culture, not just the words.
- ¿Quieres una probadita antes de pedir? — Want a little taste before you order?
- Solo dame una probadita, no mucho. — Just give me a tiny taste, not much.
- En el mercado te dan probaditas de todo. — At the market they give you tastes of everything.
