En la cafetería

"Me gustaría..." and "¿Me pone...?"

In a Spanish café or bar, there are two main ways to order politely:

Me gustaría... (I would like...)

• Me gustaría un café con leche. → I would like a coffee with milk.
• Me gustaría un zumo de naranja. → I would like an orange juice.

¿Me pone...? (Can you get me...? — very common in Spain)

• ¿Me pone un café solo? → Can I have a black coffee?
• ¿Me pone dos cervezas? → Can I have two beers?

Polite formulas

• por favor → please — At the end of any request
• gracias → thank you — After receiving something
• perdone / disculpe → excuse me — To get the waiter's attention
• la cuenta, por favor → the bill, please — When you want to pay

Example: "Perdone, ¿me pone un café con leche, por favor?" → "Excuse me, can I have a coffee with milk, please?"

In Spain, it is common to order at the bar (la barra) rather than waiting for table service. You can simply say what you want followed by por favor.