There are as many eateries (xiǎo chī diàn, 小吃店) in Taiwan as there are cars on the road. So, chances are when you travel to Taiwan, it is inevitable that you will come upon one of those to tame the beast of hunger inside of you. Different than a restaurant proper, no waiter serves tables at the eatery. You come in and find a table, fill up the menu provided, and bring the menu to the cashier (or any worker there). For some, you have to pay the bill upfront, while for others you can do so after you have enjoyed the meal. In any case, the following are some useful phrases/sentences in the context of a dining experience at the eatery.

(Asking for menus)

Lǎo bǎn (niáng), kě bù kě yǐ gěi wǒ yí fèn cài dān.

老闆（娘），可不可以給我一份菜單？

lǎo bǎn （ niáng ）， qǐng wèn yǒu cài dān ma ？

老闆（娘），請問有菜單嗎？

(When you’re ready to order…)

Nǐ hǎo, zhè shì wǒ men de cài dān.

你好，這是我們的菜單

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ men cài dān xiě hǎo le.

你好，我們菜單寫好了

(Asking whether you have to pay upfront)

qǐng wèn wǒ men xū yào xiān jié zhàng ma ？

請問我們需要先結帳嗎？

(After you’re done…)

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ men yào jié zhàng

你好，我們要結帳