Practice Listening English Exercises for A1 – Restaurants

Appetizers: salad, soup, shrimp cocktail

Main dishes: steak, fish, chicken

Vegetables: carrots, peas, broccoli

Desserts: apple pie, cake, ice cream

Drinks: coffee, juice, tea

1   house salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, tea

2   soup of the day, Greek salad, ice cream, coffee

3   hamburger with fries, milk

Transcript

1

A:   Are you ready to order?

B:   Yes, I’d like to start with the salad, please.

A:   Okay. And what would you like for your main dish?

B:   Hmm. I’ll have the spaghetti. Is it good?

A:   I’ve never tried it. Anything to drink?

B:   Tea, please.

A:   And how about dessert?

B:   Not today, thanks.

2

A:   Hi there. What can I get you today?

B:   Well, let me see. I’ll just have some soup and a salad.

A:   Sure. Soup and salad. Our special today is grilled fish, and that comes with broccoli or peas.

B:   No, thanks. Not today. I’m not very hungry. But I would like some chocolate ice cream for dessert.

A:   Sure. Anything to drink?

B:   Coffee, and some water, please.

3

A:   Hi! Have you decided yet?

B:   Is the beef stir-fry very spicy?

A:   Yes, it’s pretty hot.

B:   Hmm. I think I’ll have a hamburger then. And a glass of milk.

A:   Anything for dessert? The cheesecake is excellent.

B:   No, thanks.

1 b   2 b   3 a   4 b   5 b   6 a

Please: 2, 5

Not pleased: 1, 3, 4, 6

Transcript

1

A:   There you are, sir. Two slices of pizza and a large cola.

B:   Thank you. Hmm.

C:   How does it look?

B:   Okay, I guess, but I think I should have ordered three or four slices. These slices are much smaller than I expected.

2

A:   And here’s your order. Steak with French fries and coffee.

B:   Thanks. I can’t wait to eat. I’m starving.

C:   It looks okay. How is it?

B:   Let me try. Oh, just perfect.

3

A:   Sorry to keep you waiting. One order of fried chicken with broccoli.

B:   Thanks. Oh my! This chicken looks pretty dry.

C:   Really. How does it taste?

B:   I’m afraid it’s not very fresh. I think it must have been frozen.

C:   Let’s send it back.

4

A:   There’s your order, ma’am. Fish, salad, and peas.

B:   Oh. But you told me today’s vegetable was broccoli.

C:   You don’t like peas, do you?

B:   No, I don’t. I hate peas!

5

A:   And here’s your dessert. Chocolate cake and a large cola.

B:   Great.

C:   Wow. That cake looks good. I wish I had ordered it.

B:   Do you want to try it? It’s delicious.

C:   Just a taste. Mmm. Fabulous.

6

A:   Did you order the spaghetti?

B:   That’s right.

A:   Good. Here you are. And here’s your cola.

B:   Thanks. I don’t think I made a very good choice.

C:   Really?

B:   Yeah. I think I can make better spaghetti than this.

1   the appetizer:     Liked

     the main dish:     Didn’t like

     the vegetables:   Liked

     the dessert:         Liked

2   the appetizer:     Liked

     the main dish:     Liked

     the vegetables:   Liked

     the dessert:         Didn’t like

3   the appetizer:     Liked

     the main dish:     Liked

     the vegetables:   Didn’t like

     the dessert:         Liked

4   the appetizer:     Didn’t like

     the main dish:     Didn’t like

     the vegetables:   Liked

     the dessert:         Liked

1 True   2 False   3 False   4 True

Transcript

1

I went to a new steak restaurant last night that opened near my house. I love trying new places. To start the meal, I had an interesting appetizer. It was some kind of seafood with a spicy sauce on it… Mmm! The main dish, of course, was steak. It was very small and a little tough, though. However, the vegetables were great – nice and fresh, but not too oily. The final thing was the best – the dessert! It was apple pie with a lot of ice cream on it. I know that I shouldn’t eat so many sweets, but it was delicious.

2

Have you ever tried that seafood restaurant on Main Street? You should – it’s great! I go there often. In fact, I went there last weekend. To begin, I had a salad. It was nice and fresh with a great house dressing. My main dish was a fish that I had never tried. I really enjoyed the spices it was cooked in. The vegetables were good – very fresh and tasty. For dessert, I had chocolate cake. It’s usually very delicious, but this time, it was much too sweet. I couldn’t eat more than two bites! That’s okay, though, because I’m on a diet.

3

My new girlfriend took me to a Chinese restaurant in her neighborhood the other night. It was pretty good. First we had some egg rolls. They were the best I had ever tasted. Then we ordered the beef and pepper stir-fry. It came in a very interesting sauce – spicy, but not too spicy. We also ordered the steamed vegetables, but they were awful. They were really too soft. The dessert was a big bowl of fresh fruit. Some of the fruit I had never seen. It was fantastic – and so was my date!

4

For lunch, my co-worker and I went to a nice little French restaurant near our office. He didn’t feel like eating much, so he just had a small salad. I had a large meal, though. First, I had the onion soup. But it was much too salty. For my main dish, I had a piece of pork. It was too dry and had no taste. The vegetables were perfect, though – broccoli and peas. Those are my favorites. Finally, I had a large bowl of chocolate mousse. It was just like the chocolate mousse I had in France during my last vacation – very creamy and delicious. I think I’ll have it next time, too.

A:   How was your dinner, Evan?

B:   It was delicious! How about yours?

A:   Actually, it wasn’t great. My vegetables were overcooked.

B:   Really?

A:   Yeah, and the potatoes weren’t spicy enough.

B:   Oh, that’s too bad. And you know, the service wasn’t as fast as it usually is here.

A:   Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s eat somewhere else next time.