Food & café

How to order food & mint tea in Darija

Moroccan café culture runs on mint tea — "atay" — and ordering it the local way is one of the most satisfying phrases you'll learn. Here's how to order drinks, food and the bill politely, anywhere in Morocco.

In this guide Ordering mint tea & coffee · Ordering food · Polite extras · Asking for the bill · Practice in SayDarija

The magic word is bghit (بغيت) — "I want." Put it in front of almost anything and you can order it.

Ordering mint tea & coffee

DarijaArabicEnglish
Bghit atay 3afakبغيت أتاي عفاكI'd like mint tea, please
Atay bla sukkarأتاي بلا سكرTea without sugar
Atay b shwiya d sukkarأتاي بشوية د سكرTea with a little sugar
Bghit qhwa nss nssبغيت قهوة نص نصHalf coffee, half milk
Bghit l-ma 3afakبغيت الما عفاكI'd like water, please

Ordering food

DarijaArabicEnglish
Ash 3endkom?أش عندكم؟What do you have?
Bghit tajine dyal l-khodraبغيت طاجين ديال الخضرةI'd like a vegetable tagine
Bla l7am 3afakبلا لحم عفاكWithout meat, please
Hada bnin bzzafهادا بنين بزافThis is delicious
Sh'ba3tشبعتI'm full

Polite extras

Asking for the bill

Do it in the app

Order like a local — practice it first

Open the "Order a drink" roleplay in SayDarija and rehearse the full café exchange: greeting, ordering your atay exactly how you like it, and asking for the bill. Not sure how to say a specific dish? Ask the AI tutor "how do I order a chicken tagine without onions?" and it builds the phrase for you with audio. Save your go-to order to the phrasebook.

Download on theApp Store