I should’ve known! Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation online and offline.
If you want to participate in these conversations in English, you’ll need many different descriptive English phrases and words for food and how it tastes.
That’s exactly what’s on the menu today.
We’ll give you 19 ways to talk about food in English, so you can feel comfortable at restaurants, dinner parties or commenting on your friend’s latest Instagram food post.
19 Phrases to Add to Your Food Vocabulary
How’s It Taste?
Beyond “Delicious”
Ever notice how the word delicious is frequently used to describe food? Using this word too often can become boring. So let’s find some other ways to say delicious, shall we?
1. Tastes great!
Eating something delicious right now? Use this expression to say so.
I’m so glad I ordered this pizza—it tastes great!
2. Really good!
Here’s something else you could say instead of delicious.
Have you tried the chocolate cake? It’s really good!
3. Wow, [this food] is amazing!
If something tastes better than you expected, you could use the word wow to express your surprise. If you say something tastes amazing, you’re saying it tastes even better than great or really good.
Wow, this pasta salad is amazing!
4. Yummy
This is an informal way of saying something tastes good. If you find something to be delicious, you could simply say “Yummy!” or you could expand it into a sentence.
This cheesecake is really yummy. I’m going for another slice.
5. Flavorful
This is a great adjective for describing food that’s full of flavor or that has a delicious quality in its taste and smell.
I love how flavorful this soup is with all the fresh herbs and vegetables in it.
6. Mouth-watering
This is the perfect adjective to describe something that’s so delicious and flavorful, it’s actually making your mouth water.
His mom makes such mouth-watering cakes that I just can’t wait to go over to his house tonight.
Avoiding “Yuck”
There may be times when you don’t really like the taste of a certain food. But you probably can’t just shout “Yuck!” (an informal English word meaning something tastes or smells bad) without offending the cook or your hosts.
So how can you express that without sounding impolite?
7. This [food] is too [flavor] for me/for my taste.
This is a polite way to explain that you don’t like the food, without blaming the cook. It’s just not right for you.
Better yet if you can throw in a compliment first!
This cake is so moist! It’s just too sweet for my taste.
8. It could use a little more/less…
Use this expression to say that you’d like the food better if the flavors were different.
This chicken is too spicy. It could use a little less chili sauce.
9. This tastes different. I think I prefer [something else].
If something tastes new or unfamiliar, you could politely name some other food that you’d prefer or like better.
This tiramisu tastes different. I think I prefer the chocolate cake.
What’s Your Diet?
10. Vegetarian
If you’re a vegetarian, your diet would include only vegetables, fruits and non-meat items such as tofu, nuts, etc.
I’ve been a vegetarian for a year and I don’t even miss eating meat at all.
11. Trying to lose weight
If you’re trying to lose weight, it means you’re trying to become thinner.
I usually just have a salad for lunch because I’m trying to lose weight.
12. Low-carb diet
The word carb is short for carbohydrate. A low-carb diet involves eating less carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread, pancakes and cookies.
That strawberry muffin looks tempting, but I’m on a low-carb diet.
13. A balanced diet
Most people simply try to keep a balanced diet, which includes eating from each of the main food groups like grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat.
To stay healthy, I go to the gym, cycle to work and eat a balanced diet.
What Do You Usually Eat?
This is one of the most common questions that people ask one another and it’s always interesting to hear everyone’s answers.
14. Fast food
Fast food is served very quickly over the counter at restaurants such as McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A. It’s usually a meal with hamburgers or sandwiches, French fries and soda.
When I’m busy with school, I usually end up eating fast food.
15. Home-cooked meal
A home-cooked meal is what many of us would like to have waiting for us when we get home from school or work. This is a fresh meal that’s made and eaten at home.
Whenever I get home early from work, I make myself a nice home-cooked meal.
16. One-pot meal
A one-pot meal means exactly what it says. You cook all of your ingredients (food items) like meat and vegetables in one pot and you’re ready to eat.
If I’m too tired to cook, I just make a quick and easy one-pot meal.
17. Dessert
Dessert is a sweet dish, like pastry or ice cream, that’s served and eaten at the end of a meal.
My grandma makes amazing cookies, cakes and pies. I always look forward to dessert when I go to her house.
18. To have a sweet tooth
Do you enjoy eating sweet food very much? Well then, you must have a sweet tooth for sure.
I’ll admit I have a sweet tooth because I can never say no to cakes, pastries and ice cream.
19. To eat healthy
Here’s an easy one. To eat healthy simply means choosing to eat food that’s good for your health.
No matter how busy I am, I try to eat healthy and exercise every day.
On that sunny note, I hope you’ve learned some useful vocabulary here today that’ll boost your confidence before jumping into any discussion about food. Remember, the more you practice, the more natural you’ll sound. Happy learning and good luck!
