by Umers30 under a CC license on Flickr

Ordering coffee in Greece is easy to do because most waiters and waitresses are able to communicate in English, especially in most tourist destinations. If you want to order coffee in Greek though, in this post you will find some phrases that might be useful.

In some places there is no menu on the table, so you can say:

I want the menu, please: Έναν κατάλογο, παρακαλώ (enan katalogo parakalo).

If you want to order coffee, the simplest phrase to tell would be:

A coffee, please: Έναν καφέ, παρακαλώ (enan kafe parakalo)

However, this phrase will get you in “trouble” as the waiter will ask questions such as “what kind of coffee?”, “sweet or medium?” “do you want milk with it?”.

The coffee you can find in a typical Greek café is Greek coffee, frappé, espresso and cappuccino (hot or cold), and filter coffee which is called French coffee.

• A greek coffee sweet / medium / plain: Έναν ελληνικό γλυκό / μέτριο / σκέτο (enan eliniko gliko, metrio, sketo).
• A double Greek coffee: Έναν ελληνικό διπλό (enan eliniko diplo).
• A frappé sweet / medium / plain / with milk / with no milk: Ένα φραπέ γλυκό / μέτριο / σκέτο / με γάλα / χωρίς γάλα (enan frape gliko / metrio / sketo / me gala / horis gala).
• An espresso / a cappuccino: Έναν εσπρέσο / καπουτσίνο (enan espresso / cappuccino).
• A double espresso: Ένα διπλό εσπρέσο (ena diplo espresso).
• If you want cold espresso or cappuccino you can add the word φρέντο (freddo, cold) before the words espresso and cappuccino: A cold cappuccino: Ένα φρέντο καπουτσίνο (ena freddo cappuccino,). You must also say whether you want your coffee sweet or plain: A cold cappuccino medium: Ένα φρέντο καπουτσίνο μέτριο (ena freddo cappuccino metrio).
• A filter coffee: Έναν καφέ φίλτρου (enan kafe filtrou). You will add sugar and milk yourself, so this phrase is enough.
• A frappé decaf / an espresso decaf / a cold cappuccino decaf: Ένα φραπέ ντεκαφεϊνέ (ena frape decafeine) / έναν εσπρέσο ντεκαφεϊνέ (enan espreso decafeine) / ένα φρέντο καπουτσίνο ντεκαφεϊνέ (ena freddo cappuccino decafeine). You can add the phrases related to milk and sugar at the end.

by Tilemahos Efthimiadis under a CC license on Flickr

More phrases

• I don’t need a straw: Δε χρειάζομαι καλαμάκι (de hriazome kalamaki).
• With brown sugar: Με μαύρη ζάχαρη (me mavri zahari).
• With stevia: Με στέβια (me stevia).
• With aspartame: Με ζαχαρίνη (me zaharini).
• I would like: Θα ήθελα (tha ithela).
• Please / You’re welcome: Παρακαλώ (parakalo). The Greeks use very rarely the word “please” when they order something to eat or to drink, however if you say “please” in your language, feel free to say it in Greek too.
• Thank you: Ευχαριστώ (efharisto).
• The bill, please: Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώ (ton logariasmo parakalo).