[Grammar] ordering food - articles

[marker]

Ordering food in restaurants can be tough when it comes to choosing the right articles. When I study dialogues in restaurants in different textbooks I get really confused and I have no idea what rules I should follow. Let's consider the following examples:


1 salad/pizza
I'd like a salad/a pizza.
I'd like the salad/the pizza.
I'd like salad/pizza.

2 drinks
I'd like a milkshake.
I'd like the milkshake.
I'd like the strawberry milkshake.
I'd like milkshake.

3 other dishes with countable nouns
I'd like fish and chips.
I'd like the fish and chips.

and one more case not necessarily related to articles:

4 when ordering more than one piece of sth
Two mineral water.
Two mineral waters.
Two fishes with chips.
Two fish with chips.

Thanks for replies and explanations.

 

[riquecohen]

Ordering food in restaurants can be tough when it comes to choosing the right articles. When I study dialogues in restaurants in different textbooks I get really confused and I have no idea what rules I should follow. Let's consider the following examples:


1 salad/pizza
I'd like a salad/a pizza. 'I'd like a Caesar salad and a pepperoni pizza.' (You must say which kind.)
I'd like the salad/the pizza. (Okay if there is only one salad and one pizza on the menu.)
I'd like salad/pizza. (Ambiguous)

2 drinks
I'd like a milkshake. (What kind?)
I'd like the milkshake. (Okay if there is only one milkshake on the menu.)
I'd like the strawberry milk-shake. (I'd use 'a' here.)
I'd like milk-shake. (Not an option)

3 other dishes with countable nouns (Both suggestions, as well as 'a fish and chips', work.)
I'd like fish and chips.
I'd like the fish and chips.

and one more case not necessarily related to articles:

4 when ordering more than one piece of sth
Two mineral water. No
Two mineral waters. Yes
Two fishes with chips. No (Ask for 'two fish and chips' or 'two orders of fish and chips'.)
Two fish with chips. No

Thanks for replies and explanations.

This is how I'd order in New York. Perhaps there will be other opinions regarding the fish and chips.

 

[Tdol]

I'd do much the same, but I wouldn't use a fish and chips.

 

[Rover_KE]

I'd say 'Fish and chips twice'.

 

[tzfujimino]

I'd say 'Fish and chips twice'.

Hello.:-D
May I ask a question here?
Does your "Fish and chips twice" mean "two portions of fish and chips"?

Is this "one portion of fish and chips": https://www.google.com/search?hl=ja...ueenfishandchips.com%2Fabout-us.php;3630;2748

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes and yes.