CELPIP Vocabulary for Food and Dining

The Celpip Plus team

Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria

Updated October 4, 202613 min read

Food & Dining collocations for CELPIP

Food comes up across CELPIP because meals are part of so many everyday situations. Writing Task 1 may ask you to email a restaurant about catering a work event, or a manager about a bad experience. Writing Task 2 surveys may ask whether a school should sell only healthy food, or whether an office should have a cafeteria. In Speaking, Task 3, Describing a Scene, often shows a restaurant, a food court or a picnic, and Task 4, Making Predictions, asks what will happen next in that scene. Task 1, Giving Advice, may involve a friend cooking for guests. These collocations help you describe food, service and eating habits precisely.

Verb + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
make a reservation	book a table at a restaurant in advance	We made a reservation for eight o'clock on Saturday.
place an order	tell a server or an app what food you want	We placed our order as soon as we sat down.
split the bill	divide the cost of a meal among the people eating	We decided to split the bill evenly between the four of us.
follow a recipe	cook according to written instructions	I followed a recipe I found online for the first time.
season a dish	add salt, spices or herbs to food	She seasoned the dish with fresh basil and garlic.
whip up a meal	prepare food quickly	He can whip up a meal in under twenty minutes.
grab a bite	eat something quickly and casually	Let's grab a bite before the movie starts.
leave a tip	give extra money to a server for good service	We left a tip of eighteen percent.
cater an event	provide food for a large gathering	A local company catered the event for two hundred guests.
savour a meal	eat slowly and enjoy the flavours	We savoured the meal instead of rushing through it.
skip a meal	not eat at a usual mealtime	I skipped lunch because I had a meeting at noon.
pair a wine (with a dish)	choose a wine that goes well with the food	The server helped us pair a wine with the main course.

Adjective + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
a mouthwatering aroma	a smell that makes you want to eat	The bakery was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of fresh bread.
attentive service	service that responds quickly and carefully to guests	The restaurant is known for its attentive service.
bland food	food with little taste or seasoning	The soup was bland and needed more salt.
a cozy atmosphere	a warm, comfortable, welcoming setting	The café has a cozy atmosphere that's perfect for winter evenings.
a hearty portion	a large, filling serving	You get a hearty portion of poutine for under twelve dollars.
a spicy kick	a noticeable, pleasant heat in food	The salsa had a spicy kick that took us by surprise.
a rich sauce	a thick, flavourful, often creamy sauce	The pasta came in a rich sauce made with butter and parmesan.
fresh ingredients	food that was picked or produced recently	The chef insists on using only fresh ingredients.
a crowded restaurant	a restaurant with many customers	We could barely hear each other in the crowded restaurant.
slow service	service that keeps guests waiting	We complained about the slow service that evening.
authentic cuisine	food cooked in a traditional style	The restaurant serves authentic cuisine from northern India.
a decadent dessert	a very rich, indulgent dessert	We shared a decadent dessert of chocolate lava cake.

Phrasal verbs

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
eat out	have a meal at a restaurant instead of at home	We eat out almost every Friday night.
heat up	make cooked food hot again	I heated up the leftovers from last night.
run out of	have none of something left	We ran out of flour halfway through baking.
throw together	prepare something quickly with little planning	She threw together a salad in five minutes.
dish out	serve food onto plates	He dished out generous portions for everyone.
mess up	make a mistake while cooking	I messed up the sauce and had to start over.
dig in	start eating with enthusiasm	Once the food arrived, we all dug in.
cut back on	eat or drink less of something	I've been trying to cut back on sugar.
stock up on	buy a large supply of something	We stocked up on groceries before the storm.
pig out (on)	eat a lot, usually of something unhealthy	We pigged out on pizza after the exam.
pick at	eat small amounts without much appetite	She just picked at her food because she felt unwell.
warm up	heat food or drink slightly	Could you warm up the soup on the stove?

Formal and spoken phrases for food and dining

These phrases belong to food situations. Use the formal ones in Writing Task 1 emails to a restaurant, caterer or event organizer, and the spoken ones when you describe a meal or recommend a place to eat in Speaking.

Formal phrases for Writing

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
dietary restrictions	foods a person cannot or will not eat	Please let us know about any dietary restrictions before the event.
a severe food allergy	an allergy that can cause a dangerous reaction	My son has a severe food allergy to peanuts and tree nuts.
cross-contamination	when traces of one food get into another	Could the nut-free meals be prepared separately to avoid cross-contamination?
undercooked	not cooked long enough to be safe or pleasant	The chicken in my sandwich was clearly undercooked.
food safety standards	rules for storing and preparing food safely	I am concerned that the kitchen is not meeting basic food safety standards.
a vegetarian option	a dish without meat or fish	I would be grateful if the menu included at least one vegetarian option.
a catering order	an order of food for a group or event	I would like to place a catering order for 35 people.
nutritional information	facts about calories, sugar, salt and so on	Restaurants should post nutritional information next to each item.

Spoken phrases for Speaking

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
to die for	extremely delicious	The butter tarts at that bakery are to die for.
the second I tasted it	as soon as I tasted it	The second I tasted it, I knew I had to get the recipe.
melts in your mouth	very soft and smooth	Their cheesecake just melts in your mouth.
hit the spot	be exactly what you wanted to eat or drink	After the hike, that sandwich really hit the spot.
I'm stuffed	I've eaten so much I can't eat any more	No dessert for me, thanks. I'm stuffed.
order in	have food delivered to your home	We were too tired to cook, so we ordered in.
get it to go	take restaurant food away to eat somewhere else	The line was long, so we got our burgers to go.
a hole-in-the-wall	a small, plain restaurant, often with great food	The best pho in town is at a hole-in-the-wall near the station.
a potluck	a meal where every guest brings a dish	Our office has a potluck every December.
I've been craving	I've really wanted to eat this	I've been craving my mom's dumplings all week.

Chunks such as "hands down" and "you can't go wrong with" fit any topic, so they are collected on two shared pages: Formal Phrases for CELPIP Writing and Natural Spoken Phrases for CELPIP Speaking.

Worked examples

Writing Task 1: Catering a retirement party

Prompt: You are organizing a retirement party for a coworker and want a local restaurant to provide the food. Write an email to the restaurant manager. In your email:

describe the event;
explain the dietary needs of some guests;
ask questions about the menu and the price.

Dear Mr. Okafor,

I am organizing a retirement party for a colleague on June 13, and I would like your restaurant to cater the event. We expect about 35 guests in our office lunchroom from noon to 2 p.m. Many of us have eaten at your restaurant, and everyone remembers the hearty portions and fresh ingredients.

A few guests have dietary restrictions. Four people are vegetarian, one is vegan, and one colleague has a severe food allergy to nuts. Could you include a vegetarian option in every course, with at least one dish that is also vegan? Could the nut-free dishes also be prepared and packed separately to avoid cross-contamination?

I also have some questions about the menu. Would a buffet with two main dishes, a salad and a dessert be possible, and what would it cost per person? Do you provide plates and cutlery, or should we buy them? Finally, is there an extra charge for a decadent dessert such as your chocolate cake?

Thank you in advance. I look forward to placing a catering order with you.

Best regards,
Hannah Lee

The email gives the date, time and number of guests first, then turns each dietary need into a clear request, and ends with specific questions the manager can answer.

Speaking Task 3: Describing a Scene

Prompt: Describe the picture of a restaurant patio on a summer evening to someone who cannot see it.

This picture shows a busy restaurant patio on what looks like a warm summer evening. It's clearly a crowded restaurant, because every table is full and there's a line of people waiting by the front door.

In the middle of the picture, a family of four is sitting at a round table. A server is setting down their plates, and the father has a hearty portion of fish and chips and is already digging in. Beside him, a little girl is picking at her fries and looking at a phone.

On the right, two young women are splitting the bill, because each of them is holding out a card to the server. On the left, an older man is leaning over his bowl of soup with his eyes closed, so I imagine it has a mouthwatering aroma. Overall, the patio has a cozy atmosphere, with string lights hanging above the tables.

The answer moves through the picture from the centre to the right and left, and uses food collocations to describe what each person is doing.

CLB 7 vs CLB 9: one sentence, two ways

CLB 7 version: The food was not good because it had no taste, and we waited a long time.

CLB 9 version: The pasta was bland, and the slow service meant we waited forty minutes for our main course.

What changed: "had no taste" became the adjective "bland", and "waited a long time" became the collocation "slow service" with a specific time.

Common mistakes

"I did a reservation" → I made a reservation, or I booked a table.
"I gave an order for pizza" → I ordered a pizza or I placed an order for pizza. "Give an order" usually means telling someone what to do.
"He cooked fast a meal" → he whipped up a meal or he cooked a meal quickly. An adverb such as "fast" does not go between the verb and its object.
"The soup had a boring taste" → the soup was bland. "Boring" describes activities and people; food without flavour is bland.
"A heavy portion" (meaning a generous one) → a hearty portion. "Heavy" suggests food that is hard to digest; "hearty" sounds generous and filling.
"They serve real cuisine from Mexico" → they serve authentic Mexican cuisine. "Authentic" is the usual word for traditional food.
"We eat outside every Friday" (meaning at restaurants) → we eat out every Friday. "Eat outside" means eating outdoors, for example on a patio.
"The flour finished" → we ran out of flour. In English, people run out of a food; the food itself does not "finish".
"The fries were to die for" about food that was just fine → save to die for for food that was really excellent. For ordinary food, say pretty good or not bad.
"Can I get it take away?" → Can I get it to go? or Can I get this as takeout? "Takeaway" is British; Canadians say "takeout" and "to go".
"My father is a good cooker" → my father is a good cook. A cooker is a stove in British English, not a person.
"We had a dinner at a new restaurant" → we had dinner at a new restaurant. Meals usually take no article, unless you describe them, as in "a lovely dinner".
"She's allergic of peanuts" → she's allergic to peanuts, or she has a peanut allergy.
"A table for four persons" → a table for four, or a table for four people. "Persons" sounds like legal or official language.

Practise

Vocabulary flashcards and quizzes: review these collocations until they come to mind without effort.
Writing Task 1 practice: write an email to a restaurant or caterer and use at least five collocations from this page.
Speaking Task 3 practice: describe a restaurant or market scene using "a crowded restaurant", "dig in" and "a cozy atmosphere".

vocabulary

CELPIP Vocabulary for Food and Dining

The Celpip Plus team

Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria

Updated October 4, 202613 min read

Food & Dining collocations for CELPIP

Verb + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
make a reservation	book a table at a restaurant in advance	We made a reservation for eight o'clock on Saturday.
place an order	tell a server or an app what food you want	We placed our order as soon as we sat down.
split the bill	divide the cost of a meal among the people eating	We decided to split the bill evenly between the four of us.
follow a recipe	cook according to written instructions	I followed a recipe I found online for the first time.
season a dish	add salt, spices or herbs to food	She seasoned the dish with fresh basil and garlic.
whip up a meal	prepare food quickly	He can whip up a meal in under twenty minutes.
grab a bite	eat something quickly and casually	Let's grab a bite before the movie starts.
leave a tip	give extra money to a server for good service	We left a tip of eighteen percent.
cater an event	provide food for a large gathering	A local company catered the event for two hundred guests.
savour a meal	eat slowly and enjoy the flavours	We savoured the meal instead of rushing through it.
skip a meal	not eat at a usual mealtime	I skipped lunch because I had a meeting at noon.
pair a wine (with a dish)	choose a wine that goes well with the food	The server helped us pair a wine with the main course.

Adjective + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
a mouthwatering aroma	a smell that makes you want to eat	The bakery was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of fresh bread.
attentive service	service that responds quickly and carefully to guests	The restaurant is known for its attentive service.
bland food	food with little taste or seasoning	The soup was bland and needed more salt.
a cozy atmosphere	a warm, comfortable, welcoming setting	The café has a cozy atmosphere that's perfect for winter evenings.
a hearty portion	a large, filling serving	You get a hearty portion of poutine for under twelve dollars.
a spicy kick	a noticeable, pleasant heat in food	The salsa had a spicy kick that took us by surprise.
a rich sauce	a thick, flavourful, often creamy sauce	The pasta came in a rich sauce made with butter and parmesan.
fresh ingredients	food that was picked or produced recently	The chef insists on using only fresh ingredients.
a crowded restaurant	a restaurant with many customers	We could barely hear each other in the crowded restaurant.
slow service	service that keeps guests waiting	We complained about the slow service that evening.
authentic cuisine	food cooked in a traditional style	The restaurant serves authentic cuisine from northern India.
a decadent dessert	a very rich, indulgent dessert	We shared a decadent dessert of chocolate lava cake.

Phrasal verbs

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
eat out	have a meal at a restaurant instead of at home	We eat out almost every Friday night.
heat up	make cooked food hot again	I heated up the leftovers from last night.
run out of	have none of something left	We ran out of flour halfway through baking.
throw together	prepare something quickly with little planning	She threw together a salad in five minutes.
dish out	serve food onto plates	He dished out generous portions for everyone.
mess up	make a mistake while cooking	I messed up the sauce and had to start over.
dig in	start eating with enthusiasm	Once the food arrived, we all dug in.
cut back on	eat or drink less of something	I've been trying to cut back on sugar.
stock up on	buy a large supply of something	We stocked up on groceries before the storm.
pig out (on)	eat a lot, usually of something unhealthy	We pigged out on pizza after the exam.
pick at	eat small amounts without much appetite	She just picked at her food because she felt unwell.
warm up	heat food or drink slightly	Could you warm up the soup on the stove?

Formal and spoken phrases for food and dining

Formal phrases for Writing

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
dietary restrictions	foods a person cannot or will not eat	Please let us know about any dietary restrictions before the event.
a severe food allergy	an allergy that can cause a dangerous reaction	My son has a severe food allergy to peanuts and tree nuts.
cross-contamination	when traces of one food get into another	Could the nut-free meals be prepared separately to avoid cross-contamination?
undercooked	not cooked long enough to be safe or pleasant	The chicken in my sandwich was clearly undercooked.
food safety standards	rules for storing and preparing food safely	I am concerned that the kitchen is not meeting basic food safety standards.
a vegetarian option	a dish without meat or fish	I would be grateful if the menu included at least one vegetarian option.
a catering order	an order of food for a group or event	I would like to place a catering order for 35 people.
nutritional information	facts about calories, sugar, salt and so on	Restaurants should post nutritional information next to each item.

Spoken phrases for Speaking

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
to die for	extremely delicious	The butter tarts at that bakery are to die for.
the second I tasted it	as soon as I tasted it	The second I tasted it, I knew I had to get the recipe.
melts in your mouth	very soft and smooth	Their cheesecake just melts in your mouth.
hit the spot	be exactly what you wanted to eat or drink	After the hike, that sandwich really hit the spot.
I'm stuffed	I've eaten so much I can't eat any more	No dessert for me, thanks. I'm stuffed.
order in	have food delivered to your home	We were too tired to cook, so we ordered in.
get it to go	take restaurant food away to eat somewhere else	The line was long, so we got our burgers to go.
a hole-in-the-wall	a small, plain restaurant, often with great food	The best pho in town is at a hole-in-the-wall near the station.
a potluck	a meal where every guest brings a dish	Our office has a potluck every December.
I've been craving	I've really wanted to eat this	I've been craving my mom's dumplings all week.

Chunks such as "hands down" and "you can't go wrong with" fit any topic, so they are collected on two shared pages: Formal Phrases for CELPIP Writing and Natural Spoken Phrases for CELPIP Speaking.

Worked examples

Writing Task 1: Catering a retirement party

Prompt: You are organizing a retirement party for a coworker and want a local restaurant to provide the food. Write an email to the restaurant manager. In your email:

describe the event;
explain the dietary needs of some guests;
ask questions about the menu and the price.

Dear Mr. Okafor,

I am organizing a retirement party for a colleague on June 13, and I would like your restaurant to cater the event. We expect about 35 guests in our office lunchroom from noon to 2 p.m. Many of us have eaten at your restaurant, and everyone remembers the hearty portions and fresh ingredients.

A few guests have dietary restrictions. Four people are vegetarian, one is vegan, and one colleague has a severe food allergy to nuts. Could you include a vegetarian option in every course, with at least one dish that is also vegan? Could the nut-free dishes also be prepared and packed separately to avoid cross-contamination?

I also have some questions about the menu. Would a buffet with two main dishes, a salad and a dessert be possible, and what would it cost per person? Do you provide plates and cutlery, or should we buy them? Finally, is there an extra charge for a decadent dessert such as your chocolate cake?

Thank you in advance. I look forward to placing a catering order with you.

Best regards,
Hannah Lee

The email gives the date, time and number of guests first, then turns each dietary need into a clear request, and ends with specific questions the manager can answer.

Speaking Task 3: Describing a Scene

Prompt: Describe the picture of a restaurant patio on a summer evening to someone who cannot see it.

This picture shows a busy restaurant patio on what looks like a warm summer evening. It's clearly a crowded restaurant, because every table is full and there's a line of people waiting by the front door.

In the middle of the picture, a family of four is sitting at a round table. A server is setting down their plates, and the father has a hearty portion of fish and chips and is already digging in. Beside him, a little girl is picking at her fries and looking at a phone.

On the right, two young women are splitting the bill, because each of them is holding out a card to the server. On the left, an older man is leaning over his bowl of soup with his eyes closed, so I imagine it has a mouthwatering aroma. Overall, the patio has a cozy atmosphere, with string lights hanging above the tables.

The answer moves through the picture from the centre to the right and left, and uses food collocations to describe what each person is doing.

CLB 7 vs CLB 9: one sentence, two ways

CLB 7 version: The food was not good because it had no taste, and we waited a long time.

CLB 9 version: The pasta was bland, and the slow service meant we waited forty minutes for our main course.

What changed: "had no taste" became the adjective "bland", and "waited a long time" became the collocation "slow service" with a specific time.

Common mistakes

"I did a reservation" → I made a reservation, or I booked a table.
"I gave an order for pizza" → I ordered a pizza or I placed an order for pizza. "Give an order" usually means telling someone what to do.
"He cooked fast a meal" → he whipped up a meal or he cooked a meal quickly. An adverb such as "fast" does not go between the verb and its object.
"The soup had a boring taste" → the soup was bland. "Boring" describes activities and people; food without flavour is bland.
"A heavy portion" (meaning a generous one) → a hearty portion. "Heavy" suggests food that is hard to digest; "hearty" sounds generous and filling.
"They serve real cuisine from Mexico" → they serve authentic Mexican cuisine. "Authentic" is the usual word for traditional food.
"We eat outside every Friday" (meaning at restaurants) → we eat out every Friday. "Eat outside" means eating outdoors, for example on a patio.
"The flour finished" → we ran out of flour. In English, people run out of a food; the food itself does not "finish".
"The fries were to die for" about food that was just fine → save to die for for food that was really excellent. For ordinary food, say pretty good or not bad.
"Can I get it take away?" → Can I get it to go? or Can I get this as takeout? "Takeaway" is British; Canadians say "takeout" and "to go".
"My father is a good cooker" → my father is a good cook. A cooker is a stove in British English, not a person.
"We had a dinner at a new restaurant" → we had dinner at a new restaurant. Meals usually take no article, unless you describe them, as in "a lovely dinner".
"She's allergic of peanuts" → she's allergic to peanuts, or she has a peanut allergy.
"A table for four persons" → a table for four, or a table for four people. "Persons" sounds like legal or official language.

Practise

Vocabulary flashcards and quizzes: review these collocations until they come to mind without effort.
Writing Task 1 practice: write an email to a restaurant or caterer and use at least five collocations from this page.
Speaking Task 3 practice: describe a restaurant or market scene using "a crowded restaurant", "dig in" and "a cozy atmosphere".