Making a Restaurant Reservation
Use these phrases to book a table, modify your reservation, or ask for a table when walking into a restaurant in Norway.
Key Phrases
Hei, har dere et ledig bord for to personer akkurat nå?
neutralHi, do you have a free table for two people right now?
Standard, natural way to ask for a table when speaking to restaurant staff.
God kveld, er det mulig å få et bord for fire litt senere?
politeGood evening, is it possible to get a table for four a bit later?
Slightly softer and more polite phrasing.
Hei, jeg vil gjerne bestille et bord for to i kveld klokken åtte.
neutralHi, I would like to book a table for two tonight at eight o'clock.
Direct and clear for phone reservations.
God dag, jeg lurer på om dere har ledig kapasitet for en gruppe på seks?
politeGood day, I was wondering if you have availability for a group of six?
Uses a subordinate clause ('om dere har...') to sound more polite.
Hei, vi har bestilt et bord på navnet Johansen til klokken syv.
neutralHi, we have booked a table under the name Johansen for seven o'clock.
Standard phrasing when you arrive and speak to the host.
God kveld, jeg reserverte et bord for to personer på navnet mitt tidligere i dag.
politeGood evening, I reserved a table for two people under my name earlier today.
More formal, clearly stating the reservation details in the active voice.
Jeg ringer fordi vi gjerne vil endre tidspunktet for reservasjonen vår i kveld.
neutralI'm calling because we would like to change the time of our reservation tonight.
Clear and polite way to explain why you are calling without using stiff anglicisms.
Er det mulig å endre reservasjonen vår fra to til tre personer?
politeIs it possible to change our reservation from two to three people?
A polite request using 'Er det mulig å...'.
Hvor lenge må vi regne med å vente på et bord for to?
neutralHow long should we expect to wait for a table for two?
Useful if the restaurant is full and you are doing a walk-in.
Kan du si meg omtrent hvor lang ventetiden er akkurat nå?
politeCan you tell me approximately how long the wait time is right now?
A polite indirect question using a subordinate clause.
Kan vi få et bord ved vinduet, eller kanskje ute hvis det er ledig?
neutralCan we get a table by the window, or maybe outside if it's available?
Adding 'hvis det er ledig' makes the request reasonable and polite.
Jeg vil bare nevne at en av oss har glutenallergi, så dere vet det.
neutralI just want to mention that one of us has a gluten allergy, so you know.
A natural way to inform staff about allergies in advance.
Jeg må dessverre avbestille bordet som vi har reservert til i morgen kveld.
neutralUnfortunately, I have to cancel the table we have reserved for tomorrow evening.
Uses 'dessverre' (unfortunately) to politely soften the cancellation.