No Prices On The Menu? Here's How To Ask For Them Without Feeling Awkward

When visiting a restaurant for the first time, it's important to know that it fits into your budget. There are plenty of fine dining etiquette rules to follow, but if you step into an upscale eatery and are handed a menu without any prices, you have every right to ask for them. Still, there are ways to go about it.

As a first step, you can ask if there are any menu copies that include pricing. If there aren't, then take a look at the menu and decide what looks good. From there, you should ask your server for pricing on specific items that you're actually considering purchasing, rather than having them go through every item's menu price. This makes things easier on the server but ensures you're not ordering anything with a surprise price tag.

Remember to be polite when asking. "Please" and "thank you" can go a long way, and understand that the server isn't the one who made the decision to exclude prices, so there's no reason to take any frustration out on them (as a former restaurant employee, I can say this isn't something restaurant servers appreciate). In fact, the servers generally understand that you wouldn't buy a menu item without first knowing its price and expect you to ask that question. "Customers asked all the time, [and] we had to be 100% prepared to give them the current price. No judgement on our end for someone asking!" one former server wrote on an r/Frugal Reddit thread about the topic.

Market price is a term used for items that see regular fluctuations in cost, often relating to supply and demand. It's typically used on fresh items like seafood and meat. With that said, it's no different than asking about any other menu item. If you're interested in ordering something that's market price, politely request its price tag. If that item feels too overpriced to be worth it, you can take it a step further and ask the server whether the price is usually that high or whether now is a more expensive time to order that dish. If it's the latter, then consider asking the server about items whose prices have dropped.

Finally, go into the dining experience with an understanding of your own budget so you don't overspend. The ingredients within the menu items will tell you a lot about their price without even listing it. For example, a truffle dish, a ribeye steak, or seafood like caviar and oysters are generally higher-priced menu items, so if you're looking for more affordable dishes, lean toward meals that are generally inexpensive to make, such as pasta or a sandwich option.