Première rencontre au café en français facile

What is the difference between “la carte” and “le menu”?

Sit down in a French restaurant and the waiter hands you la carte — the list of everything the kitchen makes. Le menu is a different thing: a set meal at a fixed price, usually a starter, a main and a dessert picked from a short list. So je prends le menu à 22 euros commits you to a package, while ordering à la carte means choosing dish by dish and paying for each.

Une formule is the same idea trimmed down, often two courses at lunchtime, and le menu du jour is the day’s version chalked up outside. Worth knowing that this split is the habit in France; elsewhere in the French-speaking world, and on English menus, menu often just labels the card itself.