How to Order Spicy at the Restaurant

If you are American or European, most ethnic restaurants do not believe you when you say you want spicy food. You basically have to barter with them to get what you want.

The conversation usually goes something like this;

  • Yes I'd some Chu Chee Chicken, very spicy
  • Spicy?
  • Yes, very, very, VERY spicy
  • At this point the cashier looks at you uncertainly
  • THAI spicy?
  • No, I'd like SUPER Thai spicy
  • Their eyes get big, and there is some head-shaking as they write your order, but it seems to work

Be aware that different dishes taste very different with the same "level" of spicing -- the dish ingredients and cooking style directly affects the amount of "heat" in the flavor.

Make friends with the person you're ordering with. The way they write your order on the ticket is unique, and the next time you visit may well not get you the same result. Worse, the chef may be different. If you order frequently, you might ask to meet the chef after a good meal, and ask them to name your dish (and the amount of spices they used), so that other cooks know how to do it at the same level of heat.

At Asian restaurants in particular, it's better to use the word "spicy" rather than "very hot". I once had a restaurant stir fry my dish with extra oil so that it would come out scorchingly HOT (and hardly spicy at all...)

Challenge the Chef

To get the spiciest result, you can sometimes "Challenge the Chef". This becomes a rather fun contest, where you're making it very clear that you want the spiciest dish they can make.

Know your local food courts

Some of the best (and cheapest) spicy food can be found at your local food courts. This is because the shops are small, and you can directly see the chef. Give them a charming smile, and compliment their food, and they will reward you with some excellently spiced dishes.

Know your secret ingredients

Some restaurants won't even tell you about the real spices they have in the kitchen.

For example, if you're ordering a burrito at an authentic Mexican restaurant, the chefs probably have some Habaneros available. What's more, they probably even have a special habanero sauce just for cooking. But it's probably not on the menu, and they will not tell you about it because you're white.

My favorite burrito joint in Chicago had a spicy pork burrito, to which the grill chef would add fresh chopped habaneros. Wow. On top of that I'd add a habanero sauce which just turned that awesome dish into a fantastic scorcher.

Learn the Language

Spicy foods are often ethnic, the menus are sometimes hard to decipher for European folks.

Moreover you're likely to find the best and most authentic spicings at true (non-Westernized) restaurants. If you live in a Western country, that means a foray into your local Chinatown, asian neighborhood, or mexican area depending on your mood. Learn to recognize a few key words & asian characters, and learn how to speak a few words to make your request clear, as communicating in English is often misunderstood.

Chinese

烧

Spicy (in Mandarin Chinese)
This is the character "la", which means spicy. Learn to recognize it on menus and food packaging. At restaurants such as dim sum or yum cha, you can usually request "la yo" which is Mandarin Chinese for "chili oil", a pleasant dipping sauce.
"Very Spicy, Please!" - Hern la shi shi
Use this when requesting that they spice up your favorite dish, such as beef noodle soup.

Japanese

辛い

Spicy
The word for spicy is karai (ka-lai)

Spices you could request;

Koshou 胡椒 【こしょう】
black pepper
Shichimi Tougarashi 七味唐辛子 【しちみとうがらし】
A seven spice blend which includes cayenne, sesame, Japanese pepper, citrus peel, etc. While it is not particularly spicy it is one of the few places chili can be found in Japanese cooking, and you will often find it at Japanese restaurants in a small shaker.

Mexican

Ask for habaneros; many places have this in both chopped-chili and also in a paste format.