Mexican Dining Etiquette

Here are some Mexican Dining Etiquette tips for those who just loooove Mexican food so much. Maybe you can use these tips next time you get invited to a Mexican-themed dinner by one of your friends? And who knows, you may also be eating at an authentic Mexican Restaurant soon. It will be rude not to know how Mexican dining goes, right? Here now are some Mexican table manners you should know:

If you are invited to come over a friend’s place, know that guests are usually expected to run about a half hour late for a party at a friend’s home. It is not considered excessively rude to arrive tardy to a social engagement.

It is customary to wish other diners “buen provecho!” before you start eating. Buen provecho is similar to the well-known French expression bon appetit, and it generally means enjoy your meal. If you need to leave a meal early, you should excuse yourself and again wish the other diners buen provecho too.

It is customary to wait for everyone to be served before starting to eat as well, similar to table manners of other countries. However, if you are invited for dinner at home, it is most important to wait until your host takes his or her first bite, then you can start eating.

Finger foods, like tacos or tortas, can be eaten with your hands, even in restaurants. Remember that Mexicans do not switch knives and forks so the knife remains in the right hand and the fork in the left. When the meal is finished, the knife and fork are laid parallel to each other across the right side of the plate.

Your hands are expected to be visible above the table all the time, especially when not holding utensils. That being said, you must not place your hands on your lap or use your mobile phone under the table. Instead, rest your wrists on top of the table. Never rest your elbows.

Mexicans very rarely split the bill because one of the parties will usually treat the others. If you were the one to invite a friend or business associate to a meal, you should pay for the bill.

In a restaurant, the staff usually are tipped 10 to 15 percent of the bill, though foreigners are generally expected to tip on the higher end of the scale. In bars, a 10 percent tip is standard.

As you close in on finishing your food, leave a little food left on the plate. Finishing all the food on your plate is somewhat rude, especially if it’s dinner at home.