Splitting a plate in restaurants?

Hello,

My husband and I are leaving Saturday for a 20-day trip to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Netherlands.

Here in the U.S.A., we always order one main entree and split it. It is never a problem and the servers never make us feel %26quot;bad%26quot; about it.

Is it frowned upon to split a meal in Europe? Is it even %26quot;allowed%26quot;?

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%26gt;Is it frowned upon to split a meal in Europe? Is it even %26quot;allowed%26quot;?

There is no law against it, if you mean that. In basic restaurants (often pizzerias, etc.) you can just request one pizza and two plates and you might have to pay a small surcharge. Just tip accordingly.

But I can guarantee you that you will go hungry this way. It´s not the %26quot;I-can-stuff myself-silly-and-there-is-still-enough-for-the-dog-at-home-left%26quot; portions I have seen in some US restaurants.

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%26gt;%26gt;Is it frowned upon to split a meal in Europe? Is it even %26quot;allowed%26quot;?

Btw. there is no %26quot;in Europe%26quot;, the customs differ between different countries probably more than between these and USA. What is absolutely normal in a German restaurant can be frowned upon in Italy and vice versa.

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Thanks. I realize each country is different but I did not want to post on all forums, but I will now.

I know portions are smaller over there but we like to eat a little here and there so we can try new things. Example-split a plate for dinner, go to a pub and split a snack later that night, go to a different late night place and split a dessert.

We kind of like to spread it out, if that makes sense.

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It is not commonplace to split a meal, as the previous poster stated portion sizes are much smaller in Europe than the gargantuan plates you are used to.

In a less formal dining place I dont think they would care less, somewhere finer might not be so understanding. I have not been out with anyone who did this so I am speaking from a position of ignorance

Also be aware that entree is the starter everywhere except for the USA

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No problem IMHO as long as it%26#39;s not some posh place. Some restaurants also serve smaller portions for a smaller price. Germany is not a place known as customers heaven, but I%26#39;ve done it myself and witnessed others doing it.

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