A guide to saying it like a local

How to Say "I'll have the same" in Italian

Italian phrase for ordering the same dish as someone else at a restaurant.

By PronunciationHub Editors · Reviewed 2026-05-27 · Neutral register

Prendo lo stesso.

PREHN-doh loh STESS-sohneutral

A single phrase, broken down

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When your dining companion has already ordered and you want the exact same thing. You can say this after they've placed their order with the waiter.

Alternatives

Anch'io prendo questo.Slightly more informal, emphasizes 'me too'.
Voglio lo stesso.A bit more direct, can sound slightly demanding if not delivered with a smile.

Make sure to pronounce both 's' sounds clearly; it's not 'steso'.

'Medesimo' is a synonym but 'stesso' is much more common in this context.

Italians often share dishes or are inspired by what others order, so this phrase is very common and understood.

Trattoria lunch with a colleague

You're sitting at a paper-covered table in a narrow trattoria in Bologna, and your colleague has just ordered the tagliatelle al ragù after the waiter described it as today's fresh pasta. You haven't looked at the menu properly and the description sounded exactly right, so you catch the waiter's eye before he turns away and say 'Prendo lo stesso.' He nods without writing anything down.
Unfamiliar menu at a seaside restaurant

The menu at this small fish restaurant in Trapani is handwritten and half the dishes are local dialect names you don't recognise. Your friend orders confidently — something the owner recommended — and you smell grilled fish coming from the kitchen. Rather than stumble through an explanation, you say 'Prendo lo stesso' and the waiter smiles and moves on.
Ordering wine after your host

You're at a long dinner table in a Florentine home and the host has just told the restaurant's sommelier which Chianti Classico he wants by the bottle. Everyone looks at you next. You haven't caught the producer's name, but you want the same wine, so you say 'Prendo lo stesso' and gesture toward your host's glass.

Per me lo stesso. — The same for me.: Slightly more emphatic about specifying your own order; common when a waiter is going around the table and you want to be clear it's your turn.
Uguale per me. — Same for me.: Casual and quick; more common in northern Italy and in fast, informal settings like a bar or a busy pizzeria.
Prendo la stessa cosa. — I'll have the same thing.: Use this when the dish ordered was referred to by a description rather than a name, making 'cosa' feel more natural than 'lo stesso' alone.
Anche per me, grazie. — For me too, thanks.: Softer and more polite; works well when you want to sound appreciative rather than just efficient, especially in formal or upscale restaurants.

'Prendo' is the present tense of 'prendere' used here as an immediate future — Italians use it to mean 'I'll have' when ordering, but English speakers often reach for 'voglio' (I want), which can come across as blunter than intended.
The article 'lo' before 'stesso' is required because 'stesso' begins with 'st-', a consonant cluster that triggers the masculine singular 'lo' rather than 'il' — English speakers who know basic Italian often say 'il stesso', which sounds wrong to Italian ears.
In southern Italy you may hear 'A me lo stesso' with the extra 'a', a regional construction that emphasises the indirect object; if you say the standard 'Prendo lo stesso' there it is perfectly understood, but hearing this variant can briefly confuse learners who think they've misheard.

How to say 'I'll have the same' in Italian?

The most common way is 'Prendo lo stesso.' This directly translates to 'I take the same.'

Is 'Prendo lo stesso' formal or informal?

It's a neutral phrase, perfectly fine for most restaurant settings. You can use it with friends or people you don't know well.

What if I want to say 'Me too' when ordering?

You can say 'Anch'io prendo questo,' which means 'Me too, I'm taking this.' It's a slightly more casual alternative.