A guide to saying it like a local
How to Say "Is this spicy" in Italian
Ask if a dish is spicy in Italian restaurants with this simple question.
È piccante?
EH peek-KAHN-tehneutral
Italian TTS · 0:01
Use this when ordering food or when a dish arrives at your table and you want to know if it has a spicy kick. It's a direct way to check before you take a bite.
Alternatives
- Questo è piccante?Slightly more emphatic, pointing to the specific dish.
- Ha piccante?A bit more casual, like asking 'Does it have spice?'
Ways to get it wrong
Using 'spicy' directly
English words like 'spicy' aren't automatically understood; 'piccante' is the correct Italian term.
Incorrect verb
Don't use 'ha' (he/she/it has) unless you mean 'Does the dish have spice?' ('Ha piccante?'). 'È' (it is) is more direct for 'Is it spicy?'
A small cultural note
While some regions have spicier traditions (like Calabria), most Italian food isn't inherently very spicy. It's good to ask if you're sensitive to heat.
Frequently asked
how to say is this spicy in italian
The most common way to ask 'is this spicy?' is 'È piccante?'. This is a neutral and widely understood phrase.
italian for not spicy
To say 'not spicy', you can say 'Non è piccante'. If you want to be sure something is not spicy, you can ask 'È piccante?' and then say 'Non è piccante' if the answer is yes.
how to order mild food in italian
You can ask 'È piccante?' and if the answer is yes, you can say 'Vorrei qualcosa non piccante' which means 'I would like something not spicy'.
