Ordering at a Café in Shibuya — JLPT N5 Japanese Conversation

The situation

Yattan (ヤッタン) walks up to the counter of a café near Shibuya Station and orders from the barista (店員さん).

Key expressions

• 〜をお願いします / 〜をください — "~ , please." Both order things politely. お願いします is a touch softer and works for actions too (会計をお願いします "check, please"), while ください is the plain "give me ~." Count the drink with 一つ (ひとつ), 二つ (ふたつ): カフェラテを一つ. See 〜てください and requests for the request family ください belongs to.
• 〜にします — "I'll go with ~ / I'll make it ~." This is the verb for deciding between options. アイスにします, Mにします, これにします. The staff's polite version is なさいますか ("which will you have?"). See 〜にする (deciding / choosing).
• ホット / アイス, S・M・L — Café vocabulary is mostly katakana English: ホット (hot), アイス (iced), サイズ (size). Sizes are read エス・エム・エル. You'll also hear カフェラテ, カプチーノ, アメリカーノ.
• こちらで召し上がりますか / お持ち帰りですか — "For here, or to go?" You don't need to say these — just answer 「こちらで」 (for here) or 「持ち帰りで」 (to go). 召し上がる is the honorific "eat/drink" the staff uses about you.

About Shibuya

Shibuya (渋谷) is best known for the Scramble Crossing right outside the station's Hachikō exit, where thousands of people cross from every direction at once — cafés with second-floor windows there are prime people-watching spots. One practical thing to know: in Japan, "for here" and "to go" can cost slightly different amounts because of the consumption tax (eat-in is taxed at 10%, takeout at 8%), so the barista genuinely needs your answer to ring up the right price. If the counter is busy and you just want to point at the menu, the survival phrase is 「これをお願いします」 ("This one, please").