How Many Courses Do You Have in a Restaurant?

Just the main course for me. If I have a starter I wouldn’t be able to finish the main meal. Haven’t ordered a sweet in a restaurant for many years, I don’t have a sweet tooth.

Quite often I have two starters then, maybe a pudding. Three courses absolutely floor me these days.

A friend of mine often has a starter and a pudding with no main. I do like a starter, but these days tend to go straight to the main and see if there's room for the pudding when I've eaten it.

We went out for a meal at the weekend, no-one in our group had a starter. The main courses were substantial, I couldn't finish mine but everyone ordered a pudding.
Then I couldn't sleep because I had terrible indigestion.

One course would definitely have been enough. Unless it was the extra glass of wine which was bought for me, I didn't want it but it would have been rude not to drink it.

I either order just a main or a starter and a pudding.
Have never really been a 3 course diner unless is a set menu and then I choose my options carefully because I have GERD. Usually end up giving the dessert to someone else.

It really does depend on the restaurant and the portion sizes tbh. If it’s a new place to us we generally swerve the starters, have mains and depending on the size might have a dessert if we’re still ‘hungry’.

Usually just starter and main.

Aveline

Quite often I have two starters then, maybe a pudding. Three courses absolutely floor me these days.

Same! I often fancy the starters more, and main courses are often just too much.

I prefer having lunch out to having an evening meal. And I like the coffee and tiny dessert some restaurants serve.
Normally I would have a main and often share a dessert if a tiny one is not offered.

I eat much less over the day than I did in my 20s and 30s. And can quite happily miss a main meal or just have a sandwich occasionally. Cave man would not have eaten 3 meals every day.

I can't eat a lot these days for health reasons, so it would often just be one course, or if it's a smaller portion, perhaps a dessert too. Like HelterSkelter1, I do like when they offer a coffee and tiny dessert too.

Depends on the restaurant.

High end - all courses on offer.

Reasonable - maybe starter and main.

Cheap and cheerful - one - maybe main or starter.

Cheap and not so cheerful - I avoid like the plague.

It seems that the less you may the bigger the portions😄😄

I do wish restaurants, not all, wouldn't withhold the pudding menu, only bringing it along almost as an afterthought after the mains. Then I feel I could make an informed choice. If there is something really delectable on that, I'd rein in what I'm having first. If we agree on a pudding and there is a smidgen of room left, then we'll ask for two spoons, that's quite a common practice I do believe, in fact some restaurants will automatically bring two if only one orders on the assumption it is to be shared........not always

Similarly at home, I often used to make a pudding when we had a Sunday roast, but again there isn't room. I just have a well stocked freezer for ice creams, Magnum style the Aldi alternatives are just as appreciated by the grandchildren these days......and £££ cheaper when accumulating quite a few.

If on my own (quite a lot these days owing to circs) then just a main.

If dining with others a first and second course. Never pudding I don’t have a sweet tooth probably because wine has all the sugars I need.

I often find those who don’t drink alcohol enjoy cake/desserts.

Mostly 3 courses, but we do either have just 2. Either starter or Pud with main.
Lot depends where we eat.

I don't like alcohol or sweets desserts very much. Generally the starters are what tempts me.
On one recent occasion I saw the pudding menu and spotted a real favourite that I hadn't had for years. So I held back. Had a tiny starter then the pudding. Well it was awful. I was so disappointed (and hungry!)

I always look up the menu on line before eating out. I can then take my time choosing.
When I last went for a family meal, at a smokehouse, to celebrate my 80th, I chose to have two starters with fries as a side, which was more than enough for my good appetite.

Main courser only. I am not a fan of desserts.

I nearly always go for two courses, a main and a dessert. I love anything lemon, so a lemon posset is my favourite. If I do have three, I prefer something light to start.

Don’t eat out very often, and hate eating late.

Last time was with DS and family for DH’s birthday.

I had a main and a pudding, it was an Italian restaurant, think I chose chicken in white wine sauce, with a garden salad. No extra veg, rosemary potatoes or chips.

Then a crème brûlée. Light and delicious.

I love a pud to finish off when eating out, that’s why I don’t have a starter or heavy main.

One course is enough these days and I always choose something I don’t eat at home.
I eat out about every six weeks with an old friend and he is always most insistent that I join him with a pudding. Sometimes I reluctantly do, but feel forced as he doesn’t want to eat that course alone.
A crème brûlée is just right.

I cannot manage a 3 course meal now. If I go to a restaurant where they have a Light Bite choice which means smaller main course dishes then I will have a fish dish from that. I always have a pudding but nothing too heavy like crumble. I now choose possets, creme brulee or ice cream.

I normally have just the main course . I don’t have a sweet teeth , so I rarely have dessert . Sometimes my DH and I share a starter . One of the reasons I love a Greek , Turkish , Middle Eastern or tapas restaurant is the small plates eating . Lots of different dishes on the table and everyone sharing . My DD says lots of restaurants in London are doing small plates eating due to people on WLI having small appetites

We now eat out mainly at lunch time or quite early in the evening, between 6.00-6.30, so we have time to digest our meal before we go to bed.

I do not have a sweet tooth and rarely have a dessert, even when everyone else is having one. I usually have a starter and main course. However there are one or two restaurants we have stopped going to because their portions are just too big.

It depends where I eat. There are two restaurants where I can’t resist a particular starters so will have two courses, but usually it’s just a main because I rarely eat dessert. I don’t tend to eat much generally these days.