small plates

'Small plates' is a restaurant style where diners order multiple shared dishes (each small) rather than individual mains. Inspired by Spanish tapas, Greek mezze and Asian sharing menus. Popular in city restaurants since the 2000s. If your teen mentions a small-plates restaurant, they are talking about a sharing-style dinner. Wholesome and social; just slightly easier on the wallet at the planning stage than at the bill stage.

'Small plates' is a restaurant dining style in which diners order multiple smaller, shared dishes rather than individual main courses, inspired by Spanish tapas, Greek mezze, Japanese izakaya and similar traditions. Mainstream in Western city restaurants since the 2000s. Register: informal-to-semi-formal, food and restaurant journalism. In formal writing the term is recognised. A common learner mistake is to assume small plates are appetisers; in this style the entire meal is composed of small plates, with no separate main course.