Booking a table
What it really means
Reserving a table before you go, by phone, website or apps like OpenTable. In the UK "book" is used more than "reserve". Popular restaurants and Sunday roasts often need booking days ahead.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Brits 'book' tables rather than 'reserve' them — "I'd like to book a table for two at eight" is the complete formula, done by phone, app or the restaurant's website. Casual places take walk-ins happily; the bookings that genuinely require planning are weekend evenings, Sunday roasts, Mother's Day (the busiest restaurant day of the year) and Christmas parties in December.
The etiquette that matters: turn up on time, since tables are typically held only ~15 minutes before being released; cancel properly if plans change, because no-shows are such a plague that popular places now take card details and charge no-show fees; and party-size honesty helps everyone — squeezing seven into a booking for four does not go smoothly. If you have not booked and it is busy, asking about bar seating or an early slot often works.