No restaurante, ela pediu frango com batata, e eu pedi peixe.

Because no is the normal contraction of em + o in Portuguese.

• em + o = no
• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

So no restaurante is the natural form. Portuguese uses these contractions very regularly.

It can match either in the restaurant or at the restaurant in English, depending on context.

In this sentence, No restaurante is just setting the scene: this happened at the restaurant. English often prefers at the restaurant, but in the restaurant is not impossible depending on what you want to emphasize.

The phrase No restaurante has been moved to the front to set the context first. The comma marks that introductory phrase.

A more neutral order would be:

Ela pediu frango com batata, e eu pedi peixe no restaurante.

But Portuguese often puts time or place expressions first, especially in storytelling:

• No restaurante, ...
• Ontem, ...
• Na festa, ...

So the comma is very natural here.

Those are different past-tense forms of the verb pedir.

This sentence uses the pretérito perfeito in Portuguese, which is often the simple past in English.

Conjugation here:

• eu pedi = I ordered / asked for
• ela pediu = she ordered / asked for

So the endings change depending on the subject:

• eu → pedi
• ela → pediu

Yes. Pedir is the most common and natural verb for to order in this situation.

So:

• Ela pediu frango. = She ordered chicken.
• Eu pedi peixe. = I ordered fish.

A learner might want to translate English order directly, but in Portuguese, pedir is usually the everyday choice for restaurants, cafés, and similar situations.

Yes, you can leave it out.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is:

• ... e pedi peixe.

That is grammatically fine.

But eu is included here for contrast:

• ela pediu frango com batata,
• e eu pedi peixe.

So it sounds like she ordered X, and I ordered Y. The pronoun adds emphasis and comparison.

Because Portuguese often leaves out the article when talking about food in a general menu-item sense.

So:

• pedi frango
• pedi peixe
• frango com batata

all sound natural.

If you add an article, the meaning usually becomes more specific:

• pedi o peixe = I ordered the fish, probably a specific fish dish already known
• pedi um peixe = I ordered a fish dish

Without an article, it often feels like naming the type of food.

Because com suggests one dish served with something.

• frango com batata = chicken with potatoes
• frango e batata = chicken and potatoes

Both are possible, but com is more natural when the second item is a side or accompaniment. In restaurant language, X com Y is very common.

Yes. In food expressions, singular nouns are often used in a general or collective way.

So batata here does not necessarily mean just one potato. It can mean potatoes as a side dish in a general sense.

Depending on context, frango com batata could suggest:

• chicken with potatoes
• chicken with potato
• sometimes even chicken with fries, though batata frita is clearer for fries

Restaurant language often uses the singular in this broad way.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• no restaurante = in / at the restaurant
• num restaurante = in / at a restaurant

Num is the contraction of em + um.

So if you mean a specific or already known restaurant, no restaurante is right. If you mean any restaurant, or an unspecified one, num restaurante would be more appropriate.

In this sentence, peixe is understood as food: a fish dish.

Portuguese often uses the same word for the animal and the food, just like English does with fish. The context makes it clear:

• No aquário, vimos um peixe. = an animal
• No restaurante, pedi peixe. = food

So here it naturally means fish as something ordered to eat.