À la carte (pronounced /a la kart/) is a French expression meaning "from the card", and it is used in restaurant terminology in one of two ways:

• It may refer to a menu of items priced and ordered separately rather than selected from a list of preset multi-course meals at fixed prices (see Table d'hôte).
• It may designate the option to order a main course item along with the choice of an accompanied side dish included with the dish, at no extra charge.

This term also encompasses the general option of purchasing only select items instead of a merchant's logical group of offerings, particularly in articles about cable television. ^[1]

References

See also

• Loanword
• Table d'hôte