Is the side dish included or separate?
con-TOR-no — three syllables, stress on the second.
When ordering a main course and you want to know whether vegetables or sides are included in the price or must be ordered separately.
In Italian restaurants, 'contorno' (side dish — vegetables, salad, potatoes) is almost always ordered and billed separately from the 'secondo'. This surprises many tourists. Always check to avoid bill surprises.
Cosa avete come contorno?
What side dishes do you have?
Ask to see what accompaniments are available
Una porzione di verdure grigliate, grazie.
A portion of grilled vegetables, please.
One of the most common and reliable contorno choices
Prendo le patate al forno.
I'll have the roast potatoes.
Another classic contorno — roast potatoes are universally available
The Italian restaurant menu is structured so that 'secondi' are priced without any accompaniment — the 'contorno' is a completely separate line item. A meal of primo + secondo + contorno + water + coffee is a full traditional Italian restaurant experience.