Breadstick in Spanish | Order It Like You Mean It

A breadstick is often called un palito de pan; on menus you may also see colín or grisín.

You’ll hear more than one Spanish word for a breadstick because Spanish is spoken across many countries and because bakeries name shapes in their own way. The good news: you don’t need a “perfect” choice to be understood. You just need the word that fits the setting—restaurant basket, grocery aisle, or a recipe.

This guide gives you the Spanish options people actually use, when each one sounds natural, and a few ready-to-say lines so you can order with zero awkwardness.

What a breadstick is in Spanish food talk

In everyday Spanish, the safest all-purpose label is palito de pan (literally, “little stick of bread”). It works for the thin crunchy sticks in Italian restaurants, the crisp bread rods sold in bags, and the finger-length sticks served with soup or salad.

On printed menus and bakery signs, you may also see more specific nouns. In Spain, one of the most common is colín. You’ll also see grisín, tied to Italian grissini. These words show up because they point to a specific style: thin, dry, crunchy, and made to snack on.

One more note: English “breadstick” is common on bilingual menus, but it can read like a loanword. If you’re speaking Spanish, a Spanish label usually lands better.

Breadstick in Spanish terms by region

Here’s the practical map. You can use palito(s) de pan almost anywhere. The other words tend to show up in certain places, especially in Spain, or in shops that sell Italian-style bakery snacks.

Spain

In many parts of Spain, colín is a common store and bakery word for thin crunchy breadsticks. The Real Academia Española records that meaning, describing it as a slender, crunchy bread piece in Spain. RAE “colín” dictionary entry.

You’ll also bump into grisín, a Spanish form linked to Italian grissini. Cambridge’s bilingual dictionary lists grisín and colín as translations for breadstick, which matches what you’ll often see on packaging. Cambridge “breadstick” entry.

Another Spain-leaning term is pico, used in some areas for crisp bread pieces served with meals. In a restaurant, you might hear “picos” when a server sets down a basket of crunchy bread bites. Context matters: pico has other meanings too, so you’ll mostly see it as a food word when it’s grouped with other bread items.

Mexico, Central America, and much of South America

Palito(s) de pan stays the safest pick. If you’re shopping, bags may say palitos, palitos salados, or a brand name. In some places you’ll also hear broader labels like galletas saladas for crunchy snacks, but that can drift toward crackers. If you mean the long thin sticks, say palitos de pan.

US Spanish and bilingual menus

In the US, you’ll often see breadsticks left in English on menus, then explained in Spanish beneath it. If you want to order in Spanish without switching, ask for palitos de pan. SpanishDict lists multiple translations and examples that match common menu usage. SpanishDict breadstick translations.

Picking the right word without overthinking

If you only memorize one option, make it palito de pan. It’s clear, polite, and flexible. Then add one menu-ready term if you travel in Spain: colín or grisín.

Use palito de pan when

• You’re speaking with someone and you want the plain, everyday term.
• You’re ordering at a restaurant that serves Italian-style sticks with marinara or olive oil.
• You’re writing a recipe or shopping list and you want a word most readers will get.

Use colín or grisín when

• You’re in Spain and the bakery sign already uses that label.
• You want the “this is a specific bread product” vibe, not just any stick-shaped bread.
• You’re translating a menu and you want a term customers may recognize on packaging.

Use picos when

• A menu lists picos in the bread basket section.
• You mean small crisp bread pieces that come with tapas or soups, not the long Italian rods.

If you’re translating for a general audience, you can pair terms once: “palitos de pan (grisines)”. After that, stick with one label to keep the text clean.

Grammar details that help in real life

Spanish usually treats breadsticks as countable items, so you’ll use articles and plurals a lot. Singular: un palito de pan. Plural: unos palitos de pan. If you’re asking for a refill at a table, the plural sounds natural because you’re asking for a basket, not one stick.

When you see colín on a label, the plural is often written as colines. With grisín, you’ll see grisines. Accent marks may disappear on packaging in all-caps designs, but in normal writing they’re standard.

A quick, polite “How do you say…?” line can save you if you freeze mid-sentence: “¿Cómo se dice breadstick en español?” Then you can mirror the word you hear back.

Pronunciation that won’t trip you up

You don’t need a fancy accent. You just want the stress in the right spot so the word sounds clean.

Palito de pan

pah-LEE-to deh pahn. The stress lands on LEE. Say it smoothly as one phrase.

Colín

koh-LEEN. The accent mark shows stress on the last syllable, and it’s a crisp “n” at the end.

Grisín

gree-SEEN. Same idea: stress on the last syllable.

Picos

PEE-kos. Stress on the first syllable.

If you like audio help, SpanishDict includes pronunciation clips for breadstick translations, which can be handy right before a trip. SpanishDict audio and examples.

Table of common Spanish breadstick words and where they fit

The table below gives you a quick “when to use it” view. It’s written to help with real-life ordering, packaging, and translation work.

Spanish word or phrase	What it points to	Where you’ll see it
palito de pan	General term for a breadstick	Conversation, menus, recipes
palitos de pan	Plural “breadsticks”	Ordering, sharing, shopping lists
colín	Thin crunchy breadstick-style bread	Spain (bakeries, stores, menus)
colines	Plural form of colín	Spain (packaging and baskets)
grisín	Spanish form tied to Italian grissini	Spain, Italian restaurants, imports
grisines	Plural “grisín”	Spain, product labels
picos	Small crisp bread pieces served with food	Spain (tapas bars, restaurants)
bastoncitos de pan	Descriptive “little bread batons”	Some menus and translations

Ordering lines that sound natural

Here are short, ready lines you can use. Swap singular and plural depending on what you want.

At an Italian restaurant

• “¿Nos trae palitos de pan?”
• “¿Vienen palitos de pan con la ensalada?”
• “¿Me puede traer otra canasta de palitos de pan?”

At a bakery in Spain

• “Quería colines, por favor.”
• “¿Estos grisines son de aceite de oliva?”
• “Deme una bolsa de colines.”

When you’re translating a menu

• palitos de pan (general)
• grisines (when the item is Italian-style)
• colines (Spain-focused wording)

If you’re building a bilingual menu, a clean pattern is “Breadsticks / palitos de pan”. That keeps it readable for both audiences and avoids odd loanwords.

Grocery labels and recipe wording

Shopping is where you’ll notice the naming split the most. Some brands go with a dictionary-style label (colines, grisines). Others go descriptive (palitos, bastoncitos). None of these is “wrong.” They just signal different naming habits.

If you’re translating packaging text, match the product style in the photo. Long thin crunchy rods? Use palitos de pan, or grisines if the product is clearly grissini-style. Short, stubby crisp bites for a basket? picos fits best in Spain.

For recipe writing, the clearest line is simple: “Tritura palitos de pan hasta hacer migas.” Readers understand it fast, and it still reads like normal Spanish.

Need a second dictionary to cross-check? PONS lists breadstick translations and can help you double-check choices across English and Spanish. PONS breadstick translation.

Common mix-ups and how to avoid them

Some English speakers reach for pan plus a descriptor and end up pointing to a different food. These quick fixes keep you on track.

Don’t use barra de pan for breadsticks

Barra de pan usually points to a loaf like a baguette. If you ask for that, you’ll likely get full-size bread, not crunchy sticks.

Don’t use galletas saladas unless you mean crackers

Galletas saladas can mean saltine-style crackers. Some are stick-shaped, many aren’t. If the shape matters, say palitos de pan.

Be careful with pico outside food context

Pico shows up in lots of phrases unrelated to bread. If you’re not reading a menu section about bread, it may not mean a bread item at all. In Spain, it makes sense when it appears next to other breadbasket items.

Table of quick translation choices for real situations

This second table is a fast chooser. It’s built around what you’re doing, not grammar labels.

Your situation	What to say in Spanish	Small note
Ordering breadsticks at a restaurant	palitos de pan	Works in most countries
Buying a bag of crunchy sticks in Spain	colines / grisines	Matches common packaging words
Translating “breadstick crumbs” in a recipe	migas de palitos de pan	Clear and literal
Talking about Italian grissini	grisines	Feels menu-ready
Referring to a tapas bread basket in Spain	picos	Use when the menu uses it
Writing a general translation for kids	palitos de pan	Simple and clear
Asking what a store product is	¿Qué son estos colines?	Points to the label in front of you

A clean translation you can copy

If you want one line you can drop into a caption, menu, or homework assignment, use this:

“Breadstick” se traduce como palito de pan; en España también se usan colín y grisín en tiendas y cartas.

If you’re unsure which Spanish term fits, ask for palitos de pan first. If the server or cashier uses another word back, you’ve just learned the local label on the spot. Nice, right?