What is the restaurant phrase a la carte mean?

A la carteit means that all the items on the menu are separate, meaning you have to order it to have it. for example if you want a steak, baked potato and a salad you would have to order all those items. if you wanted just a steak that is all you would get. Further pointThe key point is that the various _courses_ are separate, not necessarily each item. So the steak may be listed as 'Rump steak with ___ and ___'. The obvious contrast is with set meals.

These types of restaurants provide the opportunity to build your own meal but usually at a much steeper price than average.

In other Words ...

There is no "set menu". As well as generally costing more, such restaurants are usually slower, too. So you need to have plenty of time.

In Britain, an A La Carte menu is a menu with dishes in set courses, and you order the dish you would like. Usually the dish is decided by the establishment.