Restaurant Name Generator & Ideas

The Ultimate Guide for Naming your Restaurant

Opening a restaurant can be one of the most challenging, but also the most rewarding ventures you can take on as an entrepreneur. Attracting a great number of customers in the first couple of months will be absolutely crucial for the long-term success of your restaurant, and finding the right name will play a huge role in that.

In this article, we’ve gathered the best restaurant name ideas across different niches, as well as some helpful advice on how you can come up with your own. Use our free Restaurant Name Generator to start brainstorming right away, or read on to find more restaurant name suggestions for your new business.

The Best Restaurant Names – Unique, cuisine-specific Name Ideas!

Just like in any business, speaking the language of your audience is always the winning strategy. When you look at popular names for restaurants, you’ll immediately notice what type of customers they want to attract.

The main concept of your eatery and the menu you’ll be serving will give you hints for your restaurant name ideas that you can use in our Restaurant Name Generator, or to simply brainstorm on your own.

Let’s look at some names for restaurants that strategically address their key audience.

Restaurant Name Ideas for Cafes

A good breakfast and a cup of coffee is the best start of the day, isn’t it? If your eatery specializes in breakfast, brunch, or good coffee, you’ll likely be open in the morning and welcome the early riser or brunch-loving crowd of the city. Notice how these names for restaurants convey these messages.

Specialty Coffee Hubs

  • Espresso Hub
  • Arabicana
  • Cuppa Joe
  • Brew Brothers
  • Coffee Beam

Brunch Places

  • Breakfast At Bertie’s
  • Benny’s
  • Rising Sun Cafe
  • Early Bird
  • Toast & Tea

Creative Restaurant Names

  • The Hungry Wolf
  • Catcher In The Rye
  • Mom’s Table
  • The Egglectic
  • Brewtiful Morning

Tips for creating Cafe Restaurant Name Ideas

A good sense of humor goes a long way and makes your restaurant instantly likable and memorable, which is why so many cafes use puns as their names. When you browse through Google Maps and look for the perfect spot to have your breakfast and coffee fix, these outlets will immediately catch your attention and make you click on them.

Try to come up with restaurant name ideas that feature what your cafe is best at making or the vibe that people will get once they walk through your door.

Restaurant Name Ideas for Specialty Foods

One in four people in the world is dealing with some kind of food intolerance or another health condition that urges them to get on a specific diet. If your restaurant serves gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, or organic foods, you’ll be tapping into a growing niche of health-conscious customers. But first, they need to be able to find you.

Here are some restaurant name suggestions for outlets that serve food for specific needs.

Gluten-Free Restaurant Name ideas

  • The Clean Baker
  • Coeliac Bistro
  • GF Zone
  • All You Can Knead
  • Wheatless Eats

Diabetic Restaurant Name Ideas

  • Bee Free
  • Guilt-Free Treats
  • Sweet But Sane
  • Oh Honey
  • Stevia Italia

Organic Food Restaurant Name Ideas

  • OrganiQ
  • Farmer’s Market
  • Botanica
  • Bionella
  • Nature’s Harvest

Tips for creating Speciality Food Restaurant name ideas

Just because you need to aim at a specific diet or food intolerance, your restaurant name doesn’t need to be too serious or boring. You can use playful expressions or focus more on the positive health benefits of the foods you serve, rather than the health conditions these people have.

Once your customers find you, they will be returning visitors and bring all their friends along too, so it’s worth giving ample thought to your business name.

Restaurant Names For Regional Cuisines

One of the most common differentiators restaurants have is serving dishes from a particular country or region. Whether you specialize in local cuisine or bring in some exotic flavors, your business name needs to tell what you’re about. Here are some ways you can grab the attention of your visitors based on what’s on your menu.

Italian Food

  • Pizza Pizzicato
  • Cucina de Carlo
  • Quattro Formaggi

Japanese Food

  • Tokyo Maki
  • Unagi
  • Sushi Heaven

Indian Food

  • Dosa Point
  • Tastes Of Bombay
  • Namastay

French Food

  • Monsieur Croissant
  • À Table!
  • Petit Pauleen

Middle Eastern Food

  • The Hummus Hut
  • Falafella
  • Kebab Buddies

Tips For Naming Restaurants with Regional Cuisines

If you’re serving the food of a foreign country, you don’t need to overcomplicate the name of your restaurant. Most people won’t be familiar with many dishes from that region anyway. They will come to your branch to try out something new, so you can simply use the most commonly known dish names from that cuisine or the area that’s famous for making the best of them.

Don’t worry if your restaurant name already exists in another city or country because people will always be looking for restaurants near them. Just make sure you’re not competing with a similar name in the same city. Also, avoid overly complicated foreign expressions that would be hard to remember or pronounce for your customers.

Fine Dining Restaurant Names

It’s a misconception that all fine dining restaurants have extremely fancy names. Nowadays, some of the most famous restaurants and Michelin star winners have simple, informal names that aren’t too intimidating. This way they can welcome both regulars and the customers who save up their visit for a special occasion.

Here are some fine dining restaurant names you can consider for your business.

Fancy Restaurant Names

  • The Grand Salon
  • Fine Line
  • Majestique

French Restaurant Names

  • Le Festin
  • Fleur
  • Avignon

Euphonious Restaurant Names

  • The Royal Oak
  • Yellow Orchid
  • Apéritif

Specialty Restaurant Names

  • Deliciosa
  • Goat 4 Steaken
  • Salt & Pepper

Creative Restaurant Names

  • Cornelia’s Kitchen
  • The Three Musketeers
  • The Secret Recipe

Tips For Naming Fine Dining Restaurants

As you can see, fine dining restaurants can take many approaches and can still attract premium customers. Some choose a euphonious, beautiful-sounding name that conveys elegance. Others hint at the personal story of the chef or the founder which triggers curiosity in their audience and creates an emotional connection. There are also some high-profile restaurants that choose a more down-to-Earth name which suggests they keep things simple and serve traditional dishes of the highest quality.

Whichever approach you take, make sure it’s a name that says “you’ll have an impeccable experience here.”

Random Restaurant Name Ideas

Still haven’t found inspiration for how to name your restaurant? Here are 20+ unique restaurant names to get the creative juices flowing! Let us know what you think. Also, be sure to try the Restaurant name generator before you go!

  • 5 Min Cafe
  • All The Lights
  • Alpine Meadow
  • American Pie
  • At Your Service
  • Bacon Babe Burgers
  • BBQ Night
  • Beerburgers
  • Before The Bistro
  • Bella Kitchen
  • Big Bills
  • Big Boo’S Burgers
  • Big Chef
  • Big Mountain
  • Big Table
  • Bistro Builders
  • Bite-Sized
  • Bites
  • Blue Cuttlefish
  • Boogiebites
  • Bread And Butter
  • Breakfast Champs
  • Breakfast House
  • Brick House Stackhouse
  • Brownie Bites
  • Burgers And Stuff
  • By Grandma
  • Café And Music
  • Café N’ Chill
  • Cheesy
  • Cheesy Bites
  • Chops N’ Drinks
  • Chow Down
  • Coffee and Cake
  • Crablegs Baby
  • Crown Crest
  • Crusty Chicken
  • Cuisine Catered
  • Curated Cuisine
  • Curcuma
  • Daily Delight
  • Dedicated Dining
  • Delicious Bites
  • Delightful Dining
  • Delish Dishes
  • Dine Dime
  • Dine Fine
  • Dining Delight
  • Dining Divas
  • Dining Room Ready
  • Dining Room Resource
  • Dinner Club
  • Doublemunch Restaurant
  • Drink And Dive
  • East Meets West
  • Eat Your Heart Out
  • Eatallyoucan
  • Excellent Experience
  • Feel Hungry?
  • Fine Dining Delivered
  • Finest Dining
  • Fish Thursday
  • Five Oceans
  • Five Star
  • Five Star Restaurants
  • Flame On
  • Food Addict
  • Food Box
  • Food County
  • Food Court
  • Food Factory
  • Food Formula
  • Food Galore
  • Food O’Clock
  • Food Republic
  • Food Town
  • Food Villa
  • Foodconnect
  • Foodies Unites
  • Foodland
  • Foodstuff
  • Forkfull
  • Formal Foods
  • Formal Performance
  • Full Belly Bellas
  • Full Service Dining
  • Gem Café
  • Gofoodie
  • Good Food
  • Good Morning
  • Good Taste
  • Goodbite
  • Great Meals
  • Green House
  • Green Land
  • Grit And Griddles
  • Grub And Hud
  • Homey Hospitality
  • Hot Box
  • Hot Ones
  • Hot Risotto
  • Jade Dragon
  • Kitchen Corral
  • Kitchen Office
  • Koi’S Sushis
  • Last Cake
  • Last Time
  • Let’S Ketchup
  • Like Home Restaurant Group
  • Little London
  • Long Eel
  • Love Shack Foods
  • Lunch Chow
  • Luscious Blue Caffino
  • Mad Chicken
  • Mama’S Diner
  • Meat Lovers Rejoice
  • Mess Hall
  • Midtown Goodies
  • Moonlight Eats
  • Morning Bliss
  • Mysteries of the East
  • Napkin Know How
  • Nerds Eat First
  • New Crescent Café
  • Nine Seas
  • No Rest Restaurants
  • Oceanus
  • On The Dime Dining
  • Perfect Dish
  • Perfect Place
  • Perfect Setting
  • Performance Dining
  • Pie’S Up
  • Plane Grill
  • Quick Eats
  • Quickly
  • Ready Restaurants
  • Recommended Restaurant
  • Red Dragon
  • Red Tablecloth
  • Reliable Restaurants
  • Resourceful Restaurants
  • Restaurant Rebels
  • Restaurant Recs
  • Restaurant Reel
  • Restaurant Resale
  • Restaurant Resources
  • Restaurant Warehouse
  • Roadside Pickups
  • Rock and Roll cafe
  • Rocket Restaurants
  • Sea Breeze
  • Sea Miracle
  • Serious Service
  • Service First
  • Service Supplied
  • Silver River
  • Skate And Stay
  • Sloppy Eats
  • Sloppy’S
  • Snackpacks
  • Spaghetti House
  • Spice Villa
  • Spicy Dragon
  • Steak House
  • Sugar Blast
  • Sunrise Café
  • Sweet Dreams
  • Sweet Snow
  • Table Tops
  • Tabletop Restaurants
  • Tall Oaks Café
  • Tasty Meals
  • Tasty Things
  • Tasty Time
  • That Restaurant
  • The Alleyhouse
  • The Bacon Diet
  • The Corner House
  • The Dinning Room
  • The F-Hole
  • The Food Place
  • The Healer’S Brewkeep Going
  • The Mushroomhead
  • The Rowdy Ones
  • Unique Meals
  • Vegans Come Here
  • Very Homemade Food
  • Warm Delight
  • Weheartfood
  • White Napkin Restaurants
  • Yellow Submarine
  • Your Cook
  • Yummy Delights
  • Yummy Yummy

The Best Restaurant names and how they got it

The first part of any research is to look around yourself and see what others in your industry and niche have been doing. Major cities around the world are filled with creatively named restaurants that will surely spark some inspiration for your own. Let’s look at some of the most catchy restaurant names and what they mean.

  • Turnip The Beet

Several cities around the world carry the clever name, Turnip The Beet. This phrase has an uplifting quality to it and sweet humor that will put a smile on the face of its visitors.

Besides the pun, these vegetables are also a clear indication that you’ll probably find plant-based, organic, or healthy dishes in this eatery. The health-conscious and vegan crowd will immediately gravitate towards this brand name and click save on their map to discover it.

  • Duck and Waffle

Duck and Waffle is a unique restaurant in the heart of London. It has a 360-degree view of this stunning location and 24/7 opening hours — something that’s rare to find even in the vibrant city life of the British capital.

One of the advantages of this name is that it’s so simple that even a 10-year-old can remember it. Duck and Waffle also hints at its round-the-clock service: it means that it serves dinner (as the name duck suggests), breakfast (or in other words, waffle), and everything in between.

Despite being an extremely high profile restaurant, the name is simple and doesn’t try to prove anything. This is a trend that’s increasingly visible with modern fine dining places that provide the highest quality of service without the fuss. This way they’re able to attract both regular fine diners and people who occasionally indulge in a simple but high standard experience.

  • WayCup

WayCup is a cafe name that you can find in multiple cities around the world (which in itself is a testament to the popularity of the name). If you don’t get the pun, you might need one of their caffeinated beverages to wake up.

This creative word puzzle hints at the start of the day and the so much needed coffee fix that you’ll be likely visiting them for. Even if the cafe is open till late, this brand name positions it as the go-to place for coffee in its area.

Puns have the ability to emotionally engage people because our brains are more likely to remember things that it had to work a bit harder to understand. So if your restaurant or cafe name is a mosaic word of two expressions, it is more likely to be stuck in someone’s memory.

  • The Middle Feast

The Middle Feast is a Lebanese restaurant in central Melbourne, one of the most favorite spots in the world for foodies. The imaginative name clearly indicates that their menu will consist of Middle Eastern delights and that they’re the right place to go for a big dinner with generous portions.

The Middle Feast is an excellent example to show how just a single letter can help you create a catchy name that will speak clearly of your restaurant’s brand. When you search for ideas in the Restaurant Name Generator, take note of as many suggested words and expressions as possible. Then see if some of them can be mixed up to create alliterations, rhymes, or words with a double meaning.

  • Basic Kneads

Basic Kneads is a simple pizzeria in Denver, Colorado. As the name says, it’s a casual restaurant that serves comfort food and nothing else.

You don’t always need to come up with a fancy name that has a huge story behind it. It’s enough if you use some creativity and come up with a name that will translate the vibe of your restaurant. Our Restaurant Name Generator will help you out so you can come up with as many ideas as you need and find the perfect one for your unique business.

How The Most Successful Restaurants Got Their Names

The world is filled with excellent restaurants, diners, and cafes; a list so long that it couldn’t even fit into a whole book. Some might prefer Michelin star winners or century-old coffee houses, others consider off-the-beaten-path new wave cafes or hidden treasures as the best places to visit.

To give you some ideas for your restaurant name, we’ve gathered some internationally famous restaurants with interesting name strategies.

  • Gordon Ramsa

Gordon Ramsay is one of the, if not the most famous chefs in the entire world. When it came to opening his own restaurant chain, there was no doubt that the name would capitalize on his existing personal brand and fame instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

If your restaurant introduces a well-known chef or founder, it’s best not to waste that potential and name the place after them. You can do this by adopting their name altogether or using a variation such as Kate’s Kitchen or Eaton’s Eatery.

If you don’t have a known chef yet, you can still use this naming strategy and work the other way round: building a personal brand for your cook or founder and attracting guests that way.

  • The Fat Duck

The Fat Duck is one of the most well-known restaurants in England. It’s a name that addresses our basic human instinct of what would bring us appetite in old times. In other words, a well fed farm animal.

Many restaurants choose a name of a popular dish on the menu or the animal it’s made from, such as The Black Boar or Flying Pig. The bottom line is that you should always choose a name that increases appetite and puts you in the mood for dining, and never one with unsettling associations. If your restaurant is vegan, it’s better to go with plants and vegetables as your brand name for obvious reasons.

  • Crown Shy

The Crown Shy is a popular New York City restaurant with longtime chef de cuisine at Michelin-starred restaurants, James Kent. It serves excellent food and beautiful cocktails in an elegant environment that’s suitable for both a special occasion and a nicer-than-normal spontaneous evening.

The place feels important without being too intimidating. It’s warm and inviting but also impressive at the same time, which is why the name choice is so brilliant. It conveys a royal atmosphere but also humility and simplicity which is a duality many customers seek in high profile restaurants.

Tips for creating great Restaurant name ideas

The food and drink industry is a very essential aspect of our world today. Therefore the success of any restaurant is largely dependent on what it is named and what it has to offer. The name a restaurant is given can end up being one of the valuable assets or selling points of the restaurant.

How then do you set the right name for your restaurant brand, seeing the effects it has on prospective customers? There are a few pointers below that can set you up in the right track when thinking of naming your restaurant brand.

  • Create an Identity: The importance of this cannot be overemphasized. Your brand should seek to evoke passion and demonstrate a certain connection between them and the brand. Therefore, you need to go for names that consumers would like to be associated with. One example that comes to mind is “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.
  • Set Expectations: When people see or hear certain names, they automatically expect certain things. Make that work in your favour by going for the names that would continue to linger in their minds. You would expect words that depict meanings such as ‘taste’ or ‘inviting’ as in the case of “Cocinto Chontal” restaurant in Mexico.
  • Give Assurance: This is most important for the restaurant business. The name of the brand must reflect some form of assurance, lending credibility to the brand at any given time. “Taste of Pakistan” in Hounslow, UK, comes to mind for this point.

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