restaurant

The word “restaurant” means a business where meals are prepared and served to customers, usually for payment. In plain terms, a place you go to eat a meal that someone else cooks and serves.

“Restaurant” is pronounced REHST-ront (/ˈɹɛst(ə)ˌɹɑnt/ in IPA).

Here is “restaurant” used in a sentence: “We booked a table at a new Italian restaurant downtown.”

The opposite of “restaurant” — its antonyms — are carryout, fast food restaurant, takeaway and takeout.

“Restaurant” is a noun.

The word “restaurant” comes from French. Borrowed from French restaurant, originally meaning "restorative," from restaurer ("to restore"). It first named a nourishing soup sold in early Parisian eating houses before coming to mean the establishment itself.

“Restaurant” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

A restaurant focuses on full meals served at tables, often with waiter service and a broad menu across courses. A café is typically smaller and lighter, centred on coffee, tea, cakes, and snacks rather than full multi-course dining. Many cafés serve light meals, but the emphasis and pace are more relaxed and informal.

Common types include fine dining, casual dining, fast food, fast casual, bistros, brasseries, buffets, and diners. They differ in price, formality, speed of service, and menu style. Some specialise by cuisine, such as Italian, Indian, or sushi, while others are defined by format, like pop-ups, food trucks, or family-style establishments.

A local Italian trattoria serving pasta and pizza at tables with waiter service is a classic example. Others range from a fast-food burger chain, to a Michelin-starred fine-dining room, to a neighbourhood diner. Any business that prepares meals and serves them to paying customers counts as a restaurant.

A restaurant prepares meals and serves them on the premises, where customers sit and eat. A takeaway prepares food to be carried out and eaten elsewhere, with little or no seating. Many places do both, offering dine-in tables alongside a takeaway counter, but the core distinction is whether you eat there or leave with your food.