Name Drop: Breaking the Old Rules in Restaurant Naming
The secret to a restaurant name that actually sticks? It’s not what you’ve been told.
Naming a restaurant always sounds like a dream assignment—until the reality sets in. It carries the emotional weight of naming a child, paired with the frustrating constraint of finding something that no one else has already claimed. Add to that the buzzkill of trademark law, where promising ideas often die in legal review either because they can’t be protected, or because they brush too closely against someone else’s trademark. It’s a creative exercise wrapped in technical limitations.
What makes naming especially tricky is that, at first, a name means nothing. It gains meaning only through use, reputation, and repetition. Stripped of visual identity, a restaurant name lives entirely in the imagination. It’s an open canvas for interpretation, misinterpretation, or indifference. Take The French Laundry, a name that sounds more like a dry cleaner than a fine-dining destination. Yet, it evokes one of the most revered culinary experiences in the world. That transformation is both the magic and the pressure of naming.
With that in mind, we dug into more than 100 of the most talked-about restaurants across the country, restaurants included on “Best New” and “Best of” lists from outlets like Esquire, The New York Times, Eater and others. From Michelin starred to neighborhood spots, we searched for common trends and patterns. We found monikers rich with personality, subtle cues, and strong storytelling. Some names make an immediate impression; others only click once you’ve experienced what’s behind them.
What was most interesting is that many break the traditional naming "rules" that people often consider when choosing a name. We often hear things like, “make sure it sounds like a restaurant,” “keep it easy to pronounce,” and “ it needs to be simple to spell.” More often than not, those rules have been tossed aside. As Jeff Gordinier insightfully noted in Esquire’s 2024 list of Best New Restaurants, "American food, like American music, is something that’s always in motion." Naming seems to echo that same cultural evolution.
Read on for a few of our observations. If you're in the thick of naming a restaurant right now, we hope this is a source of inspiration. May the muse be with you!
Play With Your Words
Names that make you stop the scroll and say: wait, what? Quirky combos draw you in and make you want to know more, the same way a great restaurant should - even if it’s not immediately clear from the name (or the branding) that it’s a restaurant. It’s important to be memorable and being unexpected accomplishes just that.
Bad Idea(Nashville, TN)
Bread & Butterfly (Atlanta, GA)
Foul Witch (New York, NY)
Four Kings (San Francisco, CA)
Tootles & French (Queens, NY)
Walrus Rodeo (Miami, FL)
One Word Says it All
Sleek, minimal names continue to signal both ambition and confidence, as if no explanation is necessary. These are the kind of places that already feel like a brand—before they even launch merch.
Atoma (Seattle, WA)
Bastia (Philadelphia, PA)
Borgo (New York, NY)
Fikscue (Alameda, CA)
Joon (Vienna, VA)
Penny (New York, NY)
Smithereens (New York, NY)
Vinai (Minneapolis, MN)
Long Names Tell a Layered Story
Sure, short is slick, but some operators are embracing the full sentence. These longer, layered names lean on rhythm. If you are going to go in this direction, it’s especially important to consider alternatives for social media handles and website url.
Friday Saturday Sunday (Philadelphia, PA)
Mr. Baan’s Bar and Mookata (Phoenix, AZ)
Moon Rabbit by Kevin Tien (Washington, DC)
Viola and Agnes’ Neo Soul Cafe (Seabrook, TX)
Sounds Like It Belongs on a Bookshelf
Restaurants are going full literary. These names read like the title of a novel or an indie film. They’re often paired with concept-forward dining rooms and poetic menus.
Gift Horse (Providence, RI)
Lost Isle (Johns Island, SC)
Late August (Houston, TX)
Maude & the Bear,(Staunton, VA)
The Shipwright’s Daughter (Mystic, CT)
The Aperture (Cincinnati, OH)
Personal Names Bring Personality
Whether it's a chef, a matriarch, or a made-up muse, personal names feel like they belong to someone, not something, and that intimacy builds instant emotional connection. It communicates an authenticity that resonates with guests of all ages, but especially those tricky Gen Z guests that everyone wants to appeal to. With a personal name, it’s important to consider searchability, as well as how you’ll bring the name to life in an ownable way.
Amy’s Pastelillos (Philadelphia, PA)
Casa Teresa(Washington, DC)
Ethel’s Fancy (Palo Alto, CA)
Hilda & Jesse (San Francisco, CA)
Little Walter’s (Philadelphia, PA)
Shaw-naé’s House (Staten Island, NY)
Sweet Amalia (Newfield, NJ)
Charlie’s (Saint Helena, CA)
Connecting to Nature
Maybe it’s because we spend so much time in the virtual world that there’s a pull toward names that evoke plants, animals, and landscapes. It’s a subtle nod to seasonality, sourcing, or just being grounded without being overly literal.
Foxface Natural (New York, NY)
Nàdair (Atlanta, GA)
Passerine (New York, NY)
Wildweed (Cincinnati, OH)
Quail & Condor (Healdsburg, CA)
Ingredient Names Still Work
There’s still something powerful about naming your restaurant exactly what it is—especially when it’s done with personality. These names tend to feel a little more casual, a little more welcoming, and a lot more craveable.
Crevette (New York, NY)
Good Hot Fish (Asheville, NC)
Irregardless Biscuit (Providence, RI)
Kurrypinch (Los Angeles, CA)
La Camaronera (Miami, FL)
St. Vito Focacceria (Nashville, TN)
Ssal (San Francisco, CA)
Insight-OUT: In an era of sensory overload and algorithmic marketing, the name of a restaurant still carries real weight. It’s the first impression, and ideally, along with a compelling visual identity, it becomes inseparable from the experience itself. The most memorable names today have personality. Storytelling. A sense of character that invites people in and hints at something worth discovering.