Food For The Funny Bone: 35+ Restaurants With Hilarious Names

Aside from the menu, one of the most challenging things to consider when setting up a restaurant is the name. It must have an impact because it sets the tone for your customers and makes a difference in your marketing strategy. Some people opt for the tried and tested method of using the owner’s name. But if we’re going to be honest, unless they’ve got iconic dishes or are a celebrated mom-and-pop place, it’s a hard pitch. On the other hand, some folks let their imaginations run wild, coming up with names you won’t find elsewhere. If you need inspiration, here are some of the funniest and most creative restaurant names that might even be more memorable than their food. 

Pho For The Good And The Bad Times

In today’s modern language, people use the term “What the – “ in happiness and extreme distress. The meaning differs in the way the phrase is said. This Pho restaurant has picked up on the famous expression and used it well. 

They’re right on the spot too. Pho is fantastic both for the good times and the bad times. You can never go wrong with those warm, comforting noodles. And once you’ve had them, there’s just no going back. What the Pho, indeed.

What A Juanderful Name

A lot of restaurants claim they’re one in a million. It’s a good marketing tactic until every business around you says the same thing. However, the real one-in-a-million restaurant badge belongs to this humble eatery. Its name alone deserves a prize.

They’re Juan in a Million. Plain and simple. We absolutely love how they combine the traditional use of the owner’s name with the phrase. Great wordplay. Who knows? They might be the Juan you’ve been looking for all your life.

Not For The Kids

At the end of the movie “Finding Nemo,” Nemo returns to his dad, and they go home. Pixar didn’t tell you that Nemo went on another adventure; this time, he didn’t make it back to his dad. Guess where he ended up.

For those that loved the film, please avoid this place at all costs. There are better places to eat. “Fish are friends, not food.” Remember that line from Dory? Well, sorry for you and Nemo because here it’s the complete opposite of that.

The Perfect Place To Get Lost In

As they say, purgatory is where the lost ones go. And when you think of that, this name makes all the more sense. Burgers are one of the ultimate comfort foods; they’re perfect when you can’t think of anything else.

We’re still determining if the purgatory aspect of the name always means as good as we hope it is, though. Does it mean purgatory for burger lovers or purgatory for burgers? Either way, it gives you something to consider before you enter its doors.

Gotta Go For Plan B

When plan A doesn’t work, what do you do? You go for plan B! That’s what this place did, and it’s just pure genius. Why burn down all your brain cells looking for the perfect name when it’s in plain sight?

Hopefully, this doesn’t mean their food is second-rate. Because although Plan As are always everyone’s first option, that doesn’t mean that Plan Bs aren’t good for you, or in this case, your tummy. They can be just as filling and satisfying.

Is This Fries Heaven?

Why has no other restaurant taken this name before the modern world? It’s arrogant, it’s bold, and it’s brilliant! They’re basically saying they’re the king of fries. And that’s something you’d remember. Whoever came up with the name is a genius.

Their menu is also a work of art. They obviously have tons of different toppings for their fries based on favorites from countries worldwide. They have peri-peri sauce and a mix of mayo and ketchup. Now, that’s what we call lording!

Why Say No?

Restaurants exist for a reason; to satisfy customers by giving them otherworldly culinary experiences through their creations. Of course, they serve to delight too. So why poop on that divine purpose with something as ridiculous as a diet? We say no!

As their name aptly says, it’s time to say no to that diet fib. You deserve to be happy, to be delighted, and to feel alive. And you can’t do that when you’re in hell dragging yourself away from the goods. Hopefully, their food is worth indulging in.

That One Brain Cell’s Ide

Coming up with an iconic restaurant name is a challenging feat. It’s not something everyone can do in a single day. Still, you can take inspiration from other famous establishments but don’t be as obvious as this guy. Subtlety is the name of the game.

He changed one letter, and voila, a new restaurant name was born. At least he changed the logo too, but it’s still too close to the original. Thankfully Pizza Hut was okay with it, or we might not even be seeing this today.

The Only Godmother We Need

We’re going to say it now. To whoever’s lactose intolerant, you need another godmother because this one isn’t for you. She offers all kinds of goodness with dairy that’s going to make you visit the toilet countless times a day.

To whoever came up with the name, bless their hearts. It’s absolutely fantastic and perfect. Those desserts are dreamy and look like they came straight out of a wand after the words “bippity boppity boo.” They’ll disappear way before midnight too.

The Restaurant That Never Grew Up

If only we could all go to Neverland and never grow up and bear the heavy burdens of adulthood. That would just be splendid. Unfortunately, Neverland is too far out of reach. We can only have places like this one. 

We hope they offer the ultimate comfort food that fills us and takes us back down memory lane to beautiful childhood moments. If they’re going to drag Peter Pan into this whole human adult world mess, they should do it right. 

Just Brilliant

What’s absolutely brilliant about this name is its irony. It says no need for anything fancy, but it has one of the most unique and unforgettable names. Who can resist eating in a place with such a signboard? We know we can’t.

It could be doing a better job than elaborate names because it makes people curious, riles them, and delights them. It’s not every day you come across something like that. Combine the name with tasty food, and you have yourself a winner.

A Great Promise

If this is the promise of a restaurant’s name, we’re going in to try every dish offered. Food that makes you fat is sinful and decadent; we expect nothing less. We’re ready to forget our diets and body consciousness for this.

We might regret our decision after a few hours or days, but at least we were delighted while gorging on delicious food. If they can deliver on their promise, we expect long lines soon, but could they maybe add a “but in a healthy way” statement somewhere? 

Grandma’s Best Words

What does grandma say when you come to her house and reject all her good food because you’re on a diet? “Nonsense!” You’ll yell out the same thing when you taste addictive Indian food. Who needs to diet when you only have one life to live?

That’s what makes the name so fitting. You’re missing out on a lot if you’ve never had garlic naan or naan and butter chicken. Once you’ve got those in your system, you’re far gone, and everything else will be naansense.

A Wok on the Wild Side

It’s spicy, cute, and bold – we like this name. There’s an air of mystery; they serve food cooked on a wok, but that’s pretty much it. The exterior doesn’t say much. It truly is a deep dive into the wild side here. 

As the name implies, now is the most suitable time to try something new. Hopefully, your stomach is strong enough to take whatever their wok serves up, but we encourage you to bring some medication for an upset stomach because we all know what fried food can do.

Worth The Charge

Have you ever eaten food at a restaurant so foul that you wanted to beat someone up to get your money’s worth back? Hopefully, you haven’t gone through that terrible life-changing experience. We also pray that’s different from what this restaurant specializes in. 

We wish if you eat their food, you’ll want to commit crimes in their name for the very best of reasons. Who knows? It could be that good. Kudos to whoever thought of the name. If their food doesn’t put up a fight, at least their name does.

Let’s Hope It Doesn’t Sink

Usually, when taking inspiration from others, people choose names that sound great or have been successful. It’s a way of manifesting the same luck. However, the owner does not subscribe to that thought. He has a different concept that we don’t agree with.

We wonder what their iceberg lettuce tastes like. Is it hard and crisp? That red dash for an “I” also sends an ominous message. We have a sinking feeling that this place is only appropriate for those brave enough to take on anything.

Hope It’s Not True

This place either sells the stinkiest tofu on Earth or has the stinkiest pots in the world. Either way, the name is encouraging and might drive customers away instead of enticing them. It’s a huge red flag visible to everyone. 

Then again, it could be a challenge. Do you dare judge a book by its cover? If you take on the challenge, we recommend practicing your nose to whatever foul smell might be inside. Try sniffing on a Durian in the meantime.

Best Chinese Restaurant Name Ever

Only some words from other languages have an English equivalent, and sadly, even combining other English words won’t get their exact meaning. So this is the most brilliant move the restaurant owner might’ve made. 

This could have been done out of sheer laziness, or they could have just given up on the translation after hours of hard work. Either way, what they ended up with is catchy. Plus, no other restaurant would be copying that name any time soon. 

Magic Happens Here

The food industry is getting more challenging by the day. With so many businesses opening up and introducing their own recipes, getting lost in the mix is not uncommon. Customers today also have distinguished palates and won’t settle for anything mediocre.

And what better way to conjure culinary magic than to utter some magical words? This place understood the assignment. Let’s hope they invoke the right kind of magic with their kebabs. Nobody wants voodoo dolls and needles mixed into their food.

They Might Be Having Regrets

Why settle for the old owner’s name when you can use the name of someone more famous to draw people into your restaurant, right? It’s brilliant and excellent marketing, but we’re still determining if cush is the case here.

See, when you’re naming your business after someone famous, please ensure that person is in the good graces of the general public. You can’t expect customers to patronize your business when it’s named after someone widely believed to be villainous.

It’s The Branding

Sometimes, it’s not even the name that draws people to a business. The last thing you expect as a name of a sushi place is Sushi Hub because it’s not catchy nor unique. However, the branding stuck in people’s minds. Where else do you go if you want sushi but to a sushi hub?

A hub, after all, is defined as the center of an activity. This place is what food porn dreams are made of. Our mouths are watering, thinking of all the goodness we can feast on when heading to the area.

Standing On The Line

This name sounds illegal, but it isn’t, and that’s what’s brilliant about it. Once you see it, you can already tell they specialize in the kind of sinful food everyone looks forward to, deep-fried goodness! We know they’re unhealthy, but sometimes we have to give in to our cravings.

When you tell your parents about it, you better enunciate because they might mistake it for something else and give you a good lecture about how evil it is to say bad words to the people who raised you and sacrificed so much for you.

Thai-Rific Name!

Simple, cute, and aptly describes the food. Now that’s how you do a great restaurant name. It rolls nicely off the tongue, too, so there is no misunderstanding about the kind of place you’re going to. No, they don’t offer massages here.

Hopefully, the food is also to ‘thai’ for. Get it? Seriously though, without the puns, it would be wonderful if their food lived up to their name. Everyone loves authentic Thai food. We’re hungry thinking about pad thai and tom yum soup.

Let It Sing!

You’ve come across dancing chickens and even flying chickens, but that’s not all there is. This place brings you singing chickens, and it’s appropriately named too. Our only hope is their chickens have voices decent enough to get to the next round of auditions.

It’s quite a clever name already doing an excellent job in marketing, even to those not big on karaoke and singing. They don’t need judges like Katy Perry or Simon Cowell to get the show going; the chicken will do that.

Too Many Puns

One pun is enough, but two or more? That might be overdoing it. Not convinced? This restaurant proves you need to slow down when using puns. After all, you’re not promoting a comedy club but a place for people to go when they want to make their tummies happy.

This name borders on pun overload. One wrong move, and it could have been pun vomit. But it works for now, and it’s pretty catchy, so we’ll let it pass. Those thinking of setting up their business should consider this a lesson.

The Grill of Kings and Queens

Dragon BBQ, anyone? There have been a lot of puns and memes around Game of Thrones, but this is one of the most clever. Given the show’s bloody background, we don’t want to know what they’re grilling up in there.

Are they serving Dragon BBQ or Theon’s sausage? It can go one way or another, like in the show. Hopefully, they don’t go too canon with their name and everything. There are too many things to be terrified of in this world already.

A Bit of Scandal

Nowadays, you won’t get into the big leagues without spice and scandal in your profile. It might be bad publicity, but it’s still publicity. And when it comes to that, this restaurant’s name already has plenty to last it a lifetime.

Let’s pretend we’re not curious about what they put and do to their sausages, and feign disinterest in getting our hands on information about all the unsavory things this place must have been party to. It’s as intriguing as it gets.

Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner

This is precisely the name the last brain cell would come up with, given how much sense it makes or lacks. You can tell they were at their wit’s end by that “Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner” line. This is a mismatch of ideas, but if it works, why not?

It looks like the person who came up with the name randomly picked Batman as their mascot. We can almost hear the caped crusader’s low baritone rasp whispering in people’s ears and telling them to go inside and eat. We’re curious, in which universe does Batman also say “Kapow?”

Impastas!

No one likes being called an impostor, especially in the food business. Creating and serving food takes great confidence, and when someone calls you an impostor, it can take the wind out of you. This place, however, owns it.

We’re uncertain what they’re implying with their name, but we hope it’s nothing terrible. They’re dealing with pasta, for Pete’s sake. Even if they’re copying someone’s dishes, as long as they do it right, they might survive and profit.

Best Nachos in Town

Whenever people involve their mother and father in the restaurant name game, it often appears cute. After all, we cheer people who give credit where it’s due and pay tribute to their beloved parents, but we’re not sure about this.

It could be the phrasing bothering us or the entire name, but there’s something weird about it. It’s not as comforting or endearing as other mom-and-pop restaurant names. But, if they serve great nachos, no one will pay attention.

When The Restaurant Predicts Your Future

We don’t know what it is about Chinese places, but they’re great at fortune-telling. Is the skill part and parcel of opening Chinese restaurants? They know what will happen to people in the future and shout it out to the world with no shame.

This is not the kind of future we envisioned for ourselves, but our metabolism has decreased considerably so this prediction is not far off. We’ll go with the flow and accept our fates at these restaurants’ hands. 

Date Night Restaurant?

This is one of those restaurants parents will only allow their kids into once they’re well into adulthood. Who do we say that? Just look at the name! It doesn’t sound child-friendly and seems like a place for people with loose morals. 

Who knows? This may be a lucky place for couples to get some action, but there should be no expectations of faithfulness. We can’t help but wonder, if there’s a promiscuous fork, there may also be lovey-dovey spooning going on.

How Bad Could Haute Dogs Go?

No restaurateur in their right mind would ever brand their food as one of the worst. That’s terrible marketing that will result in bankruptcy. Customers don’t flock to a place categorized as such. They’ll take their business and money elsewhere. 

But if something is categorized as haute, you’d gravitate towards it. Everyone wants something classy, even if it is expensive at most times. This is a clever name with excellent wordplay. Haute dogs at the Wurst? We’re not going to say no to that.

It’s a Restaurant Alright

Your eyes are not deceiving you, and this is not a joke. It’s a restaurant that’s named Restaurant. This place serves food and drinks. They have waiters, cooks, and a menu for you. It might not look much, but you’ll be surprised.  

There might best other places to dine in, especially with your family or significant other. We’re not surprised if not everyone is convinced. Someone should tell the owners how some decorating goes a long way. It will make the place seem less shady.

Where Every Shenanigan Happens

This place is a little too forthcoming, admitting to everyone that all kinds of shenanigans happen there. Sure, it can be a mess sometimes, but not all shenanigans are sinister. Some are rather enjoyable that you’ll want to do them again.

You’re guaranteed good times with friends because this is an Irish pub. If you’ve had a long week at work, this is where you should go to unwind and have a blast. We’re confident there’s no shortage of beers and fun.

Artisan Doughnuts

If you’re looking for unique and special doughnuts to give you a dessert coma, this is the place to go. The name makes us expect tasty and artsy treats that will blow our minds. We know wishing Van Gogh’s The Starry Night is a long shot, but we’d like to see them try.

If their doughnuts are as magnificent as the works of the artist they named the place after, they’ve won the food business. Hopefully, the business won’t go into a downward spiral like the artist because that’s just tragic and heartbreaking.

Codfather

If you’ve watched the iconic “Godfather” films, you’ll definitely appreciate the reference in this food truck’s name. Not only is the name unforgettable, but it also promises customers an offer that they can’t refuse. We can hear Marlon Brando saying that in our ears.

We want to remind everyone to be careful with this food truck because business owners won’t tolerate nonsense. Make trouble, and you might regret your life choices and end up with a dead horse’s head in your bed. Other than that, enjoy your cod.

Just Farts

The owner might’ve thought this name was full of symbolism and sounded something like “Gone with the Wind,” but sadly, it does not. It’s so far from that. All we can think about when we read it is letting a loud one rip from our derriere.

We’re also trying to figure out the foreboding this serves to diners. Given their name, does it mean that you’ll be farting up loads when you eat their food? That doesn’t sound pleasant. We’re not sure our companions would appreciate it either.

An Adventure, Surely

The “Back to the Future” movies are undoubtedly some of the best and most memorable, and we’re sure people from different generations agree with us. We hope they can live up to the hype, given they’ve taken inspiration from the films.

Although we don’t see anything else inspired by the films on the exterior, that’s not a problem. We wonder what they’re serving in there. And we’re sure it will be an adventure to check it out, much like traveling to the future.

The Perfect Pun

If you use a pun in your restaurant name, you must do it right. Thankfully, this place hit the nail on the head. You won’t notice it immediately because it blends into the phrase well, and you might need to read the name again.

Judging by the cheery expressions on these girls’ faces, it’s evident the place is doing an excellent job of satisfying its customers, so that’s a win-win. A slice of fabulous cake and a whole round of humor – now that’s what we like.

Unphogettable 

If you want to be unphogettable in the food world, you must also be phonomenal in creating a name that reflects your food and makes the perfect first impression. And these guys deserve a pat on the back for doing that.

There can only be so many pho puns out there, and they chose one that sticks to mind. Something tells us this was the idea of someone who loves the incomparable Snood Dogg. We expect customers to say ‘Pho’ shizzle my nizzle’ after dining here.

All In!

If you’re going to get inspiration from something famous for your restaurant, the best course of action is to go all in. Half-baked attempts are not welcome. It won’t make sense if you only take the name and nothing else. That’s a lot of marketing opportunities missed. 

Fortunately, the owners of this place didn’t make that mistake. Check out that grilled cheese sandwich. Doesn’t that image make you want to bite into it? It aligns with the theme and looks delicious. Surely people are going to be encouraged to get their sandwiches.

Sounds More Exotic Than It Is

When you hear “Himalayan Chimney,” do you think about food, a weird sauna, or a stunt? For us, it’s more of the latter. It sounds like a fancy name for a complex gymnastics move mere mortals can’t execute flawlessly.

We couldn’t be further from the truth because it’s the name of a food establishment that serves Indian cuisine. Even more confusing is that it’s not near the Himalayas. But who knows? Maybe the owners love to keep their customers guessing.

A Holy Restaurant

Do you think churches are the only places that can be holy? Think again because this place exists. And it seems everyone who goes there has a firm belief that things happen because of God’s will. Did someone omniscient also have a say on the menu?

We’re not sure if they’re turning water into wine (although we hope they are) or having bible study sessions as they eat, but it’s as churchy as possible. We wonder how patrons and staff would react if an atheist walked in.

When Chemists Make a Restaurant

There is a science to the art of making food, and these people are here to prove that, starting with their name. And it’s actually pretty clever what they did. They want everyone to know they’re serious about food but know how to have fun.

How do they come up with their food, though? Is it all spick and span like in a lab, or do they take inspiration from mad scientist moments when coming up with out-of-this-world dishes? What do you think? It’s quite intriguing!