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100 Italian Restaurant Name Ideas, and What Each Italian Word Means

100 Italian restaurant name ideas for trattorias, osterias, pasta bars and wine bars, with what each Italian word means and the checks to run first.

By The Menumigo TeamUpdated October 24, 202615 min read

Short answer: A good Italian restaurant name is short, correct Italian (or deliberate English), and tells guests what kind of place it is: a trattoria, an osteria, a pasta bar, a wine bar or an Italian-American red-sauce room. Match the article to the noun (il matterello, la tavolata, l'osteria), check what each word means to an Italian speaker, and keep protected food names such as Parmigiano Reggiano off the sign. Below are 100 ideas in 10 styles, what the Italian means, name formulas and the checks to run before you print anything. Any of these names may already be in use, so search trademarks, business registers, domains, handles and Google Maps before you choose one.

Key takeaways

  • The venue word is a promise. Treccani describes a trattoria as generally more modest than a ristorante, and an osteria as a modest, popular place that pours wine and often serves food. Pick the one that matches your room and your prices.
  • Italian articles and adjectives agree with the noun: la cucina, il matterello, l'osteria, la pergola fiorita. "Il Cucina" and "La Matterello" are mistakes any Italian guest will spot.
  • Regional words make a name specific: bacaro in Venice, piola in Piedmont, fiaschetteria in Tuscany, quinto quarto in Rome. Use one only if the cooking matches the region.
  • Leave protected food names out of the name. The EU Court of Justice has ruled that protected designations of origin are protected for services as well as products, in a case about tapas bars named "Champanillo".
  • These names are starting points. Any of them may already be trading near you, so check before you commit.

In this guide

  • How to name an Italian restaurant in 8 steps
  • 100 Italian restaurant name ideas
  • Trattoria and osteria names
  • Family and "Da" names
  • Fresh pasta names
  • Regional Italian names
  • Wine bar and enoteca names
  • Piazza and place names
  • Seafood and coastal names
  • Modern and minimal names
  • Italian-American names
  • Playful and pun names
  • Using Italian words correctly
  • Italian restaurant name formulas
  • Checks before you commit
  • How Menumigo fits
  • FAQ

How to name an Italian restaurant in 8 steps

The method is the one in our café names guide, adjusted for an Italian kitchen.

  1. Write the concept in one line. "A family trattoria with fresh pasta", "a Venetian-style wine bar with small plates" and "an Italian-American room with Sunday gravy" lead to different names.
  2. Decide how Italian you want to sound. An Italian name signals tradition. Abroad, it also has to be easy to say for guests who don't speak Italian, and in Italy it sits next to a lot of similar signs.
  3. List 20 to 30 words. Take them from the kitchen (pasta tools, sauces), the region your recipes come from, a family name, your street or square, and the dish you want to be known for.
  4. Combine them with the formulas below until you have 30 to 40 candidates.
  5. Cut the hard ones. Drop anything over three words, anything a caller would have to spell out, and anything that sounds like a chain you already know.
  6. Say each name to two people: one who speaks Italian and one who doesn't. The first tells you whether it sounds natural, the second whether it can be said and spelled.
  7. Run the availability checks on your shortlist: trademarks, company register, domain, handles and Google Maps.
  8. Mock up the last three on the sign, a menu cover, a 100-pixel profile picture and a takeaway bag. Keep the one that still reads when it's small.

100 Italian restaurant name ideas

Every name below is an idea to check, not a name that is free to use. Some will already belong to a restaurant somewhere, and some may be registered trademarks. We checked the less common words against the Treccani dictionary. If you're opening a pizzeria, our pizzeria names guide has 130 more ideas built from pizza vocabulary.

Trattoria and osteria names

#Name ideaWhat the Italian means
1Trattoria La TavolataTavolata: all the people sitting at the same table to eat and drink
2Osteria del DescoDesco: a literary word for a dining table
3Trattoria Due ArchiTwo arches
4Osteria della PergolaPergola: a frame for climbing vines over a terrace or walk
5Trattoria del CortileCortile: courtyard
6Osteria al PozzoPozzo: a well. Al is a + il, "at the"
7Trattoria Sette PancheSeven benches
8Osteria dell'AiaAia: the paved yard beside a farmhouse where crops were spread out and dried
9Trattoria Quattro MestoliFour ladles
10Osteria del FocolareFocolare: the hearth
11Trattoria del MercatoThe market
12Osteria Tre GradiniThree steps

Family and "Da" names

Da plus a first name means "at [name]'s place", the classic formula for a trattoria. It works best with a less common first name, since the most common ones are already on many signs. The family words: nonna and nonno are grandmother and grandfather, zia is aunt, fratelli brothers, sorelle sisters, figli sons or children.

  1. Da Ornella
  2. Da Zia Pina
  3. Nonna Iole
  4. Casa Bertolini
  5. Fratelli Ceccarelli
  6. Sorelle Marchetti
  7. Da Renzo e Lia
  8. I Figli di Aldo (Aldo's children)
  9. Zia Nives
  10. La Cucina di Mamma Rina
  11. La Cucina di Nonno Bruno
  12. Casa Tosini

Before you put a relative's name on the sign, agree in writing who owns the name if the business is ever sold or the family splits.

Fresh pasta names

#Name ideaWhat the Italian means
25Sfoglia & MatterelloSfoglia: a very thin sheet of egg pasta, usually rolled out by hand. Matterello: the rolling pin (mattarello in some regions)
26La SpianatoiaThe wooden board on which pasta is made and rolled out
27La SfoglinaA woman who rolls sfoglia by hand. Treccani records sfoglino, the masculine form, as a newer word
28PlinPiedmontese for "pinch", the pinch that seals agnolotti del plin
29Farina e UovaFlour and eggs
30Trafila al BronzoTrafila: the perforated die that extruded pasta is pushed through. Bronzo: bronze
31Sugo LentoSlow sauce
32Il Ragù della DomenicaSunday ragù
33SoffrittoThe base of chopped onion and other aromatics cooked gently in oil or fat
34CavatappiA corkscrew, and a spiral pasta shape
35Raviolo ApertoAn open raviolo. Raviolo is the singular of ravioli
36Bigoli BarBigoli: a thick, spaghetti-like pasta from the Veneto

Regional Italian names

Use a region only if your recipes come from it. A Venetian guest will look for cicchetti in a place called a bacaro.

#Name ideaRegionWhat it refers to
37Bacaro dei SestieriVeniceBacaro: a Venetian bar that serves cicchetti, small snacks, with wine. Sestieri: the six districts of historic Venice
38Banco dei CicchettiVeniceBanco: the counter. Cicchetti are usually eaten standing at it
39Piola del BorgoPiedmontPiola: Piedmontese for an osteria. Borgo: a village or old quarter
40Fiaschetteria SetteTuscanyFiaschetteria: a shop that sells wine by the glass or flask, often with simple food; the word is often used in Tuscany
41Quinto QuartoRomeThe "fifth quarter": offal and the less prized cuts, which hold a place of honour in Roman cooking
42ZagaraSicilyA Sicilian word, from Arabic, for the blossom of citrus trees, especially orange and lemon
43Masseria del GranoSouthern ItalyMasseria: a farm estate run by a massaro. Grano: wheat
44Orecchiette & CimePugliaOrecchiette, "little ears", with cime di rapa, turnip tops
45Mortaio LigureLiguriaMortaio: the mortar pesto genovese is pounded in. Ligure: Ligurian
46Friggitoria del PortoCoastFriggitoria: a shop that fries and sells fish, vegetables and more
47CarasauSardiniaPane carasau, the thin, crisp Sardinian flatbread

Wine bar and enoteca names

Treccani defines an enoteca as a collection of fine wines, usually for sale, and a cantina as a wine cellar or, in wine country, a rustic room where wine is drunk and sold.

  1. Enoteca Sottoscala (sottoscala: the space under the stairs)
  2. Cantina Ventidue (twenty-two)
  3. Vino e Tagliere (tagliere: a wooden board for cured meats and cheese)
  4. Calice (a wine glass)
  5. Mescita (the pouring of wine, and by extension a place, especially in Tuscany, where wine is drunk at the counter)
  6. Il Tappo (the cork or stopper)
  7. Vendemmia (the grape harvest)
  8. La Botte (the barrel)
  9. Sughero (cork, the material)
  10. Damigiana (a demijohn)

Piazza and place names

  1. Piazzetta Nove (a small square; nine)
  2. Sotto il Portico (under the arcade)
  3. Belvedere (a viewpoint)
  4. Campiello (in Venice, a small square)
  5. Borgo Fiorito (the village in flower)
  6. Fontana Piccola (the little fountain)
  7. Terrazza Sette (terrace seven)
  8. La Scalinata (the flight of steps)
  9. Via Lunga (the long street)
  10. Il Chiostro (the cloister)

Seafood and coastal names

  1. La Lampara (the big lamp hung from the stern of a boat for night fishing)
  2. Scogliera (a rocky shore)
  3. Molo Sei (pier six)
  4. Il Faro (the lighthouse)
  5. Rete & Mare (net and sea)
  6. Vongole & Vino (clams and wine)
  7. Acqua Pazza ("crazy water", a dish of fish poached in a light broth)
  8. Salmastro (the salty tang of sea air and water)
  9. Crudo Bar (raw fish and seafood)
  10. Porticciolo (a small harbour)

Modern and minimal names

  1. Sugo (sauce)
  2. Sale (salt, and also "rooms", the plural of sala)
  3. Riso (rice, and also laughter)
  4. Fuoco (fire)
  5. Grano (wheat)
  6. Salvia (sage)
  7. Oliva (olive)
  8. Tavola (table)
  9. Cena (dinner)

One-word names need help elsewhere. "Sale" on its own reads as a discount sign in English, so put "cucina" or "trattoria" on the awning, the profile and the menu.

Italian-American names

Italian-American cooking has its own vocabulary, and an English name built from it can fit a red-sauce room better than Italian. Sunday gravy, also called Sunday sauce, is a tomato sauce slow-cooked with sausage, meatballs and other meats.

  1. Sunday Gravy
  2. Red Sauce Social
  3. The Checkered Cloth
  4. Garlic & Gravy
  5. The Meatball Room
  6. Spaghetti Supper
  7. The Sauce Pot

Playful and pun names

  1. Penne for Your Thoughts
  2. Pesto Manifesto
  3. Risotto Ever After
  4. Al Dante
  5. Gnocchi on Wood
  6. Pasta Tense
  7. Truffle Shuffle

About pun names: pasta puns are easy to think of, so expect some of these to be trading already, which makes them harder to register and easier to confuse. They also don't translate. An Italian guest won't hear "knock on wood" in "Gnocchi on Wood", so if many of your guests speak Italian, an Italian-word or descriptive name will do more for you.


Using Italian words correctly

An Italian name on a sign is read by Italians too: guests, staff and suppliers. A few rules cover most restaurant names.

Pick the venue word that matches the room

WordWhat it means
RistoranteA restaurant. The general word
TrattoriaA place with one or more rooms serving full meals, generally more modest than a ristorante. Treccani notes that some high-end restaurants also take the name
OsteriaOnce an inn with food and lodging. Today a modest, popular place that pours wine and often serves food
EnotecaA collection of fine wines, usually for sale; in practice a wine shop or wine bar
BacaroA Venetian bar serving cicchetti with wine
FiaschetteriaA wine shop selling by the glass or flask, often with simple food; a word used in Tuscany
PiolaPiedmontese for an osteria
Tavola caldaA place serving ready-made food, hot or cold, to eat quickly
FriggitoriaA shop that fries and sells fish, vegetables and more

Match the article to the noun

Every Italian noun is masculine or feminine, and the article changes with the gender and the first letter of the word: il matterello, lo spiedo, la tavolata, l'osteria, and in the plural i mestoli, gli spaghetti, le panche. The pizzeria names guide has the full table. Adjectives agree with their noun too: sugo lento, pergola fiorita, borgo antico.

Mistakes that show up on signs

WrittenCorrectWhy
Il CucinaLa CucinaCucina is feminine
La MatterelloIl MatterelloMatterello is masculine
La OsteriaL'OsteriaOsteria starts with a vowel
Da Mario'sDa Mario, or Mario'sDa already means "at Mario's"
A PaniniA PaninoPanini is the plural
One CannoliOne CannoloCannoli is the plural
Expresso BarEspresso BarThere's no x in the Italian word

Words that mean something else in Italy

  • Peperoni. The plural of peperone, a pepper (the vegetable). An Italian guest reading "Pepperoni Palace" may think of peppers, not salami.
  • Cicchetto. In standard Italian, a small glass of strong liquor, or a telling-off. In Venice, cicchetti are the small snacks served in a bacaro.
  • Cantina. A wine cellar in Italian. In Mexican Spanish, a cantina is a bar, so check how the word reads to your guests.
  • Sale and riso. Each has two meanings, salt or rooms, rice or laughter, which works in your favour if you mean both.
  • Desco. Treccani marks it as literary, and its everyday uses as rare or archaic. That old-fashioned feel suits a traditional trattoria and may jar on a modern one.

If nobody on your team speaks Italian, pay a native speaker to read your shortlist. It costs far less than a new sign.

Protected names to keep off the sign

Names such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma are protected designations of origin in the EU. In 2021 the EU Court of Justice ruled in Case C‑783/19 that protected designations of origin are protected for services as well as products. The case was about Spanish tapas bars named "Champanillo", challenged by the champagne producers' committee. Keep protected names on the menu, where they describe what you serve, and ask a trademark lawyer before you build a restaurant name on one. For "Pizza Napoletana", see the pizzeria names guide.


Italian restaurant name formulas

FormulaPatternExamples
Venue + placeTrattoria or Osteria + del, della or al + [place word]Osteria della Pergola, Trattoria del Cortile
Da + first nameDa [name]Da Ornella, Da Renzo e Lia
FamilyCasa, Nonna, Zia or Fratelli + [name]Casa Bertolini, Fratelli Ceccarelli
Number[number] + [object]Due Archi, Sette Panche, Quattro Mestoli
Two things[ingredient or tool] e or & [ingredient or tool]Farina e Uova, Sfoglia & Matterello
Region wordA word from the region you cookBacaro dei Sestieri, Piola del Borgo
One wordOne word, with "cucina" or "trattoria" on the signSugo, Riso, Fuoco
English for Italian-AmericanA dish or table word in EnglishSunday Gravy, The Checkered Cloth

If your place is mostly a wine bar, the bar names guide covers the drinks side. For a café or espresso bar, see café names. We also have lists of Mexican restaurant names and Chinese restaurant names, and name ideas written in Italian in our Italian list of restaurant names.


Checks before you commit

Run every check on your final three names.

1. Trademarks

Search for identical and similar names. Trademark offices use the Nice classification: class 43 covers restaurant services, and class 30 covers goods such as pasta sauce, which matters if you ever sell your sugo in jars.

MarketWhere to search
USAUSPTO trademark search
European UnionEUIPO eSearch plus for EU trade marks, and TMview for national marks across many offices
ItalyUIBM trade mark database
SpainOEPM
PortugalINPI Portugal
FranceINPI France
TurkeyTÜRKPATENT
United KingdomUK IPO trade mark search

Search the translation too. Under the doctrine of foreign equivalents, USPTO examiners may translate a foreign word into English to compare it with existing marks. The example in the USPTO's examination manual is Italian: LUPO, the equivalent of "wolf". So search "The Long Table" as well as "La Tavolata".

The generic part doesn't count. The USPTO explains that generic terms, the everyday names for what you sell, can't be registered. "Trattoria" or "pasta bar" won't set you apart; the rest of the name has to do that.

A trademark lawyer can tell you how close is too close before you spend money on signage.

2. Company register

In Italy, check the Registro delle Imprese; elsewhere, your national company register. In the US, search your state's business entity records and check whether you need a DBA ("doing business as") filing. The SBA notes that registering a DBA doesn't give legal protection by itself.

3. Domain

Apostrophes and accents disappear in web addresses, so "Osteria dell'Aia" becomes osteriadellaia and "Il Ragù della Domenica" becomes ilragudelladomenica. Check that the result still reads well and doesn't spell something you didn't intend.

4. Social handles

Search Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for the handle. If the exact name is taken, adding your city or "trattoria" is fine, as long as the handle stays easy to type.

5. Google Maps

Search the name in your city and the next towns over. Google's Business Profile guidelines say the name on your listing must match your real-world name as used on your storefront, without extra keywords. If you want "Trattoria" in the listing, it has to be part of the name on the sign.

6. Pronunciation

Ask people who don't speak Italian to read the name out loud. Words with gn, gl or sch (gnocchi, famiglia, bruschetta) can be hard for English speakers; sugo and cena are easy. Then ask an Italian speaker whether the name sounds natural.

7. The sign test

Look at the name from across the street, on a menu cover and as a 100-pixel avatar. Long names and thin script fonts fail all three.


How Menumigo fits

Once the name is chosen, the menu is where guests read it next.

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  • Menus can be translated by AI into 21 languages, so a trattoria can keep its dish names in Italian and publish the menu in English as well. Our menu translation guide covers which dish names to keep and how to check a translation.
  • Fresh egg pasta alone involves two of the 14 allergens, cereals containing gluten and eggs, and grated cheese adds milk. Each dish can carry its own tags.
  • Pro costs €19 a month or €180 a year. See pricing.
  • Menumigo is browse-only. It takes no orders or payments, so guests still order from your staff.

See how it works for an Italian restaurant or a trattoria, or create your menu free.

FAQ

What is a good name for an Italian restaurant?

A good Italian restaurant name is one to three words, easy to say and spell, correct in Italian, and tells guests what kind of place it is. It should also be free as a trademark, company name, domain and social handle where you trade. Examples from this list: Trattoria La Tavolata for a family trattoria, Sfoglia & Matterello for a fresh pasta room and Bacaro dei Sestieri for a Venetian-style wine bar.

How do I come up with a unique Italian restaurant name?

Write your concept in one line, list 20 to 30 words linked to it (pasta tools, sauces, your region, a family name, your street or square), and combine them with formulas such as "Da + first name", "venue + place word" or "number + object". Then search trademark registers, the company register, domains, handles and Google Maps to see whether anyone nearby already uses it.

What is the difference between a trattoria, an osteria and a ristorante?

Treccani describes a trattoria as a place serving full meals that is generally more modest than a ristorante, and an osteria as a modest, popular place that pours wine and often serves food. A ristorante is the general word for a restaurant. Choose the word that matches your room and prices, because guests read it as a promise.

Should an Italian restaurant name be in Italian?

It doesn't have to be. An Italian name suits a trattoria, osteria or regional kitchen, but it must be grammatically right and easy for your guests to say. Italian-American places often suit English names built from their own dishes, such as Sunday Gravy.

Can I use the name of an Italian cheese or ham in my restaurant's name?

Be careful. Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma are protected designations of origin in the EU, and the EU Court of Justice has ruled that such names are protected against use for services too, in a case about tapas bars. Keep protected names on the menu, and ask a trademark lawyer before you build a restaurant name on one.

What are some funny Italian restaurant names?

Pasta puns work best: Penne for Your Thoughts, Pesto Manifesto, Risotto Ever After, Gnocchi on Wood and Pasta Tense are on the list above. Puns are often reused and rarely translate, so check that nobody near you trades under the one you like, and consider an Italian name if many of your guests speak Italian.

How do I check if an Italian restaurant name is already taken?

Search the USPTO in the US, EUIPO and TMview in the EU, and your national trademark office (UIBM in Italy) for similar names in class 43, restaurant services. Then check your company register, domain availability, Instagram and TikTok handles, and Google Maps in your area.

Sources

  • Treccani, Vocabolario: trattoria. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/trattoria2/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: osteria. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/osteria/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: enoteca. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/enoteca/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: cantina. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/cantina/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: fiaschetteria. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/fiaschetteria/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: mescita. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/mescita/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: friggitoria. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/friggitoria/
  • Treccani, Sinonimi e Contrari: tavola (tavola calda). https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/tavola_(Sinonimi-e-Contrari)/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: tavolata. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/tavolata/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: desco. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/desco/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: aia. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/aia/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: sfoglia. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/sfoglia1/
  • Treccani, Neologismi: sfoglino. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/sfoglino_(Neologismi)/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: matterello. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/matterello/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: spianatoia. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/spianatoia/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: trafila. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/trafila/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: cicchetto. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/cicchetto/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: sestiere. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/sestiere/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: zagara. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/zagara/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: masseria. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/masseria/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: lampara. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/lampara/
  • Treccani, Vocabolario: peperone. https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/peperone/
  • Treccani, Enciclopedia: L'italiano nelle regioni (piola, "osteria", in Piedmont). https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/l-italiano-nelle-regioni_(L'Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni)/
  • Wikipedia, Cicchetti (bacari and cicchetti in Venice). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicchetti
  • Turismo Torino, Agnolotti del plin. https://turismotorino.org/en/visita/cosa-fare-e-vedere/enogastronomia/agnolotti-del-plin
  • Turismo Roma, La cucina tradizionale (quinto quarto). https://turismoroma.it/it/node/53739
  • The Saturday Evening Post, Sunday Gravy (2014). https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2014/04/sunday-gravy/
  • European Commission, eAmbrosia, the EU geographical indications register. https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/
  • Court of Justice of the European Union, press release on Case C-783/19 (Champanillo), 9 September 2021. https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2021-09/cp210154en.pdf
  • USPTO, Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure §1207.01(b)(vi), doctrine of foreign equivalents (October 2017 edition, via BitLaw). https://www.bitlaw.com/source/tmep/1207_01_b_vi.html
  • USPTO, Strong trademarks (generic and descriptive terms). https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/strong-trademarks
  • USPTO, trademark search. https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search
  • EUIPO, eSearch plus trade mark database. https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/
  • TMview, trade mark search across participating offices. https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/
  • UIBM, Italian trade mark database. https://www.uibm.gov.it/bancadati/
  • UK IPO, search for a trade mark. https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademark
  • Registro Imprese, Italian business register. https://www.registroimprese.it/
  • WIPO, Nice Classification, class 43. https://nclpub.wipo.int/enfr/?class_number=43&lang=en&menulang=en&mode=flat&explanatory_notes=show
  • WIPO, Nice Classification, class 30. https://nclpub.wipo.int/enfr/?class_number=30&lang=en&menulang=en&mode=flat&explanatory_notes=show
  • U.S. Small Business Administration, Choose your business name. https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/choose-your-business-name
  • Google Business Profile, guidelines for representing your business. https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177

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