ristorante
/ris.toˈran.te/masculine
The Italian word for restaurant is ristorante.
A ristorante is an eating establishment where diners are served food. When dining, you may encounter terms for specific courses such as antipasti (appetizers), primi (first courses), secondi (second courses) and contorni (side dishes). If you need to specify your diet, you can say Sono vegetariano/a to mean "I am a vegetarian".
Meaning: an eating establishment in which diners are served food (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word ristorante comes from the verb ristorare, which means "to restore" or "to refresh".
How does it change in a sentence?
ristorante is a masculine noun, meaning it is used with masculine articles such as il or un. The plural form of the word is ristoranti.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has four syllables and is pronounced /ris.toˈran.te/. The stress is on the third syllable.
Did you know?
- The word ristorante implies a certain level of service where you expect to be seated, whereas a bar in Italy is a common place to eat a quick breakfast or snack standing up.
- In Italy, you might see the word trattoria or osteria instead of ristorante, which often implies a more casual, family-run atmosphere with simpler, traditional cooking.
- If you see a place called a pasticceria, it might look like a restaurant, but it is actually a shop specializing in pastries and often lacks a full dining menu.
Examples in context
- Non è un ristorante.That's not a restaurant.This sentence is useful for stating that a place is not a restaurant.Tatoeba #13996351 by Guybrush88, translation #12728044 by rul
- Il ristorante è vuoto.The restaurant is empty.This sentence is useful for describing a restaurant as empty.Tatoeba #3457588 by Guybrush88, translation #3442106 by Hybrid
- Io vado al ristorante.I'm going to the restaurant.This sentence is useful for saying you are going to the restaurant.Tatoeba #3496029 by Guybrush88, translation #1120766 by cntrational
- Buongiorno, potrebbe consigliarmi un buon ristorante in zona?Good morning, could you recommend a good restaurant in the area?
- Andiamo a mangiare alla trattoria del nonno stasera?Shall we go eat at Grandpa's trattoria tonight?
- In questa piccola osteria si mangia la migliore pasta alla carbonara della città.In this small osteria, you can have the best pasta alla carbonara in town.
- Mi può consigliare un piatto tipico della regione?Can you recommend a typical regional dish?
- 893 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Giulia are deciding where to eat dinner.
- AlessandroGiulia, andiamo in un ristorante stasera?Giulia, shall we go to a restaurant tonight?
- GiuliaSì, mi piacerebbe molto.Yes, I would really like that.
- AlessandroHai un ristorante preferito?Do you have a favorite restaurant?
- GiuliaConosco un ristorante italiano delizioso.I know a delicious Italian restaurant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “restaurant” translations and entries ristorante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
