“I’m A Food Journalist, And This Is The One Thing I Can’t Help But Judge A Restaurant For”
I’d like to say I don’t judge a book by its cover, but the reality is, I do! I am human, I have bias, and I have eyes. My whole life, its teachings and experiences have moulded me into a clay-formed person that inherently judges. Even my job is to judge. To judge restaurants and venues and service and to form my own opinions, sometimes misguided, I do admit, but opinions nonetheless.
There is an art to the naming of the restaurant; it takes wit, curiosity and humility. It takes research, intellect and discipline.
Mallory, Junior Food & Drink Editor
Judging a restaurant by its name
There is something that one has no way of not knowing before learning about a restaurant. Before walking in, before booking, before reading the website or the menu or the price point, one must know the name. Without the name, this information is unfindable (that is, unless you fell into it via the influencer’s nameless hook).
I must admit — of restaurant names, I am highly judgmental. Perhaps I am often surprised, but I cannot help my apprehension at cliches, at bores, at repetitions or of cringes. I will assume that I probably do not want to go to a restaurant that includes the following words: tango, &, grill, brunch, or a poorly translated version of some overdone southern Italian or French phrase.
While I am an overtly positive person, and I do pride myself on spending much of my energy on searching for the good in everywhere I go, for some reason, I have a really visceral reaction to names.
Similar to a person’s name or a dog’s name or even your backyard foxes’ name, it is always much more fun to have a story as to why.
Perhaps it is because the naming is the conception of a place; it is the bow that ties the package together. As it rolls off the tongue, my excessively visual mind should go to where the restaurant’s destination is. It shouldn’t be blank; it definitely shouldn’t go to a place of unwashed facades and moulding tiles.
The verdict
There is an art to the naming of the restaurant; it takes wit, curiosity and humility. It takes research, intellect and discipline. It also takes testing; in some cases, it takes a village.
Similar to a person’s name or a dog’s name or even your backyard foxes’ name, it is always much more fun to have a story as to why. Why did you choose to name her Meryl or Clementine or Brick? Who gave that to you? What inspired you? Why immortalise this label forever on a certificate, a tag or a building?
To go to a restaurant is to read a book from start to finish. The cover of the book, the facade, sometimes paints a picture of the plot, but the title tells you what kind of writing will be inside.
To go to a restaurant is to read a book from start to finish. The cover of the book, the facade, sometimes paints a picture of the plot, but the title tells you what kind of writing will be inside.
Some restaurants with great names
Impala
Impala, the new kid on the block and one of the most warmly and loudly received openings of 2026, was bequeathed its name after the cherry-red 1964 Chevrolet Impala that chef and co-owner Meedu Saad and his cousins had driven and shared in Egypt during their childhood.
The car and the name represent freedom; they represent exploration, curiosity, the blending of childhood and adulthood, of dreams and reality. The perfect homage to North Africa, as they cook with the influences of North Africa, the Middle East, and London.
Where: 13-14 Dean St, London W1D 3RS, United Kingdom
Website: www.impalasoho.com
Auguste
Auguste, another new player, is not your typical “August”. What’s that “e” on the end? This is no tribute to the sweltering summer month, but to a clown. The name is inspired by the melancholic figure in Edward Hopper’s painting Soir Bleu. “Auguste the clown represents a counterpart to refinement and traditional hierarchy”, they say. “Belonging to the crowd rather than standing above it.”
Read the full Auguste review.
Where: 1F Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3DQ, United Kingdom
Website: www.instagram.com
Tollington’s
Tollington’s is a Spanish Iberian spot in Finsbury Park. It had taken over from a former resident, a family-run fish and chip shop that had occupied the space for decades — the name of which was called Tollington’s.
The new owners, the team behind The Plimsoll, kept many of the original Tollington’s attributes: emerald green frontage and gold signage, vintage ceiling tiles, and deep fat fryers. By not renaming itself at all, Tollington’s has chosen to memorialise and commemorate a venue which represents London better than anything ever could.
Where: 172 Tollington Park, Finsbury Park, London N4 3AJ, United Kingdom
Website: www.instagram.com
Quo Vadis
Iconic London restaurant, which celebrated its 100th birthday just this year, Quo Vadis, simply translates to “Where are you going?” in Latin. While that’s good enough as it is for me, it is made better by the actual inspiration.
Before opening in the 20s, Peppino Leoni’s billboard in Leicester Square was advertising a popular film of the same name. “Quo vadis?”
100 years later, one fleeting moment, one brief exchange with modern culture, is immortalised forever.
Where: 26-29 Dean St, London W1D 3LL, United Kingdom
Website: www.quovadissoho.co.uk
Manteca
Manteca, the nose-to-tail restaurant in Shoreditch, means “pork fat” or “lard” in Spanish. There’s a ring to the word, there’s a meaning to it, and it is, after all, a Spanish spot. But it also embodies the ethos of the place. It pays respect to the fundamental ingredient in all of Manteca’s cooking, reminding us that fat is flavour.
It’s also a famous 1947 Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban jazz. Double whammy.
Where: 49-51 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT, United Kingdom
Website: www.mantecarestaurant.co.uk
