Restaurant Names

[TAPrice]

That's pretty funny. We see lots of Asian restaurants that make us giggle in English, but not as many places that have funny connotations in other languages. I can't think of other examples off hand, but I may not be worldly enough.

[Live It Up]

I remember seeing a Japanese restaurant in Englewood, NJ that was called Kuma. I don't know what, if anything, that means in Japanese, but it means vagina in Swahili. I always thought that one was pretty funny.

[tim]

Peter,

I can't wait to hear about the WC's. What will they be called?

Tim

[SheenaGreena]

ughhh, there is a restaurant that just opened up in boston called "Savant Project"

what does that even mean? stupid stupid stupid

hah, kuma. I just found a new fav word

[Mr. Delicious]

Latte Da (coffeehouse chain)

That's also the name of one of the better restaurants in Key West FL but they spell it as La Te Da.

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I thought that was a gay bar down there, my sisters and brother in laws where in there a couple years ago, didnt know they serve food.

[Mr. Delicious]

My favorites are the Cheba Hut sandwich chain, with sizes as nugs, pinners and blunts. Definately the coolest menu names. Another would be Souperman, I still cant get over how great that is.

My business is Mr. Delicious Cheesecake Cafe, quite clever (IMO) refering to my days as a dancer (just kidding).

From Trailer Park Boys the greatest TV show ever and the best thing to ever come out of Canada "The Dirty Burger"

Best ever- Pink Taco a mexican restaurant in the Hard Rock in vegas, I heard they tried to buy Charger stadium and the city said no.

[Pebs]

I don't know if he ever did it, but I worked with a chef who's last name was Forni. He wanted to open his own catering business. Forni Caters! He and I used to brainstorm about suggestive menu items he could offer.

[Megan Kathleen]

My buddy has a dog named Kuma.. he says it means "bear" in Japanese. I'll hasten to inform him of the.. other meaning.

A few favorites from Philly:

Way out on Lancaster Ave. going toward Overbrook, there was/is a restaurant called "Let's Wok Fried Chicken and Chinese Food." I think there was/is another on Girard Avenue toward the river. (Though I suspect these are all over, they make me laugh every time. Their fried chicken's pretty good, too.)

Henry claims to have passed by a certain "Kuk Il" Korean barbecue somewhere in North Philly. His slant: "If they get sick from their own food, there's no way I'm eating there."

There's a cafe called "Ants Pants" 'round here as well, which for me conjures up ancient memories of picnics gone awry, though the community is assured that it's Australian slang for "top notch"/"hip"/"cool."

Every time I bike by, I miss "Fat Daddy's," a short-lived spot in my neighborhood.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

I remember seeing a Japanese restaurant in Englewood, NJ that was called Kuma. I don't know what, if anything, that means in Japanese, but it means vagina in Swahili. I always thought that one was pretty funny.

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If I recall correctly, kuma = bear in Japanese.

Here's some oddly named restaurants in my area...

Digger's Diner (digging for what, I ask)

Peking Boy (hubby and I jokingly call it Peeking Boy as it's located next to an adult store)

I (heart) Teriyaki

Damo Sushi (in my family jokingly called Darn Ol' Sushi)

Wat Phou (What foo?)

Mexican Burritos (no, were we supposed to get Polish ones?)

Thai Osha (makes me think of Cal OSHA)

[miladyinsanity]

Not sure if this is really kitschy, but it made me laugh when I saw it. 

In an HDB foodcourt (hawker food stalls underneath the towering public housing complexes in Singapore), a vendor wanted to appeal to those who liked American fast food.  So, naturally, he took the name of two of the most popular eateries, and called his place:  McTucky (combo of McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken!). 

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I'm living in Manchester now, but while I've not been to that foodcourt, there's a McTucky's here too.

[MarketStEl]

Every time I bike by, I miss "Fat Daddy's," a short-lived spot in my neighborhood.

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I miss the Nifty Fifty's that once occupied that spot even more. It's now a Rita's Water Ice -- well, half of it is; some sort of takeout eatery is going in the other half of the space.

What was even more unfortunate was the logo Fat Daddies chose. The two "d's" in the middle of "Daddies" were capital letters rendered so they formed the bellies of two stick figures. The way the stick figures looked and were positioned in the logo, you could read the name as "Fat Dappies", and some (mockingly) did.

Another item from the "Typography Matters" file:

Across the street from me is an outpost of the Newark, Del.-based coffee house chain Brew Ha Ha! The company logo, since revised, featured a quasi-script typeface with the cross stroke of the capital H's curved slightly and extending beyond the vertical strokes, a bit further beyond them to the left than to the right.

This caused my partner to call the place "Brew Hatta" until I corrected him.

The new logo uses serif capitals. Nobody could make this mistake now.

--Sandy "see you at the Ak-a-me, perhaps?" Smith

[Ce'nedra]

Umm...heard this from my cousin and I would categorise it under 'worst'....

"Gaylord" in Hk (also heard it has other branches)

[SheenaGreena]

Umm...heard this from my cousin and I would categorise it under 'worst'....

"Gaylord" in Hk (also heard it has other branches) 

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gaylord was funny when I was younger, always used to make me snicker.....but I think that it's a popular last name. I think that there is a movie production company out there called gaylord

[chappie]

My favorites are the Cheba Hut sandwich chain, with sizes as nugs, pinners and blunts.  Definately the coolest menu names.

I'm sorry, but I just checked out their "cool" website and "cool" menu, and that whole concept belongs to the sleaziest, corniest, cheapest kind of kitschy marketing around. Duuuuuuuude, it's sandwiches are named after weeeeeeeed! How trippy! 420, bro!

Nugs, pinners and blunts. Hunh.

If I were baked and near one of these, I'd hide somewhere and laugh at the suckers actually falling for this garbage.

[Mr. Delicious]

My favorites are the Cheba Hut sandwich chain, with sizes as nugs, pinners and blunts.  Definately the coolest menu names.

I'm sorry, but I just checked out their "cool" website and "cool" menu, and that whole concept belongs to the sleaziest, corniest, cheapest kind of kitschy marketing around. Duuuuuuuude, it's sandwiches are named after weeeeeeeed! How trippy! 420, bro!

Nugs, pinners and blunts. Hunh.

If I were baked and near one of these, I'd hide somewhere and laugh at the suckers actually falling for this garbage.

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I havent eaten at one, supposedly its quite good, but you have to admit in a college town it would be quite a success, I wonder how the bank gave them financing?

[chile_peppa]

I drove past a place called "Bob's Swingin' Weenies" last night. I think it's a hot dog stand, but I'm not sure I want to stop and find out.

[Megan Kathleen]

Peking Boy (hubby and I jokingly call it Peeking Boy as it's located next to an adult store)

Ah, I am reminded of a certain storefront joint by the name of Peking Inn.

(Guess one can work up an appetite checkin' out the scantily-clad hipsters upstairs.)

Sandy, you are too funny. The Ack-uh-mee: perfect.

[NimaCooks]

In the northern suburbs of chicago there is this tiny Italian joint where the tables are all crammed in a small room and the called "Francesco's Hole in the Wall" & the place next door is aptly named "Next Door".

[Kim Shook]

Somewhere in NC or SC:

My favorite part is the "II"

Kim

[haresfur]

It was mentioned up thread but I have to add: In 1970, I was living for a year in London with my parents.

On several occasions I remember walking through the streets of Soho in the rain, looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's... and pretending not to know my father as he asked the bouncer at a strip club for directions.

So when I first hear Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London, recorded it in 1978, I just about died when the repressed memories resurfaced.

However, we were after the Peking Duck, not beef chow mein

(Can't believe this is my first post. Guess I'd better slink over to the Japan forum...)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolves_of_London

[Ce'nedra]

Umm...heard this from my cousin and I would categorise it under 'worst'....

"Gaylord" in Hk (also heard it has other branches) 

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gaylord was funny when I was younger, always used to make me snicker.....but I think that it's a popular last name. I think that there is a movie production company out there called gaylord

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A last name?! Imagine the poor kid during roll call?!

Oh and I also really hate all the typical Asian restaurant names with "No.1", "Crystal ________", "Good Luck", "Lucky", "Happy", "Yummy", "Best"...omg...

[Ondine]

If I recall correctly, there was a noodle house in Perth, Western Australia that has now shut.

It was named "Hung Long".

There were many sniggers.

[hannnah]

On several occasions I remember walking through the streets of Soho in the rain, looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's... and pretending not to know my father as he asked the bouncer at a strip club for directions.

[...]

However, we were after the Peking Duck, not beef chow mein  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolves_of_London

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Having eaten at Lee Ho Fook in Soho, I can confirm that they do not, in fact, have beef chow mein on their menu, which is kind of a shame.

[Luna Calvados]

"From Ketchup to Caviar," which was the name of a local restaurant in Lee, Massachusetts in the Berkshires, has to be one of the worst names I have ever heard. Although the restaurant has closed, the owners retained this horrible name for their catering service. I guess that the owners were trying to say that they could serve anything from the most casual (ketchup) to the most elegant (caviar), but I always thought that such a name indicated a complete lack of cooking skills because all you have to do to eat ketchup and caviar is open a bottle or tin!

[demiglace]

Just down the street from me is Un Pho get a bowl.