Chefs and founders share the naming inspiration behind their award-winning venues.
A restaurant's name is a powerful beast, conjuring up a whole host of associations and expectations. It can whet our appetites, stir our curiosity and spawn countless imitations, or capture a culinary zeitgeist, all in a few syllables. Hopelessly glamourous, nonchalantly cool, poetic or squarely pragmatic: the greatest names, though wildly different, somehow feel just right. Chefs and founders behind some of the community's most iconic addresses share the stories behind their chosen monikers.
Arpège, Paris
@alainpassard
"My father was a musician, and music has always been part of my world. I play the saxophone, drums and piano, and through each of these instruments, one word keeps coming back: arpeggio, a sequence of notes played one after another. It's an image that fits my cooking – each recipe is a succession of flavours and aromas, creating harmony step by step. The name is both a tribute to my family and a word I find luminous, poetic, almost symphonic."
Alain Passard, chef-owner
Manteca, London
@manteca_london
"The idea for the restaurant existed long before it had a name. Then one day I heard the word 'manteca', which is also the name of a Dizzy Gillespie track. My father-in-law is Mexican, and I'd heard the word thrown around in conversation at the dinner table. When I found out it meant pork fat, it all just clicked; I'd been planning to make salumi and cured meats part of our offering. It had weight, soul, and a bit of swagger, and when I went back and listened to the Dizzy Gillespie track, it's got this wild, joyful rhythm that felt like the kind of food and atmosphere I wanted to create."
Chris Leach, chef and co-founder
Niño Gordo, Buenos Aires
@xniniogordox
Co-founders Germán Sitz (left) and Pedro Pena (right) .jpg)
"The name came from a trip my business partner Pedro took to Asia. When he came back, he was really inspired by everything he had seen and tasted, and we started working on an idea that fused Asian cuisine with Argentine meat. During one discussion, Pedro mentioned some Chinese propaganda images he'd seen in a book: these chubby, happy kids that were a symbol of abundance. That's when the phrase 'Niño Gordo' came up [which means 'fat child'], and it just felt perfect: bold, fun and visually powerful. The reactions were great: people connected with it right away. It's a name that sticks with you, and that's part of the experience too."
Germán Sitz, chef and co-owner
The Clumsies, Athens
@ the_clumsies
"The two bartenders behind The Clumsies, Vasilis and Nikos, used to work together at the same bar, but one was left-handed and the other right, so they struggled to work without breaking things, throwing shakers on the floor or making a mess behind the bar. As a result, they were nicknamed "the clumsy guys". Being clumsy in their lives wasn't enough, and to take it one step further they decided to name their bar after their clumsiness. But they did it in a more clumsy way. Clumsies as a word doesn't exist; it's a clumsy pronunciation of the word clumsy. There you have it! A story you couldn't invent."
Nick Sourmpatis, bar manager
Odette, Singapore
@odetterestaurant
Chef-owner Julien Royer (Image: Odette)
"Odette was the name of my grandmother, who was a fantastic cook. When I was young, I loved spending time with her in the kitchen, helping as she prepared our family's meals. The restaurant is a tribute to her and her philosophy; she showed me how much love and joy food could bring to others and taught me that the most remarkable dishes can come from the simplest ingredients. For me, a restaurant's name must carry meaning – it's a reminder of your purpose every day."
Julien Royer, chef-owner of Odette
St. John, London
@st.john.restaurant
Co-founder Trevor Gulliver
"Names can be dangerous things, so they should be quite straightforward. The restaurant is called St John because it is on St John Street. It was as simple as that. It told people where it was but didn't say what it was – which was good, because we were younger then, and still developing what we wanted to do. Can a restaurant's name be make or break? Absolutely not! The name almost disappears as a restaurant becomes itself; the name becomes the thing that the restaurant is."
Trevor Gulliver, co-founder
Quintonil, Mexico City
@rest_quintonil
Co-founders chef Jorge Vallejo (right) and manager Alejandra Flores (left) (Image: J Park Studio)
"Choosing a name was a real challenge, almost like naming a child, and we went through several lists of names until we arrived atthis one. We wanted to capture everything the restaurant stands for: celebrating Mexican cuisine and gastronomy, honouring its history, and at the same time opening new possibilities. Quintonil is a quelite – a wild, edible herb from Mexico, which grows in abundance. It is delicious but accessible, and profoundly democratic: it's enjoyed both in the countryside and in the city, on its own in a taco or as part of stews. Phonetically we also found it very pleasant, to say and to hear."
Alejandra Flores, co-founder
Saint Peter, Sydney
@saintpeterpaddo
Chef and co-owner Josh Niland (Image: Christopher Pearce)
"In the weeks leading up to signing the lease on the restaurant site, Julie [Niland, co-owner] and I came together at the end of the day and I remember saying to her, 'I've got the name.' Before I even told her what it was, she said, 'So do I! Saint Peter, because he was the patron saint of fishermen.' I couldn't believe it: we'd come up with the exact same name. Saint Peter is particularly associated with John Dory, also known as the Saint Pierre fish, and its black marking is said to be his thumbprint. That then became our logo. I don't believe that success or failure is down to a catchy name, but I do think you need to dig into an underlying meaning or intention when you're choosing a name and not just go with what sounds great."
Josh Niland, chef and co-owner
Cat Bite Club, Singapore
@catbiteclub
Co-founder Jesse Vida (Image: Son Pham)
"The name comes from the vibe, and the feeling we want our guests to have. Imagine a cat being playful, a little bit naughty and mischievous. The 'club' part represents that particular moment in time, spent with like-minded drinkers in a hidden-away neighbourhood bar. For that evening, you're in the club."
Jesse Vida, co-founder
Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris
@bruno_verjus
"I chose the name because it was so simple and so fitting. When we say 'À table!', we're inviting everyone to share and join in. That's exactly what my restaurant offers, with one long table that snakes through the space with no interruptions or separations. There are no boundaries between guests, and no borders between the kitchen and the dining space. Cooks, guests... We all sit at the same table for the evening. Table isn't just a name, it's a philosophy. To eat is to meet. To meet is to share. And sharing is where it all begins."
Bruno Verjus, chef-owner
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