"Great" Restaurant Names

[Bob W]

One my brothers and I fondly remember from back in the day on Broad St. (IIRC) in Providence:

U Wanna Pizza and Sandwiches

[Cheese Boy]

Emanon.

No name spelled backwards.

[JayVaBeach]

Y-NOT Pizza

The owner, Tony spelled his name backwards to create "Ynot Pizza" - Virginia Beach Mom&Pop style pizza (& Italian Cuisine too) since 1993!

[WendyBinCT]

A terrific Mexican place here in New Canaan, CT is named Tequila Mockingbird!

And a take-out food shop in town, which serves up soups, salads, sandwiches and two or three hot entrées with sides daily, is named I Made It Myself, so when the dinner is served up at home, and appreciative family members ask, "Gosh, where did you get this awesome meatloaf?" the host or hostess can reply honestly...

[strephking]

it's not a restaurant, but there is a bar where i went to college called "He's Not Here".

[dalaimama]

If it's the one in Myrtle Beach, I remember it.

Sort of.

[richopp]

That's Kitzmiller's place in Chapel Hill. We were very good friends for many years, and it was a great place from day one.

[SweetPea914]

Ahh I remember that place fondly, I also always thought that was a great restaurant name!

[Cheflambo]

Hi Wendy - I grew up in New Canaan, but there were no creative restaurant names when I lived there. Even our beloved Deli-Bake is gone, Ive heard. I like the notion of a bar called "He's Not Here". It reminds me of one that was in Norwalk called "The Office" (as in "Im working late at The Office" or "Im meeting someone at The Office" etc.

Now I live in Houston and would get a laugh when I passed the Chinese restaurant on the Gulf Freeway named "Yummy Chow"

[Tay]

Someone just sent me a menu from a place downtown Houston called
"Wok and Roll"..Tooooo funny!

[Bunnyfood]

We have a Wok and Roll in Portland, ME too...Everytime I say the name, I feel like I am Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles...

[Sal Vanilla]

During college I frequented a bar called "The Library".

[JayVaBeach]

We had the Judges Chambers at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

[forevercali5]

i used to go to ''The Library'' bar in downtown fort worth, always a fun time!!

[alkapal]

there was (is?) a "bar association" bar in downtown fort myers, florida.

[cycloneillini]

Wow! That's a flashback. I had forgotten all about The Library near Iowa State's campus. I think it may have closed after my frosh or soph year. Either that or there was some reason I just didn't go there. Maybe the beer was more than 25 cents.

[nomadchowwoman]

Must have been lots of college bars named "The Library," as I too frequented one back in the day.

[betsydiver]

never been there but saw the sign: ?Fill your belly deli in Bergen County, nj

[Frosty Melon]

I Made It Myself -- that's my favorite.

[Sam Fujisaka]

In the late 50s-early 60s there was a place in Morro Bay (or Cayucos?), California, named or sub-named something like, "Chat and Chew the Terrible Food". Our parents, brother, and I ate there--don't know if for the food or the name.

Later in the early 70s my fist wife and I (and any others) would make an I-5 stop somewhere between Fresno and Eugene at (as the lighted sign visible from the freeway said) "Andy and Chong's American and Korean Restaurant".

[victoriafoodie]

There's a pizza place in Victoria called The Thin Edge of the Wedge.

[roma_girl]

There's a pho restaurant near Seattle called "What the Pho." I'd be willing to bet it's not the only one...

[MeAndroo]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abulafia...

Not sure if it's photoshopped, but funny regardless.

[susancinsf]

and one in the Monterey, CA area called Pho King....

[Cheese Boy]

Many don't know the pronunciation thing going on here (pho), but the name mentioned above sounds similar to the way one would say Sofa King. Try saying the following, "It's Sofa King good". Thank you SNL. : )

[John Manzo]

We had Pho Kim in Calgary, closed sadly,but still fun to say- "He won't eat at Pho Kim? Well F... him!"

[missmodular818]

There's one here in LA called "Absolutely Pho-bulous" ha h

[avena]

There used to be one in Monterey Park, CA on the corner of Garvey Ave. and Atlantic Blvd. called Pho Kym.

[soypower]

There's a great thai place in seattle called Phuket...I realize that it's pronounced (poo-ket) after the city, but, F___ it, who cares? :o)

[Antilope]

There was a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown San Jose, CA called Phuc Duc.

[hannaone]

Next to 99 Ranch on North Aurora there is a place called "Pho to Chau"
Wonder if they like food bloggers?

[nkeane]

My friends and I always try to come up with great Pho shop names when we are out eating Pho. So far the best ones include a sports themed shop called "Pho Tha Nguyen" , also a soccer specific one named "Pho Tha Ty".

[soupkitten]

how about iPho in st. paul?

[ElsieDee]

A diner/sandwich/greasy grill place in the Gold country of California: Buffalo Chips.

[spinach]

there used to be a little place in greenwich village called "warm beer & lousy food".

[bubbles4me]

There was a place in Beaver Utah called The Garden of Eat'n....cracked me up

[sailormouth]

Big bill board outside of Beaver Utah: WENDYS BEAVER

[dinner belle]

Makes me think of Beaver Liquors in Avon, CO.

[excuse me miss]

there was a bar in halifax called "my apartment"

[mordacity]

There's a bar in College Station, home of Texas A&M, called The Library. Very useful when telling parents where you spend your time.

[revsharkie]

Lots of college towns have a bar called that. The one up the street from Drake in Des Moines takes it a step further: It's called "The College Library."

[Jeters]

Santa Barbara has both a 'The Library" and "The Study Hall"

[southernitalian]

There used to be a dive in lower Manhattan that had a neon sign out front the said, "BAR" but the neon didn't work on the top of the "B" so it was called the Ear Bar.

[Jennalynn]

God I haven't thought of the Ear bar in ages!

[harryharry]

Wan't it called the Ear Inn?

[cackalackie]

There used to be a place in Nashville - and might still be there - called:

Noshville

Always loved that name.............

[broncosaurus]

I was always partial to the "Know Good" restaurant, a tiny shack that wasn't good enough apparently, having closed years ago.

[Lightsuprooms]

It's still there.. it's the closest place to Louisville, KY to get H&H bagels

[Gio]

I always thought Fudruckers was a rather strange name for a restaurant. There used to be a place in Boston's Chinatown called, O Wat Joi.

[Megiac]

As as child, I used to call Fudruckers "Fucklebusters" because I could not remember the correct name.

[thegingerbreadgirl]

My brother and I used to call it Ruddfu... well you can figure out the rest, just to annoy our parents. There's one near my office now and I laugh every time I walk by.

[KaimukiMan]

Wasn't that the whole point of the name in the first place?

Your parents were more tolerant than mine if you got away with saying that more than once.

[alana5809]

When my Grandmomma wasn't in the car i called it SPUDF***ERS
that is just how it caught my eye... Still funny when I see them.

[nkeane]

hmm, we must have been much more profane children, cause it was always RudeFuc.....oh, nevermind.

[revsharkie]

Chinese places in Portland: Lung Fung, Fong Chong, and Hung Far Low.

[Leonardo]

Hung Far Low means Lotus Blossom. Old school late night greasy spoon, an old favorite from my college days.

[revsharkie]

I'm glad to know it means something so nice. It doesn't sound so good in English.

[duckduck]

Miso happy, hung far low. Always made a friend of mine laugh.

[avena]

My mom accidentally transposed the letters "d" and "ck". She turned red and covered her mouth!

[WNYamateur]

There's a small local chain in Buffalo with the odd combination of chicken wings (of course) and Chinese take-out, called "Ying's Wings & Things".

There's also a small neighborhood Chinese restaurant in Syracuse call Rong Cheng. I was always afraid to pay in cash.

[Bob W]

Apparently still alive and well in Gainesville FL is the very non-PC Chinee Takee Outee.

[Lightsuprooms]

theres one of those in New Albany, IN too

[redjen]

Cincinnati has Porkopolis. The specialty is pork. Who would have known?

[Cheflambo]

In the earliest part of its exitance, Cincinnati was known as Porkopolis. No surprise they've named a restaurant there.

[Melusina54]

Pho Shizzle! Not sure where it is...found it when doing an online search for Pho.

[Candy]

In Plattsburgh, NY there was a drive in called "Toot and Tell'm" I'm not sure if it is still going.

[NewSushiFiend]

Minneapolis: U Otter Stop Inn

[ishmael]

Ther was place in Dallas---I think-- that was called "Nacho Mamas". Cracked me up

[Lucia]

That's pretty common. There's been a Nacho Mamas in Richmond, VA and NYC as well.

[CrazyOne]

And just Joe Mama's in Pittsburgh. http://www.joemamas.com/

Drive by it every day now.

[Frosty Melon]

On a similar thread awhile back someone wrote of a Mexican place called Aunt Chilada's.

[amethiste]

There is a Nacho Mama's in Baltimore as well. The sister seafood restaurant is Mama's on the Half Shell.

Another bar in B-more is named 'No Idea'. Just in case someone asks where you were last night I guess.

[Bob W]

Do you remember the great Bawlmer bar No Fish Today? The logo was a fish skeleton. Great place, until it burned to the ground.

[amethiste]

I think that pre-dates me. Isn't there a restaurant called Thai One On in Towson?

[Leonardo]

Thais love puns: Beau Thai, Thai Pod, Thaiphoon...

[LeslieB]

I could swear I once passed a place called Thai Me Up. Maybe in LA?

[Frosty Melon]

There used to be a Thai Me Up in Chicago too.

[Cat Chow]

There is a Bow Thai in San Mateo

[janethepain]

Haha yeah there is. We always used to laugh at the Rusty Scupper too, though there's nothing all that funny about it.

[Bob W]

Back in the 70s the Rusty Scupper in Providence was a major meat market and was known as the Lusty Scupper and probably a lot of other things I was too young to be privy to. Off the top of my head I'd guess that "the Lusty Shtupper" was one of them. 8>P

[adamshoe]

When I worked @ the Oakland, CA unit, we called it the "Crusty Rubber"!
adam

[Sra. Swanky]

That's my fav Baltimore place - and one of the best names ever! I remember a bar in Indiana - right near Indiana U called "The Library" - just in case you were a student and your parents asked you where you've been spending your free time!!

[Caitlin McGrath]

There's a bar in Manhattan named No Idea, too.

[thinks too much]

There's one in Park City, UT too

[starbucksbrew]

There is a place in Park City called Nacho Mamas too. I love it. Next door to it is the Blind Dog, a sushi place.

[ow77]

http://www.chewfood.com/2007/08/24/fo...

[Sam Fujisaka]

(Re-run) I still get a sophomoric laugh remembering the Black Angus Steakhouse located where one drove into Eugene, Oregon, from Springfield or I-5: someone was always breaking the letter "g" in the big, individually lettered sign.

[SweetPhyl]

Here on the Outer Banks of NC we've got Dirty Dick's Crab House and Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar...both sell as many t-shirts as they do food. I kinda like the name of Sooey's BBQ as well, though I'm not so hip on the food.

[lynnlato]

There used to be a place in Harrisburg called "All My Chicken" and it was a roadside take-out chicken joint. I also recall in Ocean City MD a place called Big Pecker's Bar & Grill and another place called The Brass Balls Saloon.

[chipman]

How can you go wrong with 'Good Fricken Chicken' in San Francisco?

[Cheese Boy]

Nice! Got a smile out of me. : )

[Dedicated Fresser]

There is a Nachomama's in suburban St. Louis, too.

A good name for a Southern soul food and seafood restaurant in Plainfield, NJ is Freshwater's. Turns out the chef's last name is Freshwater. I always thought it was the perfect name.

A bit of topic, but a great restaurant sign is in Brattleboro, Vt. A steakhouse with a towering sign reading "STEAK" closed and became a Chinese restaurant. This restaurant, called Panda North, removed two of the letters and the sign now proclaims "TEA." (visible from Interstate 91)

Great food at all three places, by the way.

[mcel215]

My youngest son's favorite college bar was "The Tin Can"!

[sonia darrow]

My grandpa used to take us there! I always wondered what was up with the TEA sign.

[PickyChicky]

Here in Greenville we have ThaiCoon That one always cracks me up

[steve h.]

stuff yer face in new brunswick, n.j. gets my vote. mario batali worked there between classes at rutgers.

here's a link:
http://www.stuffyerface.com/

[pfarrell]

Mexico Next To Texaco
7th Ave S (I think) NYC

[foodhuntress]

There used to be a casual chinese place in Torrance, CA called Leave Me Alone.

[Chuckles the Clone]

Al the Wop, an Italian place in the otherwise completely Chinese Locke, California.
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/photoes...

[ricepad]

Al's Place ("Al the Wop's") is not Italian. Steaks, burgers, a token chicken dish...that's about it. Plus peanut butter in jars on the tables. Great dive!

[Chuckles the Clone]

Don't forget the steak and spaghetti special. That's what keeps it "Italian". Yeah, I should have put "Italian" in scare-quotes ... :)

[ricepad]

...and what else is it, apricot jam on the tables, too? I think I'm overdue for another trip to Al's...

[steve h.]

monkey farm works for me.
very uh, interesting road house along the sou'west shore of connecticut.
food is surprisingly good.

[CrazyOne]

Bar, I assume quite the dive (looks like it was once a house if I recall), in Washington, PA, not sure if still there: The Liquid Diet Inn. (I think it said Inn at the end, but not 100% sure on that bit.)

[sailormouth]

In Durham, New Hampshire, there is (was?) an ice cream and coffee shop called "The Licker Store."

[Eat_Nopal]

Nothing hillarious but some amusing ones....

> Alibi Room (Trailer Park bar in West L.A.)
> Dick's Last Resort (San Diego bar)
> O.K. Chinese Food (Monterey Park)
> C.O. JONES (wannabe Mexican place in the East Coast)
> Pink Taco (wannabe Mexican joint in Arizona)
> Vitaminas para Hombres (Mariscos truck in L.A.)
> La Venganza del Emperador Moctezuma (Tijuana taco stand)

[Daniel]

One of my favorites which I spotted somewhere in VT in 1991 was the Squat and Gobble. I believe there may be more than one in the Northeast.

[Andy Jacob]

Out of Grants Pass Oregon there was a restaurant called the Boarding House Reach

At UC Davis the Student Counseling center was called the First Resort and the on-campus pub, where I worked, the Last Resort.

Coffee shop in Berkeley - Sufficient Grounds

Bar in SF The White Swallow.

[ricepad]

Is the Last Resort still open? I had heard rumors that the campus had gone dry, which would be a damn shame.

[Andy Jacob]

I would not be surprised. The stories I could tell...

Dry is relative. One only needs to take a viticulture and enology course to sample the research wines. I had the good fortune to have a tasting tour about 4 years ago there and we tasted 5 decades of Cabernet '60 to '00.

[thirtyeyes]

Ah yes, nachos and pitchers at the pub. They remodeled the Memorial Union in the early nineties and ruined the whole thing. It was done about the same time the old Coffee House was transformed. I understand there is no longer a Pub on campus.

[tobycat]

Another bar is SF...The End Up

[Frosty Melon]

I wouldn't call the End Up a bar...more of a late night dance club where most patrons drink water since booze can't be served past 2 am.

[natalie.warner]

In Seattle close to the University of Washington there is a restaurant named- "Jack's Tapas Cafe, Mainly Chinese"- pretty funny! They don't even really have small plates :)

[LabRat]

There was a bar in Lexington KY near the UK campus called "The Bearded Clam" back in the 80's/early 90's. They got shut down because the coke they were selling wasn't the kind you drink. I always wondered at the time how they could afford their 25 cent draft beer thursdays.....

[Clarkafella]

After the sun sets in the Mississippi Delta, could there be a more thrilling place to go than "Jake's Shake by the Lake" outside of Yazoo City? I never made it there, and I think that it has closed now, but what a fun name!

[WCchopper]

Well, there's a bar near here called "the Office"...."honey, I've got to stay late at the 'Office' ".....

[ricepad]

Back in the late 70s, there was a pizza place in San Diego called "Sleazello's". Their logo was a caricature-style overweight chef in a dirty t-shirt and a 5 o'clock shadow, swatting at flies with a butcher knife. Truly awful pizza.

[vvvindaloo]

There used to be a restaurant off the West Side Highway in Manhattan called Pasquale and Wong's. Yes, they served Italian and Chinese food. One current cleverly named spot: A Salt and Battery, the popular Brit takeout place for fish n chips (and deep fried Mars bars!).

[taryn]

Must have been 5 years ago, but I read about A Salt and Battery in a magazine, and I had to go. The name still cracks me up, and yes, I ate a fried mars bar!

[danhole]

There used to be a restaurant in Houston named either "Richard's Head" or "Dick's Head" and their logo, at a glance, was a caricature of a man's face, but if you looked closely it was, ah, much more obscene. Just picture a long nose with jowls for cheeks. It was a favorite hangout for waiters.

[cor]

Gulf Shores, AL: A Wok on the Beach

[whs]

There used to be a shack on an island off the coast of Pattaya, Thailand that had a sign that advertised "Food & Dope". Here in NH, the Roadkill Cafe recently went out of business. I've always wanted to open a restaurant called "Chix, Flix and Lix" that served fried chicken, rented movies and sold ice cream cones. The sign would read downwards so you'd get the XXX effect.

[Chuckles the Clone]

The Road Kill Cafe in Sturgis, SD is probably the most well-known, but there are a lot of (unrelated) others:
http://www.road-kill-cafe.com/address...

[Vexorg]

Earlier this year when I went on a Route 66 trip down in Arizona I saw the one in Seligman, although the presence of a more prominent food landmark (the Snow Cap) meant that I didn't get a chance to try it.

[janeer]

"The No Name" in Boston. There was no sign. That's what everyone called it. That was its name.
www.littlecomptonmornings.blogspot.com

[marthayou]

Actually the No Name has a sign. two of them, one inthe parking lot and one on the window. ...Lucky's 2 blocks away has no sign.
that always bothered me. no name should have no sign.

[bronwen]

Also a no name bar in Sausalito. There was a Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans and I liked the name Just Desserts for a dessert place in San Francisco. Locals call the Washington Square Bar and Grill in S.F. the Washbag ....

[ricepad]

Wasn't the "Washbag" moniker the invention of Herb Caen (RIP)? Or did he just popularize it?

[LARaven]

There was a tiny hole in the wall breakfast place in Downey called Chillikellys (sp) that I guess specialized in Chilaquiles, I never been there but thought the name was cute.

[phoebek]

And there used to be a little take-out sandwich place in Boston that was accessible only from a window that overlooked an alley - named The Hole in the Wall. Haven't been there for a couple of decades, so I don't know if it's still there.

[PDeveaux]

There's an ice-cream place in Daytona Beach Shores called Cow Licks. And a drive-in hot dog place in Lake City called the Dog 'n Suds. (Suds is root beer).

[alkapal]

there was a dog 'n suds in fort myers, too.

[Vladimir Estragon]

There's a Chinese place on Long Island called "Fu's Rush Inn."

[mercyteapot]

When I was growing up, in that bastion of culinary greatness, Johnstown, PA, there was a vegetarian restaurant called Lettuce Eat.

Here in San Diego, there used to be a Vietnamese restaurant called Chiu Ahn (Chew On). I never did find out if that was meant to be a play on words or just a very odd coincidence.

[Tay]

A couple of years ago I drove past an Indian fast food place in NYC that was called "Curry in a Hurry"...I laughed so hard I almost ran into a bunch of pedestrians!

[Tay]

We also have Aesop's Tables." And used to have a great place called "Once upon a Stove" Who says we don't have a sense of humor?

[whs]

Is "Blazing Salads" still in existence?

[Bob W]

There was also an Aesop's Tables in Wellfleet MA for many years. My cousin was a server there for a long time.

[janethepain]

Haha I know where that is. Across the street from my office is "Hurry & Tasty Curry"

[JamieK]

In Toronto, there's a Chinese restaurant in the east in the Beaches area with the official name of Garden Gate. For years, it had a huge neon sign out front that said Garden Gate, Good Food, but both "ds" in Good Food burnt out like maybe 30 years ago and was never replaced. It looked like Goof. Now the restaurant is popularly known by all and sundry, even beyond the Beaches, as The Goof.

Here's a photo of the old neon sign of The Goof -
http://www.doublecrossed.ca/index.php...

[sfbecky]

In SF, there was a burger place in the (gay) Castro called Hot and Hunky. It went out of business, and the clueless new owners didn't want to spend too much on signage, so they renamed it Hot and Chunky. Uck!

[mercyteapot]

Right down the street from my house is a pizza place called Bestawan.

I think Aesop's Table is/was a chain. There used to be one near here.

[Chuckles the Clone]

Harvard Square: Used to be a chinese restaurant named Ta Chien.
French people tended to stay away.

[LabRat]

There is a really good mexican restaurant outside Chicago named "Wholly Frijoles".

[jcormie1]

Correction, the Dive Bar in Worcester, MA is an awesome place... Alec has beers you've only dreamt about. He's really done a lot with the place, GO THERE and you will ask yourself why you haven't gone there sooner. Ps. he's also got some "boutique" type liquors some of the craft breweries are now producing.

[invinotheresverde]

We've got the Dive Bar in Worcester, MA. It's a hole.

[Cheese Boy]

In Port Chester, NY there was a greasy spoon establishment called "Pat's Hubba Hubba"
that was owned and operated by a very nice elderly couple. They had chili, fries, burgers, dogs, that kind of fare. It was especially great at 2am after a night out of drinking.

I had this hazing routine I'd do to unsuspecting new hires at work. When they would step away from their desk, I'd leave a note stating that a Pat Hubbard called, and to call him or her back at .... and I'd leave the number of Pat's Hubba Hubba. What a hoot to watch the expressions on the newbies faces when the person at the other end of the line says ' There's nobody here by that name, this is Pat's Hubba Hubba.' ... I'm laughing to myself as I type this. Hilarious !!!
I was much younger then -- you'll have to excuse my behavior. : )

[thegingerbreadgirl]

I miss Hubba water!

My favorite Pat's Hubba Hubba story is from my brother - he was there late in the evening when a fight broke out. The guy working the grill picked up the phone, pressed speed dial and said - "it's Pats," then hung up. The cops pulled up one minute later. Another typical PC night!

[hrhboo]

Not a restaurant, but the Moo And Oink Butcher is worthy of mention.

[gourmethunter]

There's a liquor store here in Calgary called: Liquor Box.... naughty naughty naughty lol.

[danhole]

How about a liquor store named U P Liquor!

[CrazyOne]

The classic one for liquor stores is of course Bunghole Liquors in Mass:

http://www.bungholeliquors.com/histor...

Pictures of that all over the web.

[alkapal]

"Squat and Gobble" -- name on billboard for restaurant (ahem!) off I-95 in S. Georgia. Had painting of gleeful tourist woman running toward a (presumably bathroom) door! NOT KIDDING!

I just now saw the post about an S&G in VT. what a concept!

[atheorist]

Hoosick Falls NY has a bar called "Third Base (last stop before home)"

[kireland]

In Toronto it is "Reliable Fish & Chips". After all isn't that what you want in your fried fish - reliability?

[steve h.]

"tasty" somewhere in the front of the name would give me more confidence.

[mercyteapot]

There's a seafood chain in Boston and DC called Legal Seafood. I've had the same thought about them. Unless I'm eating abalone or some other endangered species, I don't give a thought to legality. I wonder how it got its name.

[Jill Brazil]

George Berkowitz's father Harry owned a store called "Legal Cash Market" in Inman Square. The "Legal" referred to the Legal Green Stamps that they gave out. These stamps were forerunners to S & H Green Stamps -- but made by the same company. George opened a fish market next door to the "Legal Cash Market" and then a seafood restaurant -- called "Legal Seafood."
You can watch a little historic slide show on their website:
http://www.legalseafoods.com/index.cf...##

[Cheese Boy]

Just remembered another one > ... ... Wok Around the Clock

[Eddie Nickell]

funky monkey wine company in orlando florida
its a wine bar and cafe

[mercyteapot]

There was a restaurant in my town for a while called "Conigy Dough Products". An A for truth in advertising (they sold pizza and baked goods of all sorts) but it wasn't exactly the catchiest name ever.

[JamieK]

Not a restaurant, but I've always been amused by the name of this Italian bakery in Toronto called North Pole Bakery.

[Eat_Nopal]

What is the inside joke? *confused*

[alkapal]

Eat Nopal, maybe it was the "Pole" instead of the "Italian"? As in Polish nationality.

[JamieK]

sorry, I guess I'm just way too easily amused. No inside joke. And the place is most assuredly Italian, old-school Italian. I just like the idea of a hot hot bakery in contrast to the cold cold North Pole.

[easily amused]

There's a Chinese place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada called

"Hu's on First"

It is located overlooking a Baseball Stadium

[JayVaBeach]

Tony (of Virginia Beach) decided to spell his name backwards in '93 when he started his local pizza chain.....Y-NOT Pizza!

[ekdd]

in nyc--- there was a good downtown restaurant on varick street ,nosmo king, closed about 10 yrs ago (i think) , before smoking was banned altogether

[JayVaBeach]

Dog-N-Burger

It's a simple Hamburger Joint (& Dogs too - imagine that) in Norfolk, VA

Ghent Location - a Jerry Meltsner Restaurant

[Ilovebuffetsxo]

Sad to say but the Black Angus Steakhouse in Eugene is no more.

[Sam Fujisaka]

That ugly little flat-topped grey building off the entrance to I-5 where people kept breaking the "g" in the sign is no longer there? I guess thngs can change in the 35 years since I arrived there to go to grad school.

[SauceSupreme]

I kinda like Grateful Bread.

http://www.gratefulbreadbaking.com/

There's also a grocery store called Erewhon, which was supposed to be Nowhere spelled backwards.

[MSK]

In the Grateful Dead's home town in Marin County, CA there used to be a bakery called Grainful Bread.

Award wining edible art! It was completely organic and wonderful!

Just like Jerry, it is missed!

[thew]

like the grateful bed and breakfast in PR

and of course we baked grapefruit bread

[avena]

Its not a restaurant, but the British supermarket import opening up around town called "FRESH & EASY" made my mom and I snicker. Lets hope the ladies that work there won't have to wear tight shirts with the name across the chest.

[danhole]

How about "A Moveable Feast"? It's a health food place in town, but it is a little disgusting to me, I mean, after all, isn't all food that? LOL!

[smartie]

Easter is a Moveable Feast (not the same date in the calendar every year) and if I am correct it is where the term comes from!

[danhole]

Well you are a smartie! I did not know that although I do observe, Ash Wednesday, and Lent, and others around Easter. But this place is named after the Ernest Hemingway Memoirs!

[steakman55]

On the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, whose colors are orange and blue, is a little breakfast/coffee shop called the Orange and Brew. In Tallahassee, a church coffee house is called Holy Grounds (but I suppose if it were a synagogue, it could be called HeBrews.)

[SauceSupreme]

There's a coffee shop in Santa Monica that also doubles as a notary called Legal Grind. And my nearby coffeeshop is called Groundwork.

[sistinas]

Pu Pu Hot Pot - Cambridge, MA
Wok Inn - Kanab, UT

[ambrose]

I don't know if it should be called "great" but one of my all time favorite restaurant names is the Irregardless Cafe, which is in Raleigh, NC.

Here in New Jersey we have The Frog and The Peach in New Brunswick and Lo-Fatt-Chow in Flemington. The former offers fine dining; the latter doesn't!

[ricepad]

"The Frog and Peach" is also a routine by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore from the 60s.

[ambrose]

Yes, and that's where the restaurant in New Brunswick (and several others in the US) got it's name. Pete and Dud's F&P was located in Dartmoor (lots of free parking on the moors) and served only one "appetizer", namely spawn cocktail.

Here's a transcript of the original skit:

http://www.davehitt.com/july99/frogsk...

I don't think anyone ever picked up on another restaurant name mentioned in the skit - The Vole and Pea!

[weezycom]

For awhile in Richmond, VA, there was a great restaurant named The Frog and the Redneck

[LAcupcake]

in canada there's a grocery chain called "overweighties"

[tochipotle]

Not from the US - what's it called? In and Out Burger? In 'n Out? Whatever it is - it's definitely not appetizing, and rather hilarious IMO. A lot of people from the US might be used to the name - but think about it...odd.

[SauceSupreme]

In the 70's In-N-Out Burger used to have bumper stickers that had their name, but people would always scratch out the B and the R to show "In-N-Out Urge". I think that the burger is sinfully good, but apparently the marketing department didn't like it. Now the bumper stickers just say In-N-Out.

But yeah, the double entendre has always been part of the appeal, to say nothing of it being the fast food burger around.

[Hue]

There is a tavern in Baltimore called "Ale Mary's" .....

[ktmoomau]

Just to add:

Yeung Fong (DC)
Crabby Dick's (chain)

And in my hometown there used to be a place called the American Burger Center, but the irony was there was a huge chicken statue out front.

Thanks for this thread it was so funny. I bet there would be an even better one for beauty shops. I lived near the Curl Up N Dye.

[ktmoomau]

Wanted to add Fatboy's Pig Palace in West Virginia off Route 33 I think or 55.

[alkapal]

kt, that's a place i'd stop at, for sure!!!

[ktmoomau]

It is a real dive with old yellow and orange countertops. The only downfall of it is its proximity to The Cabin which has devine pie and for that reason alone is a sure stop. I can't remember if Fatboy's was any good.

[dinner belle]

There used to be a great gourmet carry-out place in Atlanta called The Easy Way Out.

[SweetPhyl]

Here on the Outer Banks of North Carolina...
Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar
Dirty Dick's Crab House
and, my favorite, a Mexican take-out joint in Corolla called Donkey Hotay's...cause the owners were crazy enough to open a southwest food joint in an area that features seafood...crazy like Don Quixote!

[alkapal]

"Slug and Lettuce" pub in Stratford-upon-Avon, England

[weezycom]

There's a greek restaurant near where I work, and the name isn't anything funny, but underneath the name on the banner outside, it says "A little piece of Greece"

[justanotherpenguin]

a bar on beverly near virgil in los angeles: "My Brother's Place"

a bar (now closed) in cardiff-by-the-sea: "The Office"

my favorite, however, was a sign on a bakery (now also closed) on wabash @ evergreen in east la (near el tepeyac) which said: "Wedding Cakes for All Ocassions".

[lax2mia]

In Miami - Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita and another called Sum Yum Gai

In Buenos Aires - Te Matare Ramirez (I'll Kill Your, Ramirez)

[FrankJBN]

I will eat at any joint, shack, luncheonette, beanery, diner or bar & grille called Fat ____'s.

[pak1789]

If you are ever in Chapin, South Carolina, you must go to Fat Buddy's. It's a dive, but they have great homemade potato chips.

[GilbyEast]

Back before my day, there was a place in Ithaca, NY "Someplace Else." Closed years ago, not it is someplace else. Ha!

[GilbyEast]

How could I forget Quaker Steak and Lube! Erie, PA

[LeslieB]

Not nearly as funny as some of these, but in Cleveland we have a gourmet grilled cheese place called Melt Bar and Grilled, a soup stand called Souper Market and a southern joint called the Town Fryer. Also, when a rival Vietnamese place called No. 1 Pho set up shop a door down from Pho Hoa on Superior Avenue, Pho Hoa staked a claim to better soup by renaming itself Superior Pho.

[alkapal]

pho wars! now, no. 1 pho will be renaming itself, " the bestest ever pho -- in the universe." ;-).

[Clarkafella]

For a brief period of time, we had a place open that was called "Chitlins R Us", but they went out of business pretty quick...

[starlady]

Slickety Jim's Chat 'n' Chew - Great for brekky

Fuel
Chow
Gastrpod - makes me laugh
Saltlik

Couple of my faves :)

[alkapal]

i just saw a sanford & son episode, where fred blithely explains to aunt esther that he was just "chittin' and chattin'" with a guest (though he had just been grilling the guy for personal info).

[Vexorg]

There used to be a Chinese buffet place in one of the malls around here called the Foody Goody Plus Buffet. I don't recall them lasting very long for some reason...

[bbbron]

Rocker Oysterfeller, for seafood.

For Chinese: King Dong. No joke, yelp it.

[JayVaBeach]

We have "Rockefellers" in Virginia Beach serving the next best Oysters Rockefeller next to Antoine's in New Orleans....it's so close to the original recipe & there's NO spinach (authentic) - a combination of oysters, parsley, and parmesan cheese, topped with a rich sauce of butter, herbs and breadcrumbs & the real secret is the all-important ingredient Herbsaint (or substitute Pernod).

[Bob W]

Here's another one from Rhode Island. For many years, on the outskirts of beautiful downtown Pawtucket, was the First Chance/Last Chance Cafe. If you were heading downtown, you saw First Chance on the sign. Heading away from downtown, you saw Last Chance.

Now it's just the East Ave. Cafe and they don't really cater to local rummies, from what I hear. So I guess that's a good thing.

[ishmael]

Driving through Greektown in Toronto the other day and noticed a sign for a restaurant that was either in the process of opening or closing--couldn't tell which.

Sign Said "PHO PA". It was either a nod to the Greek neighborhood or and admission of a soon to be made mistake(faux pas)

[Jennalynn]

It actually means Vietnamese food is soon to encroach on Greektown.

[Pat Hammond]

Somewhere along the road through Saugas, Ma there's a restaurant name that always made me smile as I passed by: Beau Thai

[jvish]

In NY's Chinatown there is BIG WANG and NEW BIG WANG...juvenile I know but it always makes me laugh...

[Ed Dibble]

Last summer, in San Gabriel Valley, I spotted a Yung Ho.

[alkapal]

was that maybe instead spotted at the mustang ranch in nevada?

[PaulV]

Here in Ottawa, Canada there's an Indian restaurant called Cumin and Goan.

http://www.cuminandgoan.com/

[Osso_Buco]

Wok n, Roll - Ayer , MA

Lena's All Kinds Subs- Lowell, MA

[netmover]

That's funny, there was a Wok and Roll here in South Beach, Miami that is. Another great name for a restaurant is: Cafe Tu Tu Tango

[Non Cognomina]

Near Olympia, Washington, I remember a place called "The Place." I don't remember a sign, but on the front of the menu it read "since there's no place like this place anywhere near this place, then this must be The Place." And there really wasn't much of anything at all near it.

Place in downtown Olympia was the "Herb and Onion," which was also the "Urban Onion"--one name on the outside, the other on the menu.

In Portland Oregon, "Old Wives' Tale."

In Tacoma, Washington, there was a coffee shop near the Law School called "Grounds for Coffee."

In San Francisco, there is a coffee shop called "Sacred Grounds" practically in the shadow of a huge Catholic Church.

[smartie]

Indian restaurant in London (not sure if it is still there) called The Empire Fights Back

[Barry Foy]

I went to a poetry reading by Gary Snyder at which he referred to a place near his house in northern California called Murder Burger. I'd definitely eat there.

[Non Cognomina]

Alas, they have changed the name of Murder Burger in Davis, California. They had a contest to rename it--it's now called Redrum Burger! (P.S. The milkshakes there are fantastic).

[MSK]

Their slogan was

"Burgers so good...to die for."

[sistinas]

Hah, in Phoenix the coffee shop in the district courthouse is called Legal Grounds (though they sell Starbucks).

[Jill Brazil]

Finagle A Bagel in Boston.

[MSK]

Growing up on LI in the 70's....

There was the "Chat and Nibble"

and the

"UNeeda Rest" food stop

[Winer]

IN Plymouth mass there's a spot called "Cho King"

[Lightsuprooms]

My sister sent me a pic of a restaurant in Chaing Mai called "Look Hoe"

[Johnresa]

In Quincy Mass there used to be a healthy eating spot called Haaay Fatty

[burritobelle]

Maybe someone already posted this?

In NYC there's a fish & chips place called A Salt And Battery.

I love it!

[Chinon00]

There was a coffee shop in Philly on Delaware Ave near the Ben Franklin bridge that was called "Espresso Yourself". Damn that's bad!

[MSK]

There's also one of those drive-thru coffee kiosks called "Java the Hut."

Equally bad.

[Cat Chow]

In South San Francisco, there is a famous italian-american bakery, Galli's Sanitary Bakery. It's been on Grand Aveneue since 1909.

I guess when they opened up they had to convince people that it was clean, because the stereotype was that Italians were not clean (not true of course!). The cakes are great, but wouldn't you think given the history and the times, they would opt for Galli's Bakery or Galli's Italian Bakery and do away with the "Sanitary"?

[Vexorg]

In Seattle, the Sanitary Market,is a smaller market that once competed with the Pike Place Market (it is located across the street) and remains in operation to this day, although it is now considered a part of that market. The "Sanitary" part of the name came from the fact that no horses were allowed inside, which is a concern long since rendered obsolete.

[Cat Chow]

There is a coffee/cafe house of sorts in San Francisco called "Jitters and Shakes"

[Cat Chow]

Mr. Cat Chow remembered that in Van Nuys there is a hot dog place called "Law Dogs" and on a certain day of the week you could go get a hot dog and free legal advice or something like that. I googled it and yep, there it is!

Law Dogs
Free legal advice Wednesday nights 7 p.m.
14114 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405

[ricepad]

There used to be a "Law Dogs" at First and Spring in downtown LA, too...conveniently close to the federal courthouse, county courthouse, Parker Center (ie police HQ), and City Hall...but sadly, it's been gone for years.

[Midlife]

This seems to be coming back to life, so......

Dana Point, CA - a very nice restaurant called Thai This. A few blocks away there was a small take-out called Thai That. Never knew for sure if they were the same owner, but it seems likely.

[soypower]

not nearly as funny as the rest of these, but my parents owned a sub shop and when they broke off from the franchise chain, they had to rename...so they called it "submaster", like burgermaster...always thought it sounded a bit oxymoronic. :o)

[im_nomad]

The Lik a Chick in Cape Breton

[MSK]

Greetings from Paris!
I read that they just opened a gourmet take out shop called
"Eat Me"
((I think it's in the Opera quarter. Thought it was also funny that the name is in English).

[MSK]

I also thought it was funny to see Chinese restaurants in Paris called "Chez Wing" or "Chez Wongs."

[JohnnyCab]

Cluck U...chicken spot

[danhole]

We have a new place in Houston named "Beaver's" which ia a new endeavor of two well known women chef's. The really funny thing is that on their newsletter they have a quote of the week, and this week it was "Don't Tell Anyone, But I'm Into Beaver's" LOL!

[pak1789]

There's a restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina called "Never on Sunday."

[amethiste]

There's a "Never on Sunday" in Baltimore as well. Apparently it's the name of a Greek movie so it is a common name for a Greek restaurant. Funny thing is that the restaurant is open until 3:00 am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays so technically they are open on Sunday. :-)

[fruglescot]

Melena Murcuri starred in that black and white Greek classic. The theme song of the same name won the OSCAR in 1960 for BEST SONG. Check it out on ..
< youtube.com/neveronasunday > a great song to dance and smash plates to.

[ambrose]

Great film! I still find myself humming this song on occasion (along with the music from Zorba the Greek). :-))

For the record, her name was Melina Mercouri. She was also Minister for Culture in the Greek government.

[bhoward]

When I was in college at U.T. in Austin there was a bar called the "Sco Pro Lounge" where, if you could prove you were on scholastic probation, you got happy hour prices all the time.

[hiddenboston]

One of my favorites was an ice cream place in Long Lake, NY, called "Custard's Last Stand."

[K K]

All somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area

Pho Bang

Pho Long Thinh

Pho Kim Son

Pho Dong

Pho Kim Long

[fruglescot]

"WORLD'S WORST HAMBURGHER"
existed for sometime here in Toronto near the Eaton Centre. I was never intrigued enough to enter the place and now it's gone. A testament to a terrible name for an eating establishment.
also
"WORD OF MOUTH" (Saturday Ribs)
This is the name of an underground rib place in Don Mills, a northern suburb in Toronto. I've tasted their celestial ribs at a Saturday poker game but have no idea of how to order them for myself. The card host will not devulge any information other than they are available ONLY on Saturdays and that you have to be referred to get delivery. A clandestine rib business?? Strange, however, the ribs were some of the best if eaten and the poker game is always well attended.

[fruglescot]

Don't know if this one's been submitted yet (so many submissions to review) but there's a "ROTTEN RALPHS" in Philly

Click on below for a look......................................

[Blush]

Around here there's a roadhouse chain called Jack Astor's.

[fluffyk67]

There's a place in Portland Oregon called "Sauce Box". I love it -- it just sounds sort of dirty.

There's also a nice restaurant called Gilt.

[Midlife]

Not the name, but there used to be a small pizza chain, in Los Angeles, called Piece O' Pizza. There slogan was ....... apologies in advance...... Had A Piece Lately?

[Jennalynn]

Came to this late... but Piece O' Pizza and it's sign "Had a Piece Lately?" are still there. On Venice. Drove by just yesterday.

[MeffaBabe]

Some times words from other languages don't translate well- The funniest one I ever saw - was a chinese/asian eatery called The Phu King... say it 3 times fast...

[brazilme]

There is a place in Tahleqah,Ok called Sam and Ella's there is another place across the street that closed that was another illness? I have forgotten, but Sam and Ella's has great food

[hangrygirl]

The Sleepless Goat (Kingston, Canada)
Common Ground (Kingston, Canada)

Helt Rått (Stavanger, Norway - in Norwegian it means "completely raw" - but also slang for "totally cool" - it's a sushi place)

OH! And Philthy McNasty's - bar that serves food - chain as well I think, but I just thought it always sounded horrible!!

[ambrose]

Probably shouldn't bring back this thread but I can't resist mentioning Thai Tanic in Washington, DC. It's been mentioned elsewhere but not here.

Other punny restaurant names are noted in:

http://www.chow.com/media/5698

[lil magill]

sam an' ella's. out of business now. say it out loud fast! somewhere in the carolinas....

[Clarkafella]

I had a friend who *swore* that he went to a gay bar called "The Man Hole", one time, but I don't remember where he said it was.

[Paula76]

In the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of the UK there is a chippy (fish and chip shop) called "The Codfather" followed by "really knows how to batter your fish" (or something along those lines)

[alkapal]

i love that one!

[mandycat]

Not a pun or a double entendre but what I think is a very evocative name for a BBQ joint: "Maurice's Piggy Park" in West Columbia SC.

[lulubelle]

Piggy Park is SOOOOOOOOOOO good!

[lulubelle]

In Chicago there is restaurant company that used to have a place names. named Jonathon Livingston Seafood.

also in Chicago, Wiener and Still Champion, The Wiener's Circle. and Top Dog, all hot dog places. Plus a bar called Peek Inn which has kind of a Killroy Was Here logo.

in Wisconsin I've seen the Cave Inn.

[lulubelle]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the restaurant company is called Lettuce Entertain You.

[PunkBaker]

There is a bar in St. George Utah, which at one time was "The One and Only". There are now 3 other bars in town.

[sisterfunkhaus]

Not funny, but kinda cool.I have a concept for a grilled cheese/grilled sammy resturaunt called Melted. It would be a casual dining, no tipping joint that served the best tomato soup you ever had for dunking, in house artisinal breads, and sammys with conventional and really unique cheeses and meats. I would even served grilled dessert sammys. Alas, I could never procure a business loan and have zero resturaunt experience, so it will never happen.

[alkapal]

with that name, i picture the wicked witch of the west. actually ... just her hat, in a pool of melty-witch.

[CrazyOne]

Something roughly like this place: http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/

[CindyJ]

There are a number of coffee shops that play on the word "brew." One of my favorites is a small chain in northern Delaware and southeastern PA called Brew HaHa.

[rbjllj]

There used to be a place called Grumpy Dicks in Fort Lauderdale, FL area.

Going Bonkers (more for kids type restuarant with a play ground and arcade. Lewisville, TX

Red Neck Heaven Lewisville, TX

The Nut house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. (It's not a restaurant, but they have assorted nuts and popcorn, and desserts and snacks)

[alkapal]

the gobbler supper club: http://www.lileks.com/institute/motel...
~~~~~~~
i love lileks' site!

[runwestierun]

There's a restaurant in Troutdale, OR called Tad's Chicken and Dumplings that is nearly 100 years old. However, the big neon sign outside

Tad's
Chicken +
Dumplings

is partially broken. The right side is burnt out. So it reads:

Tad's
Chick
Dump

[Leonardo]

Pretty accurate. It's indeed a dump! And the food is horrible.

[Firegoat]

Tulsa:
Joe Mama's pizza
Pie Hole Pizzeria
The Knotty Pine
Porky's

[alkapal]

just recently on diners, drive-ins and dives, guy went to a place called "pizzalchick."

oh, don't think those nasty thoughts.....think "pizza, salad, chicken." get your mind out of the gutter. ;-).

~~~~~~
the thing is, this aging hippie dude and his family made some good lookin' food!

[1963911]

Let's continue this post,
Funniest names in Thailand:

Bang Cock
Fuck It
Pee Pee Island

[1963911]

I remember a bar in South Korean which became hugely successful due to it's name,

Dontellmama

[hill food]

I can't believe nobody mentioned (points for cleverness) in Yreka, CA the Yreka Bakery

[pegasus1]

In my current location of Central Florida, my favorite is Yellow Dog Eats (a gourmet cafe and wine bar).

In my home town of Amarillo, Tx and the vicinity:
Cattle Call (awesome BBQ)
Feldman's Wrong Way Diner (absolutely amazing chicken fried steak, named after a character in Gilligan's Island)
and the local convenience store chain that I frequented, Toot'n'Totum or as we call it still, Fart and Fetch It
And Bahama Buck's Island Ice (snow cones and such)

[netmover]

Two Sisters - All you can Eat!

[vanierstudent]

In Montreal, Dans La Bouche (Translated into: In your mouth).

[Thulton]

U. Better Liqour........Thank you Uncle Better! Actually, I think the sign read University Better Liqour, but somehow the bulbs in the "niversity" never got replaced!!!

[grayelf]

Okay not a resto name but I don't know of a better thread for this: there is a hot dog stand locally that makes its own sausages. The new one being developed is to be a mixture of duck and pork. It will be called... the dork. Fuh real.

[jumpingmonk]

As I said somewhere else, this is even odder if you look up the dictionary definition of "dork" Kinda reminds me of the old joke about the two old ladies who have never had a hot dog before and order some from a cart after reciveing them one opens the wrappings and looks. she then turns to the other and says "And what part did you get?"

[lexocity]

In high school we always used to eat at "Fook Fung", and we always used to say "Fook fung, fook hard and fook often"

[Bill Hunt]

In the Phoenix Area, there were several restaurants in the group - Long Dong's, though never ate at any. Think that all are gone now?

Hunt

[amazinc]

Hwy 783, Kerrville, Tx... "The Roadkill" Their motto... "From your grill to ours." Sadly gone.

East side of Houston, Tx, bar named "It'll Do" probably still there!

[betsydiver]

Asmall local chain in Columbia, SC "Lizard's Thicket"

[rbjllj]

Here are a few places I have seen around the country

Grumpy Dicks (I think it's closed now) in Fort Lauderdale

Pho Que (Near Dallas)

The Nut House (Fort Wayne, IN)

Chicken Out (Washington DC)

Fuglies (not a restaurant, but a liquor store) in Merritt Island, FL.

Munchies 420 in Sarasota FL.

[Fowler]

In Illinois...

An establishment called, "No One Beats Dick's Meat".

I will take their word for that.

[Firegoat]

Recently opened in Tulsa -- Action Erection Beer & BBQ

[hal2010]

There's a new Asian place on Coxwell Avenue in Toronto called "Little Coxwell". Food so good it will make your.....

The food's great by the way.

[alkapal]

…and did it?

[wyogal]

T & A Cafe in Boise. Yep, T-shirts, too.

[ChefJune]

WOW! brings back sweet memories of the B.A.R. Association, a cozy restaurant on Webster near DePaul U in Chicago.

[alkapal]

similar spot in downtown fort myers, florida -- not far from the courts.

[alkapal]

vancouver, b.c.

now closed http://fookyue.foodpages.ca/

[rbjllj]

fat ho burgers in tx