eatery

/ˈidəri/

/ˈitəri/

Other forms: eateries

Use the word eatery when you're talking about a cafe or restaurant. You might stop at a great local eatery for a burger after seeing a movie.

Eatery is a casual or informal word for a place to buy and eat prepared food. A diner is one kind of eatery, and a Chinese restaurant is another. You might have a favorite eatery among all the choices on a college campus, or know of an all-night eatery where you can get a snack at three a.m. Eatery was first used right around 1901, from eat, with its Old English root of etan, "to eat, devour, or consume."

Definitions of eatery

1. noun

   a building where people go to eat
   synonyms: eating house, eating place, restaurant

   types:

   bistro

   a small informal restaurant; serves wine

   brasserie

   a small restaurant serving beer and wine as well as food; usually cheap

   brewpub

   a combination brewery and restaurant; beer is brewed for consumption on the premises and served along with food

   cafe, coffee bar, coffee shop, coffeehouse

   a small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold

   cafeteria

   a restaurant or dining area where you serve yourself and pay a cashier

   canteen

   restaurant in a factory; where workers can eat

   canteen, mobile canteen

   a restaurant outside; often for soldiers or policemen

   diner

   a restaurant that resembles a dining car

   greasy spoon

   a small restaurant specializing in short-order fried foods

   grill, grillroom

   a restaurant where food is cooked on a grill

   hash house

   an inexpensive restaurant

   lunchroom

   a restaurant (in a facility) where lunch can be purchased

   rotisserie

   a restaurant that specializes in roasted and barbecued meats

   chophouse, steakhouse

   a restaurant that specializes in steaks

   tea parlor, tea parlour, teahouse, tearoom, teashop

   a restaurant where tea and light meals are available

   automat

   a cafeteria where food is served from machines

   buttery

   a teashop where students in British universities can purchase light meals

   caff

   informal British term for a cafe

   cybercafe

   a cafe whose customers sit at computer terminals and log on to the internet while they eat and drink

   espresso shop

   a cafe where espresso is served

   estaminet

   a small (and usually shabby) cafe selling wine and beer and coffee

   pull-in, pull-up

   a roadside cafe especially for lorry drivers

   type of:

   building, edifice

   a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place