Do characters in your novel go out for a meal at a swanky restaurant? If you’re wondering how to describe a fancy restaurant in a story, scroll down to learn about 10 words that will help you.
1. Luxurious
Definition
- Containing the best features.
- Pleasurable to the extreme.
- Characterized by wealth or plenty.
Examples
“Eating in such a luxurious restaurant was not something he expected to be doing today.”
“Even the salt and pepper shakers were fancy in this luxurious restaurant.”
How it Adds Description
Luxurious often describes items or places that are extremely remarkable. When used to describe a fancy restaurant, luxurious evokes images of gold and silk decorations, plush chair cushions, and tasty, decadent food. There are usually two types of characters who would be eating in a luxurious restaurant: those who are uber-wealthy and feel like they are the only ones worthy of eating there, and those who feel unworthy because they aren’t rich enough to eat there.
2. Upscale
Definition
- Appealing to wealthy or affluent people.
- Of higher quality.
Examples
“She couldn’t believe that he had brought her to such an upscale restaurant on their first date.”
“He had hoped the upscale restaurant would impress her.”
How it Adds Description
We use upscale when we want to emphasize that people with money and sophisticated taste are attracted to this business or item. If a fancy restaurant is described as upscale, then a reader might imagine people dressed in business suits (if it is lunchtime) and fashionable dresses with expensive jewelry or handbags.
3. Refined
Definition
Sophisticated or cultured.
Examples
“The refined restaurant attracted only the most upper crust diners in New York City.”
“There was nothing out of place in the refined restaurant; every flower was pruned to perfection, every tablecloth pressed within an inch of its life.”
How it Adds Description
If you want to focus on how perfectly put together the restaurant seems instead of what kind of customer based it has, then describe it as refined. Refined suggests that the restaurant is of such high quality that time has been taken to ensure every element is exactly as it’s meant to be: from the place settings to the food presentation to the service.
4. Lavish
Definitions
Having too much of something.
Examples
“The lavish restaurant had an overabundance of frills and lace; it was a bit too much for my taste.”
“We could not wait to try the food at such a lavish restaurant.”
How it Adds Description
Lavish implies having more than one needs, almost to the point of excess. Any restaurant described as lavish would contain more of the fancy, expensive décor and extravagant food items than a more mainstream one would.
5. Distinguished
Definition
Fit for a celebrated or prominent person.
Examples
“Anybody who’s anybody had a reservation at the most distinguished restaurant downtown.”
“The distinguished restaurant was full of business men and security personnel.”
How it Adds Description
Describing a fancy restaurant as distinguished emphasizes that it has a sophisticated ambiance and clientele. There is likely soft piano music playing, probably by a live pianist, and everyone is whispering to each other in dulcet tones. Use distinguished if you want your fancy restaurant to come across as cultured and visited by only the most important people.
6. Classy
Definition
- Chic, polished, or civilized.
- Reflecting superiority, high value.
Examples
“We knew we were at a classy restaurant when the wine list was as big as the food menu.”
“The grand chandelier of the classy restaurant had so many crystals that it looked like a disco ball when it reflected the sunlight.”
How it Adds Description
Classy suggests that the restaurant has been professionally designed to the highest standards. Imagine the trendiest art on the walls or chandeliers and candelabras for lighting. Describing a restaurant as classy suggests that just eating at this place raises the character’s station to a higher class, one with money and prestige.
7. Swanky
Definition
- Boastful, overly showy.
- Stylish.
Examples
“I know they like going to the swanky restaurant around the corner, but I find it a bit too much.”
“Oooh, we’re going to the swanky restaurant? Better get out my pearls!”
How it Adds Description
Swanky suggests that a place is fancy and high-priced but maybe trying too hard to seem that way, so it has more of a negative tone. Use swanky if you want to show the characters find the fancy restaurant as pretentious or over-the-top because of the extravagant features that make it fancy.
8. Glamorous
Definition
Extremely alluring.
Examples
“This restaurant is so glamorous that even the tassels on the cushions have tassels.”
“I felt like I needed to wear a ballgown to eat in such a glamorous restaurant.”
How it Adds Description
When most people think of glamorous, they imagine royalty and aristocracy. Describe your restaurant as glamorous if you want to show it’s so fancy that celebrities and people with power make a night of eating there, probably dressed in evening wear and wearing the finest jewels.
9. Glitzy
Definition
Flashy in a brash and showy way.
Examples
“What a glitzy restaurant! Even the maître d is dressed in silk!”
“That restaurant was so glitzy, there was even gold in the wallpaper!”
How it Adds Description
Glitzy is often used to describe expensive jewels or gold because of how they glint in the sun. Use glitzy to emphasize the types of fabrics and shininess of the whole place and show the restaurant is fancy more because of how it looks, rather than the food.
10. Elegant
Definition
High quality, tasteful.
Examples
“Everything about the restaurant –the way they greeted us, the way the waitstaff treated us, even the way the food was plated—was elegant and precise.”
“I consider a restaurant elegant and fancy when they have a wine pairing for every meal.”
How it Adds Description
When a reader sees the word elegant, they almost always imagine grace and precision. Thought and kindness has gone into every element to ensure the most pleasurable experience with no worry on the part of the customer. An elegant restaurant would evoke thoughts of soft words, flowy tablecloths, food delivered easily and on time.