The 97 Best Restaurant Captions For Instagram

Here's a big list of restaurant captions for inspiration.

15 min read
October 18, 2023

Key takeaways

  • The best restaurant captions are short, cute, relatable, and relevant, and they've been proven to achieve higher engagement on social media.
  • For food photos, captions should come across as human, relatable, and personable, like "we think we’re in love," "perfect fuel," and "bliss on a plate."
  • For staff and setting photos, captions should be positive and upbeat, signaling social proof and a fun environment, such as "good times," "happy place," and "the place to be."

Have you ever felt frustrated trying to think of an Instagram caption for your restaurant?

I know I have.

If you have too, today’s your lucky day.

I made this list for you, so that you never have to feel that frustration or waste that time again.

This page contains the best restaurant captions for Instagram: nearly 100 captions that have performed well on Instagram, including captions for food, drinks, staff, setting, and more.

Just scroll to dive in or jump straight to the category you're looking for by clicking it in the Table of Contents.

What makes a great Instagram caption?

The best restaurant captions are short, cute, relatable, and relevant.

And proven. Each of these captions have been tested in studies and achieve higher engagement. Higher engagement means more likes and more comments.

More likes and more comments mean more exposure for your restaurant and more revenue.

If this sounds useful to you, welcome to the 97 best restaurant caption ideas for Instagram.

Or, if you’d prefer, here's a comprehensive guide to Instagram for restaurants.

I hope you enjoy.

BONUS: Download the FREE PDF to access these 97 Instagram captions for your restaurant any time!

Captions For Your Food Photos

You can use these captions for posting food pictures on Instagram.

They perfectly describe any food that your restaurant would offer.

Most importantly, they come across as human. As relatable. As personable.

And that leads to success on social media. Because people buy from people. Not brands.

Being human in your captioning is important because it leads to higher engagement, more followers, and better brand perception.

Food Specific Note: If you want food captions that are specific to food types, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the dozens of food-specific captions we’ve written for you.

  • we think we’re in love
  • perfect fuel
  • good food, good mood
  • bliss on a plate
  • healthy + delicious
  • our famous [food name]
  • [food name] goals
Pizza captions
  • food glorious food
  • [breakfast/lunch/dinner] goals
  • sign me up
  • [food emoji] [food name]
  • no words needed
  • made with love
  • fresh for your enjoyment
  • love for our [food name]
  • made to perfection
  • #foodgoals
Instagram post of meat and cheese goals with #foodgoals caption
  • good food, good life
  • a festival of flavors
  • good eats
  • satisfy your taste
  • enjoy a taste of heaven
  • count the memories, not the calories
”Hashtag caption on Instagram
  • you gotta nourish to flourish
  • goodies for the foodies
  • food is always a good idea
  • in the mood for food
  • savor the flavor

Captions For Your Staff Photos

These captions are awesome for showcasing people in your restaurant. I’d recommend them for posting pictures of your guests and pictures of your restaurant environment generally.

They are all positive, upbeat, and signal social proof which is extremely useful for building your brand and driving sales. You automatically seem relevant and loved if you focus.

Remember that you get to control how your brand is perceived on social media. If you focus your content partially on your customers, who you love and who love your restaurant, then you’ll be thought of as a brand that is loved and that has great customer service.

Most importantly, people posts make your restaurant seem popular and fun – which is exactly the type of messaging you want if you want to attract new customers. And lots of them.

  • good times
  • happy place
Restaurant captions
  • the place to be
  • happy here
  • enjoying the day
  • carpe diem
  • grateful for this place
Social media caption
  • happy customer, happy life
  • love it here

Captions For Your Setting Photos

These captions are perfect for pictures that showcase your restaurant environment. A huge factor in people choosing to come to your restaurant is your interior design and vibe.

I don’t know about you but I personally really care about the setting and ambience of the environment. How it feels to be there. And I think most restaurateurs would agree. That’s why restaurants spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on beautiful space, buildout, and design.

It’s no different on social media. So post pictures of your space using these environment captions. Picture which reflect the vibe and the inviting nature of your restaurant.

For best results, make sure you include a minimum of 1 in 9 of your posts that describes your environment. That way, when potential followers land on your page, they’ll get a glimpse of how your restaurant looks and how it would feel to be there.

  • morning mood
  • afternoon mood
  • evening mood
Instagram screenshot with caption %22Friday mood%22
  • [happy/fun] vibe
  • vibes in our space
Caption for Instagram
  • [location] vibe
  • no words needed
  • secret space
  • ambience goals
  • the place to be
  • carpe diem
  • those details
7.-Those-Details
  • perfection
  • scrumptious
  • take a seat, grab a treat
  • food vibes only
  • our happy place

Punny Food-Specific Captions

Feeling punny? Want to be specific?

Either way, these captions are perfect for food-specific photos.

They both make you seem relevant, human, fun, and relatable. Qualities that every restaurant needs to be if it’s going to succeed.

So use these food captions to impress on Instagram and ignite engagement.

I don’t know about you but, if I saw a restaurant use a funny pun, I’d be a lot more inclined to like them and give them a chance than if they were just using boring corporate-speak.

Wendy’s is the master of this, and arguably the best restaurant brand in the world on social.

They use highly relevant, human, funny captions to win. To win by increasing engagement. By reaching more people. And, ultimately, by driving more sales.

Fast food captions

Burger Caption

  • burger is always better
  • grill and chill
  • burger heaven

More burger captions for Instagram

Fries Caption

  • the fries is right
  • exercise? I thought you said extra fries
  • let’s ketchup
  • eyes on the fries
Instagram post of french fries with caption Eyes on the Fries
  • just chicken in
  • so crispy, so juicy
  • chick this out

Pork Caption

  • pork-fection on a plate
  • come on, hog it out
  • don’t go bacon my heart
Burger restaurant caption
  • oh won’t you steak with me?
  • cooked to perfection
  • well done
  • a great protein fix
  • from grill to plate
  • less hate, more steak
  • this meal is no misteak

Salmon Caption

  • what a catch
  • I sea you
  • o-fish-ally in love
  • a healthy option

Fish Caption

  • what a catch
Restaurant Captions
  • a healthy option
  • I sea you
  • taste the sea
  • o-fish-ally in love

Fish and Chips Caption

  • the perfect pair
  • better together
  • chunky and crispy and heavenly

Lobster Caption

  • I lob-ster you
  • lovely lobster
  • lob is love
  • I don’t care, I lob it
  • lobster-iffic

Chilli Caption

  • hey hot stuff
  • chilli like a villain
  • chilli weather
Puns for Instagram captions
  • feelin a little chilli

Pancakes Caption

  • flipped to perfection
  • mornings made better
  • a fluffy morning treat

French Toast Caption

  • sweet morning
  • start your day right
Restaurant Captions
  • a toast to the day ahead
  • a morning feast

Soup Caption

  • keep warm
  • what’s soup with you?
  • a warm soup-rise
  • another bowl please
  • this is souperb

Poke Caption

  • anything’s possi-bowl
  • aloha in a bowl-a
  • catch that poke bowl

Mac and Cheese Caption

  • bite into the cheesier side of life
  • I cheese you
  • mac and cheese please
  • holy macaroni
  • the ultimate comfort food
Captions for niche restaurants
  • a pastastic experience
  • pasta la vista, baby
  • ? a penne for your thoughts
  • in the mood for noodles
  • don’t be upsetti, eat spaghetti

Ramen Caption

  • in the mood for noodles
  • how ramen-tic
  • cravin ramen

Salad Caption

  • a healthy option
  • so glad for salad
  • nutritious and delicious

Ice Cream Caption

  • beat the heat
  • summer chill
  • keep it cool
  • ice cream dream
Instagram post of dog licking an ice cream cone
  • we scream for ice cream
  • craving’s out of cone-trol

Taco Caption

  • let’s taco bout it
  • you are spec-taco-lar
  • a flavorful shell-ebration
  • I got these fillings for you

More taco captions for Instagram

Enchilada Caption

  • netflix enchil-ada
  • mex-cellent taste
  • this is mex-traordinary

Burrito Caption

  • bae-ritto
  • burrito tastes so good-o
  • hello fave-burrit-o
  • bae-ritto

More burrito captions for Instagram

Chips + Guacamole Caption

  • holy guacamole
Caption for Mexican restaurant
  • dip into perfection
  • you guac my world!
  • status: in a relation-chip
  • all I’ve avo wanted
  • bravocado

Pizza Captions

  • cutie pie
  • all day favorite
  • triangles of happiness
  • slice slice baby
  • another one bites the crust
  • in pizza we crust
  • a pizza on your plate is a smile on your face

More pizza captions for Instagram

Meatloaf Caption

  • nice to meat you
  • I loaf you
  • a loaf to love
  • we meat again
  • meat your match
Restaurant Captions
  • nice to meat you
  • eat-y that meaty

Shepherd’s Pie Caption

  • pot of gold
  • oven fresh
  • cutie pie

Eggs Caption

  • isn’t this egg-citing?
  • daily protein fix
  • egg-cellent morning
  • just beat it
  • it’s a sunnyside day
  • you’re egg-stra special
  • incredibly nutritious and delicious

Cheese Caption

  • say what?
  • cheese makes everything better
  • sweet dreams are made of cheese
  • I’ll stop the world and melt with you
  • I cheese to be happy

Sushi Caption

  • a Japanese feast
  • take your chopsticks out
  • I wasabi with you
  • let’s rock this roll
  • you had me at sushi
  • I love you sushi much
  • can’t wait sushi you

More sushi captions for Instagram

Instagram caption for sushi restaurant
  • you’ve got me wonton more
  • a Chinese feast
  • dim sum? more like awesome!
  • steamed to perfection

Cake Caption

  • bake it til you make it
  • you bake me happy
  • a sweet treat

Bread Caption

  • a slice of heaven
  • I knead this in my life
  • I wanna be wheat you
  • I loaf you
  • let’s dough this
  • you bake me happy

Donut Caption

  • donut worry, be happy
Instagram post showing 6 donuts with bites taken out of each
  • donut kill my vibe
  • ring of joy
  • a well-rounded treat

Barbecue Caption

  • hello, bae-becue
  • barbecue can do it
  • let’s grill and chill
  • barbe-cute

Cookies Caption

  • cookies and dream
  • lookie at the cookie
  • something sweet
  • cutie cookie
  • the coo-key to my heart

Popcorn Caption

  • just popping by
  • pop some fun
  • crunchy munchie
  • what’s poppin’?

Turkey Caption

  • oven-fresh goodness
  • hungry for turkey
  • a mouth-watering treat
  • thank goodness for turkey

Sandwich Caption

  • sandwich is always a good idea
  • snack-cidentally in love
Instagram caption for sandwich shop
  • have a rice day!
  • don’t think twice, just eat that rice
  • surp-rice!
  • rice and shine

Granola Caption

  • your energy booster
  • hello, sexy
  • totally guilt-free and healthy
  • super bowl

Dessert Pie Caption

  • oh hi, cutie pie
  • such a sweetie pie
  • pie love you
Restaurant Captions

Waffle Caption

  • beautiful waffle
  • don’t feel awful, just eat the waffle

Beef Caption

  • beef is bae

Captions For Your Drink Photos

These captions are awesome for showing off some of your highest margin items: your drinks.

And they follow the same cute, human, relatable theme as the rest on this list.

You can use them on your restaurant Instagram to share the best shots of your drinks.

While promoting your high margin add-on items at the same time and increasing your average check size (because most people won’t order JUST a drink).

Just make sure not to post too many drinks shots at a time. Otherwise, you may risk not looking like a restaurant when users visit your profile.

Instagram captions for bars

Milkshake Caption

  • something smooth
  • so milky, so dreamy
  • sippin all day long
  • shake it off
  • this drink is legen-dairy
  • dairy good

Cocktail Caption

Instagram post of a cocktail in front of water with caption %22Let's drink to that%22
  • let’s drink to that
  • no fail cocktail
  • sip sip hooray
  • cheers
  • raise your glasses
  • clink and drink

Wine Caption

  • wine not?
  • cheers to the weekend!
  • delight your night with red or white
  • you’re the wine that I want
  • save water, drink wine
  • wine + dinner = winner
  • it’s wine o’clock
  • I wine-na be with you

Beer Caption

  • ice-cold goodness
  • raise your glasses
  • please beer with me
  • save water, drink beer
Instagram copy for restaurants
  • beer-y thirsty
  • let’s hear you, beer lovers!
  • pitcher perfect

Tea Caption

  • a glass of positivi-tea
  • let’s have a par-tea
  • you’re tea-riffic
  • I love you so matcha
  • have a brew-tea-ful day
  • brew can do it

Orange Juice Caption

  • squeezed to perfection
  • orange you glad to see me?
  • citrus goodness

Coffee Caption

  • bean thinking bout you
  • something to perk up your day
  • a coffee a day keeps the grumpiness away
  • but first, coffee
Restaurant Captions
  • you deserve a (coffee) break
  • just brew it

Soda Caption

  • soda-licious
  • bliss in a fizz
  • feel the fizz

Lemonade Caption

  • when life gives you lemons
  • easy peasy lemon squeezy
  • squeeze the day
  • lemon-aid your thirst
  • stay fresh

Smoothie Caption

  • a smoothie for the healthy
  • have a fruitful day
  • sip on something healthy
  • healthy galore

BONUS Growth Hack: Use the best hashtags

Now that you’ve got a good caption for your post, there’s one more important part to incorporate in your posts: hashtags.

Hashtags impact who sees your post, how many people see your post, and your post’s overall success. They are basically Instagram’s system of categories: with millions of people looking for interesting content on the categories every second of every day.

So we created a short guide for you on the most important hashtags to use for your restaurant.

Top 5 Restaurant Hashtags To Use

  • #restaurant
  • #food
  • #foodie
  • #foodporn
  • #instafood

These hashtags are great to get global eyeballs on your content and to build your brand outside of your local area. They should be included for each of your posts because, why not?

Free exposure to a global audience is always a good thing.

Top 5 Local Hashtags To Use

  • #yourcity
  • Example: #westhollywood
  • #yourcityvariations
  • Example: #weho #wehofood
  • #yourstreet
  • Example: #sunsetblvd
Local tags in Instagram captions for restaurants
  • #yourestaurantnamehere
  • Example: #dominos

And these hashtags are where the money is made. They are all local and hyper-specific, as you probably noticed, which means that the people that stumble across your content through these hashtags will probably be near your restaurant and likely to become a new customer of yours.

So add them to your first comment and watch the followers and new customers flow in.

Remember, the best way to include hashtags is in the first comment of your post: not in the caption.

Why shouldn’t you put hashtags in the caption? Because they ruin the aesthetic and studies show that they distract from the important engagement buttons on your posts: likes and comments.

Instagram post of a macaroon, showing hashtags in the first comment


So, after you post, copy and paste these restaurant hashtags into your first comment.

Or use a software like SproutSocial to automate that “first comment” process for you.

Click here for more restaurant marketing strategies and tips.

Frequently asked questions

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Adam Guild is the CEO of Owner, a restaurant marketing platform that makes online growth easy for restaurants.

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