I’ve noticed in the Anglo-American world, the word “restaurant” has been used to describe many kinds of establishments, from upscale eateries to fast-food joints. I would like to concentrate on the connotations of different Russian words for describing places serving food and why they are not interchangeable.

Ресторан — Sit-Down Restaurant

Image from Pixabay

Ресторан has traditionally referred to a fairly formal sit-down food service facility. Some hallmarks of a traditional ресторан are:

• столик — a table (note the diminutive suffix -ик)
• официант(ка) — a waiter (waitress)
• заказ – an order; заказывать is to order
• счёт – a check

Recently, big fast food chains have started calling themselves ресторан in public communications, but people still refer to them as забегаловка (more on this word below), закусочная (casual eatery, from “закуска” — appetizer) or ресторан/предприятие быстрого питания (fast food restaurant).

Основна́я часть поваро́в в Росси́и тру́дится отню́дь не на ку́хнях фешене́бельных рестора́нов, а в заводски́х и шко́льных столо́вых и́ли, в лу́чшем слу́чае, кейтеринговых компа́ниях.
(Most chefs in Russia work not in the kitchens of upscale restaurants but in factory or school cafeteria or, at best, for catering companies.)
[Такая маленькая зарплата // «Знание-сила», 2013]

Кафе — Café

Кафе is a less formal setting and usually has a more limited menu of snacks/light meals. A business where you may pick up your order at the cash register and where the selection is limited to sandwiches/desserts is likely to be called кафе in Russian, even though some Anglophone countries may call it a “restaurant.”

Кафе does not necessarily mean “coffee house” and may or may not serve coffee. Летнее кафе may refer to a standalone outdoor eatery or summer outdoor seating for an existing restaurant. A related word is кафетерий, which was more popular in the Soviet times and is now falling out of use.

Они́ встре́тились в демократи́чном сетево́м кафе́ ― она́ специа́льно там назна́чила встре́чу, что́бы всё прошло́ легко́ и, так сказа́ть, ни к чему́ не обя́зывало.
(They met in a laid-back chain restaurant — she had arranged to meet there on purpose so that the meeting would be casual and with no strings attached.)
[Маша Трауб. Не вся la vie (2008)]

Столовая — Dining Hall

A place where you go to eat at your place of work, school, or medical facility is called столовая (“cafeteria,” “canteen”), although it may also be a standalone self-service restaurant with stereotypically “Soviet food.” Столовая is often the place where you go on your lunch break.

Normally, столовая may have a different menu each day and will offer all three courses — первое (soup), второе (main course), and третье (dessert). The customers carry the dishes or tray (поднос) to the table and the return them after finishing the meal.

Мы приходи́ли в столо́вую в час, когда́ обе́дали чино́вники и продавцы́ центра́льных магази́нов.
(We would come to the cafeteria at a time when public servants and central store clerks were having their lunch.)
[Михаил Петров. Поэт забвения // «Сибирские огни», 2012]

Буфет — Cafeteria

Image from Pixabay

Буфет is similar to столовая, but it may have more reheated, ready-to-eat items and desserts. Буфет may be located inside a different facility, like a school or theater. Note that this is a “false friend” with “buffet” — an arrangement where you can pick your own food from several options is called “шведский стол” in Russian.

В буфе́те продава́ли ко́фе, бу́лочки и шокола́дки.
(The food stand sold coffee, pastries, and chocolate bars.)
[Алексей Моторов. Преступление доктора Паровозова (2013)]

Забегаловка — Hole-in-the-Wall

First of all, let me note that забегаловка is a colloquial word with ironic to negative connotations, and no business would refer to itself as such. Забегаловка is a quick-stop, hole-in-the-wall, fast food restaurant (not necessarily of the big franchise kind). This word comes from бегать — to run.

A more neutral way of referring to your own fast food restaurant would be закусочная.

Есть рестора́ны, кафе́, столо́вые и про́сто забега́ловки с прекра́сными меню́.
(There are full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, and even holes-in-the-wall with wonderful menus.)
[Александр Дорофеев. Эле-Фантик // «Мурзилка», 2003]