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to try a restaurant

to try a restaurant

1.5
To visit and eat at a restaurant to see what it is like
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : probar un restaurante
  • We decided to try a restaurant we'd never visited before for our anniversary.

Examples

  • Let's try a restaurant tonight!

  • Whenever I travel, I like to try a restaurant recommended by locals.

  • They are always eager to try a restaurant that just opened downtown.

  • Why don't we try a restaurant for lunch?

  • We decided to try a restaurant we heard great things about for dinner.

  • On my birthday, I want to try a restaurant that serves exotic cuisine.

  • She was excited to try a restaurant known for its famous pasta dishes.

Synonyms

to eat out
vsto try a restaurant
35 1.3

To have a meal at a restaurant instead of at home

visits to sample a place's food or service rather than merely eating
to go out for dinner
vsto try a restaurant
16 1.1

Leave home to eat dinner at a restaurant

is used to visit and sample food and service rather than just eat
to dine out
vsto try a restaurant
8 2.3

To eat a meal at a restaurant or someone else's home instead of your own home

focuses on visiting to sample food and service, not only eating away from home

Antonyms

1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

Surface Forms

try a restaurant infinitive
trying a restaurant present participle
tries a restaurant third person singular
tried a restaurant past participle

Morphology

try + a + restaurant

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'try' in the sense of 'test/experience' combined with 'restaurant' straightforwardly yields 'visit and eat at a restaurant to see what it is like.' This combination follows ordinary verb + noun composition and similar patterns exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase try a restaurant comes from the simple idea that try means 'to taste or test' and restaurant is the place to eat. When you go to a new place to taste the food and see what it is like, you are literally 'trying' the restaurant, so the phrase means to visit and eat there to experience it.