Fine dining restaurants, also referred to as white tablecloth restaurants, are typically higher end and fancier restaurants. As opposed to casual eateries, cafes or family-style restaurants, fine dining caters to an upscale clientele and provides the highest quality of food. A fine dining restaurant has a formal atmosphere, is almost always a sit down restaurant, and has a fancier menu than most restaurants. Fine dining restaurants offer wine lists, and sometimes sommeliers, to help you with your food and wine pairing. They also have dress codes in most cases.
The first thing you will notice about a fine dining restaurant is usually the decor and atmosphere. Fine dining restaurants are not places to be loud and are not places to go in ripped jeans or tee shirts. Usually, jeans are prohibited or discouraged in fine dining restaurants. Collared shirts are preferred for men, and some restaurants also require a sport jacket or tie in order to be fully dressed. For ladies, skirts or dresses or other nice clothing are recommended. While you may not always be turned away if you go to a fine dining restaurant dressed inappropriately, some restaurants will be strict on the dress code so it is always better to ask in advance and to err on the side of caution and look nice.
Fine dining restaurants also generally offer more exotic or interesting menu items. Foods such as escargot (snails), beef carpaccio (raw beef), and foie gras (liver) may appear on the menu, so if you aren’t an adventurous eater and don’t like these things, make sure you understand exactly what it is you are ordering. The portions at a fine dining restaurant may also be smaller than at a more casual or family style restaurant, but the food will generally be of a higher quality.
Finally, fine dining restaurants tend to be on the more expensive side. An entree can cost $20 or more, in some cases and in some cities, much much more. Wine lists at fine dining restaurants can also feature expensive bottles of wine, so make sure you look carefully at prices in a fine dining restaurant before making a reservation.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-does-fine-dining-mean-the-peak-resort-dining/ retrieved January 13, 2021