9th November 2020
The 9 Most Beautiful Restaurant Websites of 2020
Having a beautiful restaurant website is more accessible than ever before, yet when you look up the menu for a local restaurant, their websites are often… well, lacking. They don’t often showcase the food, and if they do, the site looks like it was made in 2002.
Great website design is more important now than ever – a modern website builds trust with anyone who views it, because they know you are a forward-thinking, active business. It also signifies to search engines that you’re worth showing to users, because your website is modern, responsive (mobile friendly), fast, and up-to-date.
Let’s take a look at some of the most beautiful restaurant websites of 2020:
1. Genesis (Shoreditch, London)
Genesis’s website so
special in so many ways. Their animated homepage quickly orients you in
whether you’re in their target market. They’re clearly not trying to market to everyone: they’re
offering plant-based food for young people, likely with a couple of tattoos of their own.
This futuristic-yet-1970s-inspired, black and white Garden of Eden guides customers on their journey
to the menu, which is just as exciting as the website. Genesis is a vegan restaurant in Shoreditch,
London, and this restaurant has certainly tapped into an interesting niche. While their website is
entirely monochrome, the venue itself serves a unique melange of pastel-colored, diner-style decor and
the classic inner-city design of bare brick walls and industrial lighting. They even have merch, which
just goes to show how great branding can go well beyond uniforms and signage.
2. Pomorilla (Cupra Marittima, Italy)
A one-page website can be one of the best ways to deliver information fast. This pizza restaurant in Cupra Marittima, Italy, has certainly pulled it off. Their site is satisfyingly interactive, with each section morphing into different dough-like shapes as you scroll through. And when you click on each iteration of their menu (classic, white pizza and the specials), a little triangle cursor swoops around to the section you’ve clicked on. This website is another one with minimal color (just black, white and dough-colored creams), but it draws your attention to the fantastic animation and typography.
3. Mah Ze Dahr Bakery (New York City & Washington DC)
Click over to Mah
Ze Dahr Bakery’s website, and you’re instantly hit with a different feel. The relaxed
feeling of the first two websites are gone, and we’re met with something intensely elegant and luxurious.
The first thing you see on this gorgeous website
is a slow-moving series of images of the bakery’s
high-end delicacies. Cookies, flans, cakes, and meringues are the opening image, and as you scroll
through, you discover their exquisite menu of sumptuous-looking scones, cheesecakes, brownies and
shortbreads. This classy website is made even more visually dramatic by a pure, white background and
clean, readable typeface. It’s no surprise to find catering, corporate, and wedding links in the menu.
4. Tweed (Stokholm)
This Swedish bar prides itself on being comfortable and cozy; here, you can book an armchair for an hour or for the whole evening. This bar’s nautical-themed website is whimsical without being garish. It strikes a lovely balance between interactive and old-fashioned, and represents the feeling of the bar itself incredibly well. With nautical illustrations against a subtle terracotta and white background, this website is simple yet effective.
5. Moxhe (Sydney)
Moxhe is another site that keeps everything on
one page. Upon landing on their site you’ll see a bright,
fresh moving image of the ocean waves stretching across the top of the page, quickly setting the scene
for the relaxed nature of the restaurant, the food they serve, and the location. When you click on the
menu, an animated book opening-like image emerges, and you find yourself scrolling through a list of
freshly-caught fish dishes with organic vegetables. Moxhe is an Australian seafood restaurant owned by
a couple, to whom the reader is instantly introduced for a personal touch.
The overall tone of this website is light, airy and sea-themed, without any nautical pastiche. (The only
thing we’d recommend is that they grab an SSL certificate for SEO purposes, as not having one is quickly
becoming a major no-no. That’s something we do for all our clients.)
6. China Poblano (Las Vegas)
Based on a folklore tale of a Chinese girl (known as La China Poblana) kidnapped by pirates and brought to Mexico, this Las Vegas restaurant combines Mexican and Chinese cuisine. This website’s design perfectly meshes Mexican colors and fonts with Chinese food and patterns. The bright colors represent the atmosphere the restaurant has, while the gentle animations between pages makes everything feel easy. This site is a great example of how to marry bright color and excitement with simplicity, so the eye is always drawn to the most important information.
7. Dasher & Crank (Miami)
This craft ice cream shop in Wynwood, Miami follows the mantra, “Life is short – eat ice cream!” Their pastel pink and blue navigation bar echoes the satisfying drip of melting ice cream, and as you scroll through, these nostalgic colors are continued in their menu. Various pictures of creamy, homemade ice cream are shown between their About section, Location section and their menu, which is divided into vegan and dairy options. This website is well-thought-out and brightly-colored yet consistent and cohesive.
8. Miss Lily’s (Jamaica, Dubai, New York)
With locations across the world, this restaurant offers up a modern approach to Jamaican cuisine, and this is immediately reflected in their website design. Their brightly-colored website combines gorgeous photos of their dishes and cocktails with a retro diner feel. This website also features illustrations and retro-style photos of beautiful people having the time of their lives. This site perfectly illustrates how you can show all your brand’s values on one site, without overwhelming your potential customers.
9. Quay (Sydney)
Quay shows how you can embrace a much darker theme but still stay sophisticated and warm. The logo transforms to reveal a breath-taking view of Sydney harbor with just the suggestion of where you could be eating on such a beautiful evening. What follows are more crisp images in the same color tones and extremely readable copy that helps the viewer find what they’re looking for. The navigation is simple, fast, and easy to use, and the main CTA (make a reservation) stays front and center in the navigation bar at all times.