Glossary
Dress Code
dress code
English; the formal or informal expectation of attire
The expected attire at a restaurant, ranging from casual through smart casual, business casual, smart formal, and black tie. Stated dress codes are the floor; the actual expectation is usually one notch above what's printed.
Full Definition
Dress code is the unwritten language of restaurant rooms. Most fine-dining rooms publish a stated dress code on their reservation page; the published code is the minimum, not the actual expectation. The room is calibrated by what the regulars wear, and the regulars wear one notch above the stated code.
Casual: jeans and a clean t-shirt are fine. Sneakers acceptable. The room expects nothing in particular.
Smart casual: dark jeans or chinos, collared shirt or fine knit, leather shoes (not sneakers). The default at most mid-tier and above urban restaurants.
Business casual: trousers and a button-down for men, equivalent for women. Jacket optional but adds polish. Some New York and Tokyo rooms quietly require a jacket past 7pm even when the printed code says smart casual.
Smart formal / jacket required: jacket mandatory for men; cocktail attire for women. The dress code at the splurge tier — Eleven Madison Park, Per Se, Le Bernardin, the Connaught dining room, three-star Tokyo and Paris rooms. Some rooms keep jackets on hand for guests who arrive without one; some politely turn diners away.
Black tie: rare at restaurants outside special events, hotel ballrooms, and the highest-tier private dining clubs. Stated explicitly; if it's not stated, it's not expected.
The "smart casual" trap: most diners under-interpret smart casual. The room is calibrated by people who treat it as smart-formal-minus-jacket, not as casual-plus-collar. When in doubt, dress one notch above what you read on the website. The night reads better.