Had dinner at a restaurant vs Had dinner at restaurant

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. The phrase 'had dinner at a restaurant' is the more common and natural way to express this idea. The inclusion of the article 'a' before 'restaurant' is necessary for correct grammar. On the other hand, 'had dinner at restaurant' is not a standard English construction and would be considered incorrect.

Last updated: March 26, 2024 • 1814 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"Had dinner at a restaurant"

This phrase is the correct way to express that you ate dinner at a specific restaurant. The article 'a' is necessary before 'restaurant'.

Examples:

We had dinner at a restaurant last night.
She always enjoys having dinner at a restaurant.
I had dinner at a restaurant with my friends.
They had a romantic dinner at a restaurant by the beach.
He suggested having dinner at a restaurant downtown.

Show examples from the web [+]

They had dinner at a nearby restaurant and were taking an evening stroll.
He had dinner last night at a restaurant called Cafe Tuscany.
She's meeting her sister tonight for dinner at a restaurant.
I want to go on a date with you, denny. I want to... eat dinner at a restaurant and not look like a crazy person talking to myself.
We had dinner in the restaurant with her fiancé.
Dinner at any restaurant in town.
My friend invited me to dinner at the restaurant.
So why not take her to a hotel or buy her a fancy dinner at a restaurant on the other side of town?
Ordering dinner in a restaurant, laughing with my friends...
They had dinner, left the restaurant together.
And took her out to dinner at her favorite restaurant.
We have a standing Thursday night dinner at our favorite restaurant.
James has arranged for us to have dinner at his new restaurant tonight.
Family dinner at Fiona's restaurant.
We're having dinner at a Chinese restaurant tonight.
Feed you like nice dinner at a fancy restaurant.
Cyrus made reservations for dinner At your favorite restaurant, the gramercy tavern.
I can't have dinner at that Moroccan restaurant this Saturday.
They went to dinner at the cove restaurant here.
I made the dinner reservation at a restaurant over in Haverhill.

Alternatives:

ate dinner at a restaurant
dined at a restaurant
had a meal at a restaurant
enjoyed dinner at a restaurant
had dinner at a nice restaurant

This phrase is not a standard English construction and would be considered incorrect.

"Had dinner at restaurant"

This phrase is incorrect due to the missing article 'a' before 'restaurant'. To be grammatically correct, you should always include the article when referring to a singular noun like 'restaurant'.

Show examples from the web [+]

They had dinner at a nearby restaurant and were taking an evening stroll.
He had dinner last night at a restaurant called Cafe Tuscany.
We had dinner in the restaurant with her fiancé.
Dinner at any restaurant in town.
My friend invited me to dinner at the restaurant.
They had dinner, left the restaurant together.
And took her out to dinner at her favorite restaurant.
We have a standing Thursday night dinner at our favorite restaurant.
James has arranged for us to have dinner at his new restaurant tonight.
Family dinner at Fiona's restaurant.
We're having dinner at a Chinese restaurant tonight.
Feed you like nice dinner at a fancy restaurant.
Cyrus made reservations for dinner At your favorite restaurant, the gramercy tavern.
I can't have dinner at that Moroccan restaurant this Saturday.
They went to dinner at the cove restaurant here.
You buy me dinner at my restaurant of choice if I'm right.
You buy me dinner at my restaurant of choice if I'm right.
Because nobody paid for dinner at the restaurant, and I do not have this kind of money.
And then we got dinner at the restaurant we hadn't been to in a long time.
She's meeting her sister tonight for dinner at a restaurant.

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Had dinner at a restaurant vs Had dinner at restaurant