Food is often a symbol of, a metaphor for, life in general. It can be bad and good; one may enjoy some dishes and hate others; and it can be messed up or turned into a success.

The film Restaurant, as the title suggests, has food as a major theme. Food is a business in a woman-centric film where two dynamic ladies - Janhavi (Jini) and Padmakka Patwardhan, descendants of a Maharashtrian royal family, run a restaurant. Food is entwined with their lives in various ways…Jini's loss of interest in cooking after the untimely death of her lover Paul; the conflict between the old and the modern as she wants to introduce new recipes in the menu; and ultimately, the realization that it is best to blend old and new for a harmonious relationship. That's what happens in people's lives as well.

Central to the theme is a family dispute. A court case looms large and it is possible that Jini could lose the beautiful bungalow, which is also the location of the restaurant. The livelihood of the two women is at stake.

People close to Jini and Padmakka, like the old cook Rehmanchacha and the new chef Sameer, the young guitarist Chaitanya who entertains the guests, the workers Sangeeta and Angad and Advocate Deshpande who represents Jini in the court case, are concerned about the fate of the restaurant and extend their moral support at all times.

Does Jini win the case and retain the bungalow? Does she get over the loss of Paul and return to her old ways? Will she ever regain her love for cooking... and consequently learn to enjoy life once again? Does Sameer make a mark in Jini's life and will Padmakka get back the Jini she once knew?