There are obvious things you’re not allowed to do in a restaurant but some establishments have surprising bans you might not expect. From chains that ban mobile phones to Michelin-starred restaurants that won’t admit bankers, here are some of the weirdest and most wonderful prohibitions out there. Check the rules before you book...

We didn’t think this would be possible but a Mongolian barbecue buffet in Brighton, UK, banned two men from its restaurant because they ate too much. The rugby player and his friend were regulars at Gobi for two years before the manager told them not to come back, branding them “a couple of pigs”. They were said to be eating him out of business and beating other customers to the food.

In 2018, the owner of now-closed New York dive bar Continental got a bee in his bonnet about customers’ incorrect use of the word “literally”. Finally sick of it, he stuck a notice outside the East Village establishment which read, “Sorry but if you say the word 'literally' inside Continental you have 5 minutes to finish your drink and then you must leave.”

A bar in Fulham, south London, bans customers wearing red trousers. The Little Blue Door, which serves brunch and hosts supper clubs, wants guests to feel like they are hanging out at a friend’s house. If someone turns up wearing the statement colour, they will be given 1980s retro tracksuit bottoms or comfortable pyjamas to wear instead. The rule is meant to poke fun at members’ clubs that give underdressed people big jackets to wear.

New York restaurant Nello put a ban on solo women at the bar due to high class escort fears in 2019. When British writer Clementine Crawford visited the pricey Upper East Side establishment, famed for its $275 white truffle pasta dishes, and took a seat at the bar, she was swiftly redirected to a table. Crawford details the events in her essay The Night I Was Mistaken for a Call Girl. A Twitter user defended her saying, “In case you didn’t know – women can afford their own drinks at a bar – we are not hookers waiting for a man to pay for us."

Private members' club for creatives, Soho House, London, enforces a “no ties” rule. Its aim is to cultivate a relaxed, artsy environment and the staff are even said to wear hoodies. Lobbyist Peter Bingle was banned for six months in 2011 for “disregarding” the casual dress code. He responded that it was ironic for a liberal, friendly club to ban him on the grounds of what he was wearing.

A Hawaiian restaurant caused a stir in 2016 by declaring a blanket ban on Trump supporters, posting a notice in the window saying: “If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here!” The policy at Honolulu’s Café 8 1/2 raised eyebrows with some customers, with one writing: “People should be able to get food without hearing a political message. I will never go back again.” The restaurant has since closed and reopened as Soffritto at a different location.

At the end of 2018, the UK-based Italian-American restaurant chain Frankie & Benny's banned mobile phones from its locations in a bid to get families to spend more quality time together. As an incentive to keep mobiles in a special box during the meal, the chain offered free food for children. It's not the first place to introduce the rule. Many other restaurants and bars have asked customers to put their screens away and enjoy the moment.

As part of a personal vendetta against bankers after they refused to give him a loan, the owner of Paris restaurant Les Ecuries de Richelieu banned financers from entering unless they paid a €70,000 entrance fee – the amount the banks refused him. The owner said: "As soon as I see a banker that I recognise I won’t let them enter my restaurant… They have treated me like a dog, so I have denied them access.”

In 2016, the pop-up, “naked” restaurant Amrita in Tokyo declared that once it opened, it would refuse entry to anyone who was 15kg (33lbs) above the average weight for their height. Guests thought to be overweight would be subjected to the humiliation of being weighed, and if they were deemed overweight, would be asked to leave without a refund. A spokesperson said: “If fat people are allowed in it could be miserable for some guests… We are aiming for a sort of Roman aesthetic." Unsurprisingly, their approach was widely derided.

It makes sense to take leftovers home if you haven’t finished your meal but a handful of restaurants, including London’s Sketch, ban takeaway boxes entirely due to hygiene concerns. One customer got into a war of words with the restaurant in 2016 after they refused to let her take her food home, with the ensuing argument resulting in the restaurant cancelling reservations she’d made for her partner’s 30th birthday.

Tokyo restaurant PiaPia decided to ban couples from dining together on Christmas Eve in 2017, in case they made other customers feel lonely. One employee said that couples might cause their staff “severe emotional trauma” and added that single customers might ”feel sad that they are by themselves”.

Food shots might be one of the main reasons we love Instagram but the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Berkshire, England, has banned photos altogether. Its founder Michel Roux said: “I’m really getting so upset about people taking pictures. Maybe once during the meal you want to take a little photo of something because it’s unusual. But what about the flavours? A picture on a phone cannot possibly capture the flavours.”

It's not surprising that a vegan restaurant wouldn’t want to sell animal milk but after Spanish vegan restaurant El Vergel de Tarragona banned parents from bottle-feeding their babies, many customers were incensed. One customer said she felt “humiliated” while another wrote on Facebook: “I am a vegan and I think that, in the case of babies, you are mistaken."

If you like your food with a squeeze of ketchup and a glass of coke, steer clear of French restaurant Le Petit Jardin. Not only are fizzy drinks, ketchup and manufactured mayonnaise banned from the establishment (local products are preferred), if anyone uses their phone, a waiter blows a whistle and shows them a yellow card. If they continue to use their phone, they risk a red card and being turfed out of the restaurant.

We could have predicted that this wouldn’t end well. English café The Chart Room in Devon faced fury after saying it would not cater for children under the age of 12, although dogs were welcome. The owner said: “My main demographic are older, more mature people who want peace and quiet. I wanted people to be able to come and discuss the old days and have a nostalgic chat without children running around and distracting them.”

Think tipping is just part of eating in restaurants? Think again. The Langdale Chase Hotel in Cumbria, England, has banned tips from their restaurant to encourage repeat custom. The hotel’s managing director said: "The customer has chosen to use our establishment over other establishments – shouldn't we be giving them the service charge for their loyalty in using their facility, and enticing them to come back? My main beef is with the fact that the more you spend, the more you are nailed."

Many chefs dream of one day receiving a Michelin star but chef Sebastian Bras is the exception. He effectively banned Michelin stars from his restaurant, Le Suquet in the south of France, by asking the guide to strip him of his three stars. The reason? The pressure. “Maybe I will be less famous but I accept that," he said. "I will continue to please diners’ palates without wondering whether my creations will appeal to Michelin's inspectors.”

One of the world’s most memorable dining experiences necessitates a complete ban on light. At London’s Dans Le Noir, you’ll eat in total darkness and be hosted and served by waiters with visual impairments. It aims to change your perspective on vision and also heightens your sense of taste and smell. Other restaurants offer similar experiences in cities including Shanghai, New York City and Berlin.

It’s a dream job for many people but reviewers are not welcome at one particular establishment: Coco’s Cantina Restaurant and Bar in Auckland, New Zealand. After becoming cross at what they deemed to be an “out of touch” review, the owners hit back, writing in a post on Facebook: "Dear Peter Calder and all the other self acclaimed food reviewers of the world, check your mail boxes, you are not welcome at Coco's, and have no right in our restaurant.”

Think carefully before spritzing yourself with your favourite fragrance if you visit Nihonryori Ryugin, a three Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo. Perfume is banned at the establishment as it could “compromise the experience”. There are plenty of other things banned too: children under 10, leaving the table to smoke, using phones or cameras, and wearing t-shirts, sandals or shorts. Plus, if you don’t like fish, vegetables, seafood, soy sauce or miso, you’re asked not to book.

Potty-mouthed customers should stay away from the 200 Samuel Smith pubs in England where they enforce a no-swearing policy. After one bout of colourful language in June 2017, one bar closed for several days. However, one landlord expressed his frustration at the rules, set by the eccentric owner of the chain, saying: “I can only tell people so many times to stop swearing. They get excited, most of the time it’s harmless, not necessarily directed at anyone, just how people speak."

They might be a trendy food staple but one London restaurant, Firedog, officially banned the delicious avocado. Its head chef declared: “Our mission is to reinvigorate the morning dining scene in London, which has done avocado to death, and we’re frankly bored of seeing it on every breakfast and brunch menu.” The restaurant has now closed but the avocado still reigns strong.

Part of the joy of eating is in conversing while you do so, but not at the now-closed New York City restaurant Eat, located in Brooklyn's Greenpoint. They held 'Eat, Don't Speak' meals where absolutely no talking was allowed. The head chef was inspired to create the silent sessions after spending time with Buddhist monks in India who ate their breakfast without saying a word. The owner said: "It's kind of like a meditation. The silence speaks for itself."

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Burger restaurant Solita in Manchester, UK, is known for running photo competitions with the winner receiving a free lunch for two. At the start of 2018 they held a pet photography contest and banned pictures of pugs, rabbits and rats being entered. A social media meltdown ensued with protesters leaving negative one-star reviews on Facebook. The managers apologised saying it had been tongue in cheek and in the past they excluded reptiles for no reason.

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Adults love French fries just as much as children but the owner of The Courtyard Restaurant and Garden Bar in Auckland, New Zealand, refuses to sell them as a single item to adults. He said: "I don't think chips complement a meal. The only reason there's chips on the menu is because children like them.” Instead, he encourages customers to try the fried Brussels sprouts or a layered potato dish with cheese.

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