Eatery is a much less formal term than restaurant. It isn't a put-down, precisely, but you wouldn't call Spago or The Four Seasons an "eatery" except as a joke. On the other hand, you can certainly call McDonald's an "eatery", but that isn't the sort of establishment that is usually called that, either.

While its older siblings focus on consistency and culinary finesse, Local promises an “elevated pub” experience, where you're “only a stranger once.” With Local, the JOEY Restaurant Group lives out the organization's original vision: dining experiences that reflect the ethos of the communities they serve.

Eatery is a casual or informal word for a place to buy and eat prepared food. A diner is one kind of eatery, and a Chinese restaurant is another.

Carinderia (sometimes spelled as Karinderya) is a common type of eatery in the Philippines that serves affordable and locally-inspired dishes.