Is spending lavishly on expensive restaurants and cafes for the purpose of entertainment and a change of atmosphere for the family, when cheaper alternatives of the same quality are available, considered a form of extravagance?

Extravagance (israf) and squandering (tabdhir) are both dispraised in Islamic law, and it is well-known that they share the same meaning. Some scholars believe that extravagance is exceeding the limit in spending on what is permissible, while squandering is spending on what is impermissible.

Therefore, if one chooses an expensive recreational place over a less expensive one, when both are equal in all aspects, then it is extravagance. However, if there is a legitimate benefit, such as the place being better or having cleaner air, or for the purpose of providing recreation for the family, then there is no harm in it, and one hopes for reward for providing comfort for the family. A condition for this permissibility is that the recreation must not involve anything forbidden.