Restaurants are a very large part of everyday life being the perfect spot for first dates, meeting friends, or even just when cooking feels like a little too much effort. So what could make going to a restaurant even better…? Going to a themed restaurant!
There are countless establishments across the country, with varying themes, that enhance the overall restaurant experience. From aviation-themed restaurants to aquarium-styled venues, there are so many options for unique dining. Here are the very best the USA has to offer.
The Proud Bird – Los Angeles
Originally an aviation-themed restaurant, this LAX-adjacent restaurant opened in 1967. It was, however, reincarnated in 2017 as a modern food hall with six stalls offering Asian, Italian, American, and more types of cuisine. In keeping with the theme, enormous model airplanes hang from the ceiling, and airport-type terminology is used throughout: arriving is where you place your order, while departures are where you pick it up. You can also enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine at the Mile High Club bar while admiring the view.
Heart Attack Grill – Las Vegas, Nevada
In true Vegas fashion, the city is home to an over-the-top restaurant in which servers dress as nurses and distribute the healthiest, heart-attack-inducing cuisine imaginable. Hospital gowns are provided to customers to keep them warm as they wait for their towering, loaded burgers.
Patrons can order burgers ranging from the delightful Single Bypass, which has one patty and various strips of bacon, to the extensive Octuple Bypass, which features eight patties and 40 strips of bacon. Those little plastic pill containers that prescriptions typically come in can be ordered containing shots or lard-fried fries.
Any customer over 350 pounds are entitled to free food and for those that eat there regularly, it becomes easier to achieve that goal.
Aquarium Restaurant – Nashville, Denver, Houston
The combination of aquariums and seafood makes for this unique restaurant and experience. A 200,000-gallon aquarium containing tropical fish, sharks, and stingrays provides diners with a beautiful “under the sea” view while they eat. The fish theme is more than just the view, however, as it also plays a significant role in the menu. Among the options are clam chowder, lobster towers with avocados and black beans, and crab-stuffed shrimp.
Additionally, a Mystic Mermaid show is presented several times a month, showcasing professional mermaids that dive into the tank and perform choreographed routines to music. Watching your food swim around you as you eat, really makes for a strange yet fun experience. making this a great place to visit!
Mad Rex – Philidelphia
Ever thought about what it would be like to dine in a post-apocalyptic world? This Fishtown restaurant located in Philidelphia, PA takes you into this alternative world – that can only be described as scorched earth chic – though decidedly more flavorful than canned goods and salvaged MREs.
Keeping with the theme, cocktails are served in tins and lava rocks heat 14 ounces of hearty proteins, like a New York strip. The bar offers a range of specialty drinks, such as the Vigilante and Flame Thrower; open-air, canned, and bottled bears; and a wide selection of wine.
Harvey Washbanger’s – Texas
One of the most out-there restaurants can be found in Texas. This unique spot combines a state-of-the-art laundromat, a gourmet burger joint, and a craft beer bar keeping this neighborhood spot packed all summer long. Need to wash your clothes? You can wash your whites and colors in the 80-machine laundry room, then soak them in a high-efficiency washer all while enjoying a burger topped with pepper jack and crawfish, and drink in the adjacent dining room. There’s no need to worry about keeping track of when you need to switch over your laundry as a light board will alert you when to do so.
Magic Time Machine – San Antonio
This classic San Antonie institution has been serving up fine dining in an energetic and fun way since 1973. At this restaurant, you can find themes anywhere from the Marvel comics to the Pirates of the Caribbean as no one room is the same. The various seating areas in the dining room, include an old refrigerator, the Attic, and the Tiki Hut. You can get your food served by all kinds of characters such as Robin Hood, Spiderman, Jack Sparrow, and so many more. Kids will enjoy the fun while grownups will appreciate the live music and full bar in the after-10 pm saloon.
SafeHouse – Chicago
Milwaukee’s Safehouse has lured Midwest residents for over 50 years with its spy-themed bar and restaurant that requires a password or clearance test to gain entry. Here you can order cocktails inspired by celebrated secret agents like Sterling Archer and the Man with the Copper Mug.
International Exports Ltd. has launched a second location and brought the immersive experience to Chicago, where prospective spies enter through an alleyway, sit next to a WWII spy plane’s flight deck, and dine under decor made of espionage artifacts.
Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar – San Francisco
Tonga Room, Nob Hill’s classic watering hole, is one of the only tiki bars in the country with such a dedication to the genre. As a Polynesian-themed bar and restaurant inside the iconic Fairmont hotel, the establishment has been serving mai tais since 1945. In 2010, the bar was renovated and rejuvenated with a $1 million investment. In addition to tasty drinks and delectable finger foods, Tonga Room is famous for its enchanting ambiance: built around a lagoon formerly a swimming pool. It boasts a floating stage where a live orchestra performs every night.
Cliftons Republic – Los Angeles
Clifton’s, established in 1931 as a pay-what-you-can cafeteria, is now a multi-level drinking establishment with eye-pleasing forest decor. A 40-foot-tall fake redwood tree stands in the middle of the space; its base can be found around the corner from the Monarch Bar on the second level, and its reinforced branches reach the ceiling.
In addition to the Monarch Bar, a 19th-century altar has been transformed into the Gothic Bar, and two offices on the fourth floor were converted to two more bars: The Treetops and tiki-inspired Pacific Seas.
The Aeroplane Restaurant – Colorado Springs
The Aeroplane Restaurant, though not diverse in its food, creates a unique experience by being located in a converted KC-97 U.S. Air Force tanker located just a few minutes away from Colorado Springs’ small airport. Inside the plane, patrons can sit inside the dining room deemed “the terminal.” Customers can choose from burgers, fries, and a few salads giving a new look to airline food.
