Dining In Strange Places
Americans love to eat out. The country is known for its oversized portions, various venues, and abundant fast food chains. There's no shortage of food options and there's a splendor of dining establishments to eat in, some more eclectic than others. From wacky concepts to strange locations, check out America's most bizarre restaurants. Would you dine at any?
1. Heart Attack Grill, Las Vegas, Nevada
When your restaurant is themed after a hospital, you know you've broken the bizarre scale. Heart Attack Grill is glorifying unhealthy food and obesity with a gut-busting menu and a promo for over-350-pound people to eat for free. It's a theatrical dining experience where guests become patients in hospital gowns and they're served "prescriptions" from servers wearing sexy nurse outfits. If that doesn't make you nauseous, their menu features artery-clogging items like a Quadruple Bypass Burger and a Coronary Dog. No worries about walking off the calories, after you painfully stuff yourself, a nurse can wheel you out to your car in a wheelchair.
2. Opaque, Los Angeles, California
The concept of dining in the dark has risen in popularity around the world and Opaque was not blind to the trend. For a one-of-a-kind sensory experience, diners eat their entire meal without any light. Right from the start, gusts are blindfolded and lead to their seat where they are served a prix fixe menu. The idea is to experience food without the influence of sight for a unique and mindful eating experience.
3. The Yurt, Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah
If you were told to "take a hike" when you reserved a table at The Yurt at Utah's Solitude Mountain Resort, the receptionist wasn't being rude. To reach the restaurant, diners must strap on snowshoes and hike a half-mile through the snow to get there. After a chilly venture, you'll be rewarded with a yurt that seats 26 guests for an intimate four-course dinner.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
4. Tony Packo’s, Toledo, Ohio
Tony Packo's is a bizarre mix of Hungarian-American food famous for their pickles and hotdogs. The casual restaurant has been serving its signature hotdogs for decades and you can take home jars of their Hungarian pickles. Expect your dog to be smothered in mustard, onions, and their secret sauce. Other menu items include traditional Hungarian eats like chicken paprikas and cabbage rolls.
5. Ninja New York, New York
Enter this basement establishment to find a ninja playground. The restaurant is designed to look like a traditional Japanese village with the addition of hidden doors and windows everywhere. The staff are dressed like ninjas and will pop out of any of these secret entrances to serve you food and drinks. While you select your meal from a diverse Japanese menu, expect ninja performances and tricks at your table.
6. Mars 2112, NYC, New York
This recently-closed restaurant was a science-fiction splendor in its time. As a prime tourist attraction in Times Square, the space-themed diner was truly out of this world. From floor to ceiling, it was designed to look like the red planet of Mars and served up a diverse selection of galaxy-themed grub and drinks that transported you to another world.
7. Fife & Drum, West Concord, Massachusetts
You'd think dining was a crime eating at the country's only prison restaurant. Fife & Drum is located inside the Northeast Correctional Center and to eat there you must follow strict rules. You can only dine from 11:30 to 12:30 and you must show ID and fess over your cellphone upon entering. If jail dining excites you, you'll be served cheap meals by soon-to-be-released inmates made with ingredients from their garden.
8. Cowboy Dinner Tree, Silver Lake, Oregon
This remote and rustic restaurant is a trip back in time to life as a cowboy. In the same location once stood a chuck wagon that served beans and biscuits to hungry cowboys. The large juniper tree is a landmark for the location which now holds a small building in place of the wagon. It's more than slim-pickins now–– they serve large portions of grub in their tack room-inspired restaurant but there's no menu.
Loren Kerns from Tigard, Oregon, USA on Wikimedia
9. Twins Creek Cafe, Fort Worth, Texas
If car shopping works up your appetite then you'll want to give Twins Creek Cafe a test drive. The restaurant is located inside a Honda car dealership and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. According to reviews, it's a gourmet diner's dream so be sure to expect tasty meals while you gaze at flashy vehicles.
10. Ichiran, NYC, New York
If you're not much of a people-person or you like to focus entirely on eating, Ichran's solitary dining experience is for you. Every table in the ramen restaurant is its own cubicle booth built for one person. You can partake in as little human-interaction as possible with an electronic ordering system and noodles served through a curtained window.
11. Lumberjack Feud, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Dinner and a show! Feast on casual barbecue grub while you watch a lumberjack competition. You'll be entertained by bearded men in plaid chopping tree stumps with axes and rolling on logs in their massive amphitheater. Grownups can sip craft beer from the local brewery while kids nibble food from a selection of fast-food joints.
12. The Tonga Room, San Francisco, California
The basement of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco has been transformed into a tropical dining oasis. The mid-century tiki restaurant features a man-made lagoon with a stage for their in-house band. You'll be served Polynesian-fusion cuisine under palm-thatched roofs that shelter you from the occasional "tropical storm" that strikes throughout the night.
13. Dollar Bill Bar, Florida Keys
Within a luxury resort is a seafood restaurant swimming in money. Its covered from floor to ceiling in signed one dollar bills donated by dining patrons. Nobody really knows when the money decor trend started but it continued to draw attention. The open-air establishment has been open for over 60 years offering sunset views overlooking the ocean.
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA on Wikimedia
14. Mad Rex, Fishtown, Philadelphia
Experience a post-apocalyptic dinner from the safety of the Mad Rex restaurant and bar. The futuristic venue boasts a theatrical spectacle of the end of the world with movie-inspired decor and menu items. There's a virtual reality room for guests to view an apocalyptic world and a wide selection of cigars to smoke if you feel so inclined.
15. The Duce, Phoenix, Arizona
This old warehouse has been converted into a restaurant, coffee bar, vintage shop, and gym. If that's not enough, the warehouse is full of random surprises like a 1950s art deco bar salvaged from Chicago's Black Orchid nightclub and an eclectic gym equipped with vintage equipment. You can end your retro workout with a bite to eat or a caffeine boost from the cafe.
Andy Blackledge from Scottsdale, AZ, USA on Wikimedia
16. Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle, Washington
Teatro ZinZanni is a peculiar dinner circus. A step through its tent doors will transport you a world of comedians, acrobats, and cabaret dancers. You're in for a night of laughing while you eat a multi-course meal. You'll be up close and personal with the performers as tables are situated within the action.
17. Bubble Room, Captiva Island, Florida
"It's always Christmas at the Bubble Room!"–– This restaurant is a vibrant splendor of kitschy Christmas decor all year round. If you want your fix of the holidays in an eclectic setting, reserve a spot at this famous Florida restaurant. You'll be merry after nibbling on their garlicky "bubble bread" or buying a festive souvenir from their gift shop.
18. Charlie Russell Chew Choo, Lewistown, Montana
You'll be chewing on a full prime rib dinner aboard this Montana dinner train. Riders are in for a three hour ride that takes you through farmland and hills alive with wildlife. You can also choose to dine in their Montana or North Pole dinner trains, which are climate-controlled and accompanied by musical entertainment.
19. Pirate's Dinner Adventure, Orlando, Florida
Are you brave enough to dine amongst the pirates at this dinner show anchored in Orlando? Hop on board one of the six ships floating in a man-made lagoon inside a replica of 18th-century Spanish galleons. Prepare yourself for a feast fit for hungry sailors while you're entertained by an interactive performance adventure.
Ingrid from Berkeley, CA on Wikimedia
20. Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Sister Bay, Wisconsin
If you hear thumping on the roof, it's just the resident goats trotting above you as you dine. This Swedish-inspired restaurant combines the best stereotypes under one goat-covered roof. Here you'll find a traditional beer garden and casual dining room with servers dressed in authentic Scandinavian garb. From meatballs to pancakes, you're in for tasty Swedish family cuisine.
