The Strangest Themed Restaurants From Florida To Washington, And Where They Are Now

Ever thought about munching a meal in pitch-black mystery or chewing your steak while a T-rex roars nearby? America’s got you covered.

Creative restaurateurs have turned dinner into theater, blending bites with wild backdrops that make every forkful part of the show. From Florida’s tiki temples where fruity scents dance in the air to Washington’s carnival-themed spots where laughter spills louder than the drinks, these 16 restaurants don’t just feed you, they entertain you.

It’s dining turned delightfully weird, a feast for your belly and your inner child all in one sitting.

1. Mai-Kai’s Polynesian Paradise

Grass skirts and flaming cocktails bring the South Pacific to Florida at this legendary tiki institution. After major renovations, Mai-Kai’s famous floor show dazzles diners with fire dancers and traditional performances.

Reservations fly faster than their rum barrels empty! The Molokai bar’s happy hour remains a hidden gem for sampling tropical concoctions without the dinner commitment.

2. Space 220’s Galactic Getaway

Space 220 whisks diners skyward with a “Stellarvator” ride into orbit, where panoramic Earth views steal every gasp. EPCOT may ground the setting, yet the illusion sparkles.

Cosmic cocktails shimmer, futuristic plates surprise, and demand soars with reservations booked months out. Guests leave with bellies full and imaginations still orbiting among the stars.

3. Sci-Fi Drive-In’s Retro Rocket Fuel

Permanent nighttime bathes this indoor 1950s drive-in theater, where guests munch burgers in vintage convertible cars. Classic B-movie clips play on the big screen while servers zip around in period costumes.

Who needs popcorn when milkshakes come straight to your car? Hollywood Studios’ nostalgic gem keeps the retro sci-fi flame burning bright with UFO sightings and creature features on loop.

4. Toothsome’s Steampunk Sugar Rush

Copper pipes snake through this Victorian chocolate factory where gears turn and steam hisses overhead. Towering milkshakes topped with entire slices of cake have made Toothsome Instagram famous.

Costumed characters roam between tables, spinning tales of chocolate discoveries. Beyond the sugar highs, hearty entrées surprise with unexpected quality at this Universal CityWalk hotspot where dessert is definitely not an afterthought.

5. Pirates Dinner Adventure’s Swashbuckling Feast

Pirate adventure unfolds on an 18th-century galleon floating in a vast indoor lagoon. Cannons boom, swords clash, and fried chicken fuels the crowd.

Guests wave flags for their pirate crew as stuntmen leap overhead, splashing drama into the night. Cheesy, rowdy, and joyfully over-the-top, it delivers buccaneer fun that leaves families grinning ear to ear.

6. T-REX Cafe’s Prehistoric Plates

Animatronic dinosaurs roar while you eat at this Mesozoic-themed eatery. Every 20 minutes, meteor showers trigger dinosaur agitation and flashing lights throughout the restaurant.

Kids dig for fossils in the sand area between bites. Disney Springs’ prehistoric playground divides its dining areas into themed zones – ice cave, undersea, and primeval forest – each with unique dino residents that occasionally malfunction into hilarious positions.

7. SafeHouse’s Covert Cuisine

Behind unmarked doors in Milwaukee, a spy-themed playground awaits.

Passwords grant entry, while code-less guests endure playful clearance tests for the crowd’s delight. Inside, cameras, moving walls, and secret passages keep the intrigue alive.

Spy relics line the space, and even restrooms hide behind cryptic signs, tricking martini-sipping adventurers into laughing misdirection.

8. Casa Bonita’s Cliff-Diving Cuisine

Colorado’s pink palace dazzles with cliff divers leaping into waterfalls as diners devour baskets of sopapillas.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone revived the landmark, polishing food once mocked as mediocre. Black Bart’s Cave still spooks kids, while mariachis, puppets, and jugglers swirl through the room, crafting chaotic joy with every bite of lively Mexican fare.

9. The Airplane Restaurant’s Sky-High Snacks

A retired Boeing KC-97 doubles as a dining hall, seating 42 inside its gleaming fuselage with overflow in the attached restaurant.

Meals include cockpit tours, where aviation fans marvel at controls and 100+ photos covering every wall. Servers playfully present “in-flight meals,” far tastier than anything once served at cruising altitude.

10. Buckhorn Exchange’s Wild West Feast

Colorado’s oldest restaurant serves exotic game beneath hundreds of taxidermied animal heads. Since 1893, this historic steakhouse has fed luminaries including Buffalo Bill and five U.S. presidents.

Walls showcase vintage firearms alongside hunting trophies.

Adventurous eaters can sample rattlesnake, alligator, and rocky mountain oysters (bull testicles) while admiring Colorado’s first liquor license proudly displayed behind the ornate antique bar upstairs.

11. Heart Attack Grill’s Cardiac Carnival

Weighing over 350 pounds? Eat free at this controversial Vegas diner where waitresses in nurse costumes spank adults who don’t finish meals.

Quadruple bypass burgers exceed 10,000 calories! The medical-themed restaurant requires diners to wear hospital gowns over clothes, while a wall of shame displays photos of customers who couldn’t finish their gluttonous challenges.

12. BLACKOUT’s Sightless Suppers

Dinner unfolds in pitch darkness, where aroma, texture, and taste lead the way. Blind servers guide guests through unseen courses, each bite a surprise.

Phones and watches stay surrendered at the door, freeing conversation from judgment. Mystery plates spark curiosity, turning every forkful into a playful challenge of senses and imagination.

13. The Pirate’s House’s Haunted History

Savannah’s oldest building blends ghost lore with peach cobbler comfort. Once a rowdy sailor haunt with tunnels for shanghaiing, it now tempts diners chasing both food and phantoms.

Built in 1753 and featured in Treasure Island, the spot brims with Captain Flint tales. Kids hunt treasure maps, ending with pirate hats in the bustling gift shop.

14. Catacombs at Bube’s Brewery’s Subterranean Feasts

Forty-three feet underground, candlelit dinners unfold in 19th-century beer aging caves. This Pennsylvania oddity combines history with haute cuisine in limestone caverns below a historic brewery complex.

Lantern-led tours precede multi-course feasts.

The temperature stays naturally cool year-round in these hand-dug catacombs, where servers navigate narrow stone passageways with practiced ease while delivering surprisingly upscale dishes in a setting straight from Edgar Allan Poe.

15. Tonga Room’s Tropical Thunderstorms

Scheduled rainstorms drench the indoor lagoon while the house band plays from a floating barge. This 1945 tiki landmark inside San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel converted the hotel’s swimming pool into a Polynesian paradise.

Celebrities flock here for potent mai tais! The over-the-top kitsch has survived multiple renovation attempts, preserved by passionate locals who rallied to save its vintage charm. Thunder claps and misty rain create surprising ambiance in this upscale hotel basement.

16. Unicorn & Narwhal’s Carnival Chaos

Seattle’s twin-concept bars blend carnival aesthetics with adult playground vibes. Unicorn upstairs offers zebra-striped walls and cotton candy cocktails, while Narwhal’s basement houses pinball machines and provocative artwork.

Drag shows happen weekly amid the chaos! The food matches the absurd decor – think “unicorn balls” (sweet donut holes) and “narwhal nuts” (deep-fried peanut butter and jelly). Capitol Hill’s quirkiest hotspot guarantees Instagram-worthy moments with every neon-colored drink.