17 Themed Restaurants From The 90s, Ranked

If the internet is to be believed, everything '90s is on its way back into our lives. And we mean everything from food to sitcom reboots to all those fashion choices. Depending on your age, you might be quaking with excitement or lamenting a misspent youth spent eating sun-dried tomato pasta in a flannel shirt. And no matter which side you're on, you can probably remember some of the wild ideas restaurateurs had for their customers in that decade. Hitting a stride in the '90s, themed restaurants were a big, wacky business.

Although some were around before that golden and grungy decade, the majority of the spots on this list came to light in the mid-'90s, and a lot burned out within a few years when the minimalism of the 2000s took over — we're looking at you, kale chips and smoothie bowls. For a hit of nostalgia, we ranked these restaurants based on the menu offerings, the time spent in business, and how well-liked the concepts were. (Popularity contests being another heavy '90s theme.) Pull out your best overalls and polo shirt combo and take a walk down memory lane to some of the biggest themed restaurants the '90s had to offer. 

Even Steven Speilberg couldn't resist the siren call of all the '90s-themed eateries and finally submerged himself in dark waters with the submarine-centric restaurant called Dive! (Apparently, exclamation marks in restaurant names were big back then, too.) Dreamt up by the visionary that brought us some of the best movies ever, Spielberg planned to expand to over 60 locations worldwide. In reality, only two locations came to fruition — the first location opened in Los Angeles in 1994, with a second location opening in Las Vegas a year later, and both closing in 1999. So why didn't Dive! survive?

Mostly, it came down to the deadly combination of too much entertainment and not enough decent grub. Reports were that an over-the-top theatrical experience gave diners the feeling they were onboard an actual submarine (think alarm bells, watery portholes, creaky submerging noises). Meanwhile, overpriced yet underflavored food — Dive! specialized in sub sandwiches, obviously — just didn't live up to what anyone expected from a mind like Spielberg's.

Developed by Planet Hollywood and backed by some of the biggest names in sports, Official All Star Cafe should have done much better than it did. Names like Wayne Gretzky, Andre Agassi, Joe Montana, Shaquille O'Neill, Monica Seles, Tiger Woods, and more all invested in the idea and agreed to be the faces of the brand. As a weird aside, the restaurant also had a "Charlie Sheen Room" because he had an enormous collection of baseball memorabilia and loaned some to the restaurant.

With the first location opening in New York in 1995 and going to open other spots in Las Vegas, Disney World, and Cancun, the restaurants also included enormous gift shops where fans could buy any sports-related item they desired. Much like Hard Rock Cafe for sports, it also included tons of iconic memorabilia donated by athletic investors. While it had a pretty typical menu featuring dishes favored by the celebrity athletes, the booths were made to look like mini baseball gloves, and diners were treated to big screen pics of themselves taken by an overhead blimp. 

The term "supermodel" started in the '80s, but it didn't explode until the early ”90s when a handful of stunning faces took over the runways and every couture advertisement in magazines. Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Elle MacPherson decided to expand their reach, and Fashion Cafe was born. Later, Christy Turlington joined when things still looked good. Another eatery focused more on the theme than the food; there's little online to recall what was offered aside from regular burgers, fries, pizzas, and steaks served with a supermodel's name.

Sadly, the polished and glittering veneer of gorgeous models wasn't enough to sustain the business, which opened in 1995 and closed in 1998. The women were only the faces of the business, and business operators were eventually on the hook for $15 million in various lawsuits. The concept might have sounded good at the time, but the combination of supermodels and food wasn't an ideal match, and the venue eventually became better known for food-free promotional events.

A smaller regional chain, Space Aliens Grill and Bar's three locations in North Dakota and Minnesota are all still open. The first restaurant opened in 1997 in Bismarck, ND, with the other two following soon after. A quick spin through the business's history reveals a wildly colorful and humorous take on the background of the owners (purported to be actual aliens who broke down on their way to Venus), while in person, the venues are just as over-the-top as you might expect.

The space-themed menu is extensive and features all the food typical of a fast-casual family restaurant. Where Space Alien Grill and Bar stands out, however, is its actual award-winning bar-b-que, which took home the "America's Best Ribs" award in Memphis' National Bar-B-Que Convention Rib Cook-off in 2020. If you're not into ribs, the chicken also took home a prize. The restaurants are all super kid friendly with the signature Galaxy Games Room and pretty impressive kids' menu.

The closing of Mars 2112 might have been the most lamented theme restaurant demise yet. Many actual New Yorkers (unlike the tourists that flock to kitschy Times Square restaurants) continue to express their sadness that the massive, underground theme restaurant closed, particularly on Twitter. Even the legacy glossy food mags bemoaned the loss.

The Times Square location opened in 1998 with a 33,000-square-foot space made to look like it was carved out of Martian rock. Upon entering the foyer, patrons didn't line up for a table — instead, they were taken on a three-minute "ride" through space to Mars. The cavernous space was filled with costumed staff who would gladly pose for pictures or fulfill your desire for more Nebula Chili Nachos. The menu had a mothership full of space-themed items covering a galactic range: Cronus Chicken Curry lived side by side with Copernicus Chicken Parmesan. However, it's interesting to note that the "healthy" menu — including roasted spaghetti squash, a vegetarian sandwich, and a low-sugar chocolate chunk blondie with ice cream and hot fudge — didn't get any of the solar system epithets of the regular menu. 

With the success of Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood was opened in an effort to capitalize on the lure of movies rather than music. Helmed by a former Hard Rock Cafe CEO and partners, the draw was the major star power the owners managed to bring on board. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Demi Moore were initial investors, with Patrick Swayze, Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, and Whoopi Goldberg climbing aboard soon after.

The first location opened in 1991 in NYC, and eventually, the group operated nearly 60 locations worldwide; Planet Hollywood remains one of the best-known theme restaurants. These days, the franchise is down to seven locations, including New York, Las Vegas, and Disneyland Paris, along with four hotel resorts. But what really happened to Planet Hollywood? Aside from expanding at an astonishing rate, it seems like the best answer is the disappointing food. Even in tourist-rich areas, repeat customers are like gold, and terrible food isn't the way to keep people coming back. While we can certainly get into the idea of a glitzy restaurant steeped in movie lore and culture, we can get that on the big screen without being disappointed by a kitchen.

Outfitted with a batting cage, a replica of the SportsCenter set, enormous murals of the top athletes of the time, and, again, tons of memorabilia, ESPN Zone was supposed to be a sure-fire success. When parent company Disney opened the first of nine national locations in Baltimore in 1998, fans couldn't have been more excited. The combination of the hottest sports network in the country plus Disney? There was no way it could fail, certainly.

Unfortunately, by 2010, ESPN Zone was down to two remaining locations, both of which were housed in Disney theme parks (where they were instead called ESPN Club), but both have since been shuttered as well. Generally speaking, it appears that despite the well-loved venues, Disney decided to do away with them as the theme park was closed during Covid. Much like all the other locations, declining financial performance was cited as the main reason.

What can you say about Hard Rock Cafe? The first heavy-hitting theme restaurant to open locations worldwide, it also remains a success to this day thanks to a varied menu and a theme that treads the thin line between trite novelty and tasteful execution of theme. The first location was opened in London, in 1971, as just an American-style diner. As the business became more popular, the owners began to make connections in the community, including Eric Clapton — who also happened to donate the very first piece of memorabilia, a guitar.

The restaurant's connection to musicians didn't end there. Paul McCartney played one of the first live gigs at a Hard Rock Cafe back in 1973. Now, more than 15,000 live performances take place each year across all locations. Part of the reason the chain continues to endure is the consistency of the locations, the incredibly enormous archive of music memorabilia amassed, and if you want the untold truth, the Hard Rock Cafe makes an absolute mint off of those branded t-shirts. Since opening in 1971, the company has also diversified into casinos, hotels, and live music venues.