15 Themed Restaurants In The US You May Not Have Heard Of (But Should)

Once upon a time, themed restaurant chains ruled America's dining scene. Planet Hollywood gave us a taste of fame, Harley Davidson Cafe let us live on the wild side, and Rainforest Cafe took us on a tropical adventure. But today, as minimalism dominates restaurant design, the dining experience often feels nearly identical from one chain to the next. Just look at one of the country's most popular old-fashioned franchises, Cracker Barrel, nearly unrecognizable after modernizing its iconic look.

The fact is, themed restaurants offer something that regular dining doesn't: fun, imagination, and the chance to momentarily escape from everyday reality, and have some delicious food while you're at it. Luckily, America's beloved themed restaurant scene is alive and well, albeit not as ubiquitous as it once was. Goblets still spilleth over at Medieval Times, and you can still watch line dancing at Texas Roadhouse while enjoying the best ribs. And those are just the well-known spots. The U.S. is filled with themed restaurants that you may not have heard of, but certainly should. If you ever wonder what it's like to live a double life as a secret agent, love to celebrate Halloween year-round, or dream about exploring the streets of Bangkok, you'll be happy to know that there's a themed dining experience out there for you.

Celebrate Halloween in Los Angeles and New York year-round at Beetle House: a spooky, whimsical restaurant inspired by Burtonesque horror movie culture. With one location in each city, you'll experience a homage to all things haunted and horror-filled. Inside the West Coast outpost, situated on Hollywood Boulevard, fun decorations like Oogie Boogie's Wheel of Misfortune, Jack Skellington heads hanging from the ceiling, and walls covered with cobwebbed fan art create an immersive atmosphere.

Under a twilight ambiance, with a Danny Elfman score setting the mood, enjoy a menu both frightening and flavorful, including the Sweeney Beef, an 8-ounce filet mignon drizzled with a red wine balsamic reduction that resembles blood, and The Edward Burger Hands, which arrives stabbed with surgical scissors. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are available, too.

Signature cocktails fume with dry ice, and a rotating cast of popular characters make appearances while you dine – even the eponymous Beetlejuice himself. Beetle House LA is spacious with seating for large parties, while the equally atmospheric NYC location is more suited to small groups. Both are open Thursday through Sunday.

beetlehousela.com

Multiple locations

Blood is on the menu at Vampire Cafe, a restaurant in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter for all things bloodsucker-related. Not actual blood, of course, but red vampire-themed cocktails served in blood bags, with options for drinkers and non-drinkers. At this Louisiana eatery — and at its larger sister restaurant located just two blocks away, The Vampire Apothecary – bite into a menu of Cajun classics, including seafood gumbo and an alligator po'boy. There's also grilled meat dishes and fun handhelds, like the Dracula Burger with an 8-ounce brisket and ground beef patty. Don't worry, there are options for vegetarians, too, along with desserts.

The drink menu really brings the theme to life, with a wide selection of wines supplied by the café's own Vampire Vineyard. Dracula's Red Blend and a red sangria cheekily named Fangria are two of several selects. Cocktails, coffee, tea, and non-alcoholic beverages are also available. After you finish feeding, stop by the café's boutique next door, which sells art, books, toys, clothing, accessories, and more vampire-centric curiosities.

nolavampirecafe.com

801 Royal St., New Orleans, LA 70116

504-581-0801

For an evening of enchantment, look no further than Magic Time Machine, a duo of restaurants in Texas that melds pop culture into one wacky, immersive experience. Servers dressed as famous movie characters, magic tricks performed at your table by Snow White, an array of themed booths (including Sponge Bob's pineapple house), and a vintage roadster reworked into a salad bar are just a few sights that will transport your senses.

Opened in San Antonio back in 1973 by Jim Hasslocher, followed by a second location in Addison, Texas, in 1979, it's become a go-to spot for locals looking to inject life with a bit of child-like imagination. The menu includes freshly grilled hand-cut steak, a variety of meat entrées, burgers, and desserts served with a side of humor. "Laughing Aloud is Allowed" is the restaurant's motto, so your order will likely arrive with a joke in tow.

Adults will love the handcrafted cocktails, which fume and fizzle to life, and children will be entranced by the kid-friendly Bubbly Magic Time Machine Potions, of which there are five colorful flavors that cloud the table like a fun science experiment. Both Magic Time Machine locations are open nightly.

magictimemachine.com

Multiple locations

At Jailhouse Pizza, a themed restaurant in Brandenburg, Kentucky, you get to experience what it's like to dine behind bars. The building was once a real jail that dates back to the early 1900s, and it retains many of the original features, including iron-clad jail cells with barred windows and wall-mounted bunks where prisoners once slept. In place of mattresses, however, you'll find dining tables surrounded by tattered wanted posters on the walls.

If the ambiance isn't arresting enough, a menu of prison-themed pizzeria fare should make your sentence worthwhile. Pizza flavors include the Prisoner's Last Request, a double-crusted pie stuffed with mozzarella cheese and your choice of six toppings, along with options for meat lovers and vegetarians. There are appetizers, like deep-fried pickle chips called Bounty Bites, sub sandwiches, and a Jailhouse signature salad, as well. Jailhouse Pizza is open weekdays (except Monday) for dinner, and weekends for lunch and dinner.

jailhousepizza.zoyaf.com

125 Main St, Brandenburg, KY 40108

270-422-4660

Bors Hede Inne at the Camlann Medieval Village sits in Carnation, Washington, a tiny city of only about 2,000 people. It's a restaurant where you can dine like it's the Middle Ages, from its half-timber architecture to its menu, which consists of authentic medieval recipes. Food is even served 14th-century style atop metal plates with old-world utensils.

Two courses rotate monthly. A stuffed bread dish called rastons that's filled with seasoned bread pieces, dried fruit, and fennel is one of several first-course items. The second course includes a savory pie loaded with pork, fowl, and fen-berries (otherwise known as cranberries), along with roasted meats and seafood, and a vegan-friendly rice dish cooked in almond-anise milk.

Mead and other beverages are served in a mazer: a medieval cup that resembles a bowl. With sight, smell, and taste checked off, sound is the final immersive ingredient, delivered by a lute player who performs minstrel songs and stories from the period while you dine. However, it's worth noting that an additional 50% of the meal's cost is added on top for entertainment, and the restaurant requests cash or check. Bors Hede Inn is open year-round, Friday through Sunday.

camlann.org

10320 Kelly Rd NE, Carnation, WA 98014

425-788-8624

Prepare for lift-off at Space Aliens Grill & Bar, an extraterrestrial-themed restaurant with three locations: one in Albertville, Minnesota and two in North Dakota, including the original launchpad in Bismarck. Amid a decor of vibrant neon colors, life-sized Martian statues and toy collectibles, you'll find food, arcade games, ski-ball, basketball, and more. Despite the cosmic concept, a menu of family-friendly American fare will make you feel right at home, like the Space Dust Pickle Fries served with Cajun ranch sauce and the Wings From Planet X, which come in six flavors.

Slow-smoked, all-you-can-eat ribs are available every Wednesday, followed by pizza on Thursday, with the option of gluten-free cauliflower crust. A variety of soups, salads, hamburgers, hand-cut steaks, and charbroiled chicken dinners fill out the menu, along with desserts. If you're a first responder, active service member, or veteran, show your ID for 10% off. All locations are open daily for lunch and dinner.

spacealiens.com

Multiple locations

Enjoy a hot plate of traditional American food and a free book at this unique Connecticut restaurant, located on Mashapaug Road near Interstate 84. Martin Doyle, a man who developed a love for reading while growing up on a farm, took over ownership of the Traveler Restaurant around 1969. The themed eatery with a bright yellow roof now stands as a testament to his lifelong passion, and looks just as much like a bookstore as it does a diner.

Nonfiction, fiction, children's books, cookbooks, and whatever grabs your interest are available to peruse while you eat. Diners can take home up to three free books, and those who can't decide can grab one from a well-organized mystery bag. A revolving door of donations keeps the titles fresh and varied, and there's a cellar on the lower floor where used books can be purchased. The literary theme even extends to the menu, with options like the Mark Twain hamburger, made with grilled onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese.

Breakfast includes waffles, French toast, and burritos, while grilled meats, sandwiches, eight bone-in wing flavors, seafood, and pizza make up the main menu. The Traveler Restaurant is open every day except Tuesday and Wednesday.

facebook.com/thefoodandbookpeople

1257 Buckley Hwy I-84, Union, CT 06076

860-684-4920

Trailer parks aren't typically where people go for memorable dining experiences, unless you're talking about Ogie's Trailer Park: a retro-themed restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. Inside, you'll find a fleet of vintage mobile homes that make up various parts of the restaurant. Enjoy food from Granny Boo's Kitchen in an outdoor dining area decorated with life-sized facades that light up at night. The menu offers a range of affordable items. Mac and cheese croquettes with Bloody Mary-nara dipping sauce are a highlight, and definitely try the loaded tater tots, savory handhelds, hot dogs, and the wide selection of vegetarian-friendly options.

For your tots, the restaurant has a tater tot and dino nugget meal and non-alcoholic mocktails, soda, and a signature peach tea. For adults, a full bar with mid-century flair features seasonal cocktails, tropical libations, wine, and 66 types of beer. Dogs are welcome as well, courtesy of Gummy Joe's meaty K-9 Menu. Ogie's Trailer Park is open weekdays for dinner and weekends for lunch and dinner.

ogiestrailerpark.com

1155 Westminster St, Providence, RI 02909

401-383-8200

Spies, sleuths, and secret agents of all kinds are welcome at SafeHouse, an espionage-themed restaurant in Milwaukee where, luckily, your menu won't self-destruct in five seconds. Behind a discreet red door, located in an alleyway near a mural, an immersive underworld awaits. Dimly lit, with nods to popular spy films, framed pictures of real-life spies, and spy-related paraphernalia — like a prop gun supposedly donated by actor John Wayne – SafeHouse feels like something out of a movie.

Entry requires a secret password, which can only be learned by word-of-mouth. But be warned: If you try to enter without the password, you might be asked to do something silly. The menu is composed of spy-themed bar foods, including fried C4 cheese curds, the License to Kill mac, and the bacon-topped Mission Impossible burger with tobacco onions and jalapeño relish. There's also fried fish, tacos, and salads, along with a full drink menu and stuff for kids. SafeHouse is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.

safe-house.com

779 N Front St, Milwaukee, WI 53202

414-271-2007

This Brooklyn-based escape takes you on a tour of Bangkok's bustling streets — no ridiculously long flight necessary. Chef Ram, the executive chef and a former finalist on "MasterChef Thailand," opened Bang Bang Bangkok — a themed eatery with immersive video footage — in 2024. With the help of head chef P.K., who leads the kitchen, diners get to experience the flavors of Thailand and Japan in a custom-built space designed to feel like a moving city bus.

Bus seats in place of chairs suspend your disbelief, which are arranged in rows with room for two, and are surrounded by a large IMAX-like screen that plays footage of Bangkok's street markets. Chefs offer rotating course menus throughout the week, including a 10-course menu on Saturday that kicks off with an amuse-bouche that puts a curried twist on a French cream puff. Reserve a table on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday to experience the Japanese menu.

The tour then runs the gamut of Thai cuisine's dynamic offerings before reaching the final destination: a mango mousse atop white chocolate soli, with sticky rice sponge cake and coconut milk mousse. If you don't mind visuals interrupting conversation here and there, Bang Bang Bangkok, open nightly, is the perfect date spot.

bangbangkokbrooklyn.com

131 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

347-422-0410

Dive into an underwater world of wonder at the B Ocean Resort on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The cruise ship-looking building contains The Wreck Bar, a nautical-themed restaurant made to look like the inside of a shipwrecked Spanish Galleon. Large viewports that peek out into the hotel's pool surround the culinary wreckage, through which mermaids are seen dancing and interacting with guests. The glow of the blue water submerges you in the experience, but the only sinking you'll do involves your teeth into one of the many signature entrées.

The menu skews towards seafood and steakhouse staples. Meals include crispy calamari served with pickled peppers and fire-roasted romesco grilled lemon, snapper in a Veracruz-style sauce, and a New York strip atop potato purée and roasted veggies drizzled with bourbon peppercorn sauce. Several pastas are also available, along with burgers, salads, sweets, and signature cocktails. The bar is open Thursday through Saturday, with mermaid sightings from 6:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., but you'll need to purchase tickets. The Wreck Bar is 21-plus after 9 p.m.

boceanresort.com/dining/the-wreck-bar

1140 Seabreeze Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

954-564-1000

Flushing, New York, is home to a restaurant that's inspired by one of Sichuan, China's culinary hubs. Chongqing Lao Zao – a traditional hot pot restaurant with a fiery punch — is named after the city that invented "málà," Sichuan cuisine's famous numbing-spicy flavor profile. This bygone eatery offers a glimpse into China's past, with hanging paper lanterns, rustic wooden finishes, archaic earthen walls, and other authentic accents that make it look hundreds of years old.

Fragrant broth, house-made with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and beef tallow, arouses your nose before it singes your tongue. The menu includes beef tripe, milky beef, and boneless chicken breast, which are just a few of many worthwhile meat dishes, along with a varied selection of tofu preparations. A considerable number of veggie options are available, too — but, to be clear, the broth is not vegetarian-friendly. The menu also includes non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink options. After a few scorching rounds of hot pot, make sure to cool down with one of the Sichuan jelly desserts. The restaurant is open daily from the early afternoon late into the night.

chongqinglaozao.com

37-04 Prince St, Flushing, NY 11354

917-563-7171

Let your appetite take flight at The Airplane Restaurant, a unique dining experience in Colorado. Board a real decommissioned 1953 Boeing KC-97 tanker that was converted into a dining space, replete with booth seating, cabin windows, and a cockpit. One of the wings extends into a separate building with a larger dining area, where model airplanes dangle and pictures of vintage crafts cover the walls. This family-friendly eatery offers an international blend of diner fare for lunch and dinner, with familiar staples from Asian, Mexican, Italian, and American cuisine.

For your pre-flight appetizer, take off with four flavors of chicken wings, a chipotle flour tortilla quesadilla, or Tex-Mex-style egg rolls. Enjoy the skies with one of six hamburgers, or coast to your destination with salads, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, or pasta. The Airplane Restaurant, open daily for lunch and dinner, is a great place to celebrate special occasions.

theairplanerestaurant.com

1665 Newport Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80916

719-570-7656

Gaming and dining meet at Battle & Brew, a video game-themed restaurant located in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Flashing lights, button-mashing, and 8-bit theme music mingle with the aroma of savory diner food inside. The seating is arranged in front of computers and TVs with gaming systems so you can play with friends while dining. Titles from PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, PC, and virtual reality are available, along with board games.

The restaurant serves brunch and dinner, with a heavy emphasis on handheld foods, along with anime-inspired entrées like the Cowboy Bibimbap, plus salads, gluten-free chicken wings, and desserts. The portions are big enough to keep you fueled for hours of gameplay, too. Battle & Brew regularly hosts gaming events centered around a wide range of cult classics, including Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Dungeons & Dragons. Battle & Brew is open weekdays for dinner and weekends for lunch and dinner.

battleandbrew.com

5920 Roswell Rd a120, Sandy Springs, GA 30328

678-560-1500

A toy train-themed restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, has served locals since 1956. There, classic American diner food is made with the same mid-century equipment that's been used for generations. Freshly grilled cheeseburgers, jumbo beef hot dogs, BLTs, and french fries arrive by rail, delivered by a vintage Lionel model train, with plastic baskets in place of boxcars. A Bastian-Blessing freezer from the 1960s keeps the ice cream chilled and ready for sundaes, milkshakes, and malts. Every once in a while, a server will tug on a lever triggering an iconic choo-choo-train sound.

In the era of self-checkouts and touchscreen tablets, accents like a manual cash register from 1945 and a small train ride for kids with chipped paint make you appreciate nostalgic charm. It's no wonder that families who grew up eating here tend to pass the tradition down to their children, who keep it going. This locomotive landmark is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

thechoochoo.com

600 Lee St, Des Plaines, IL 60016

224-284-4904