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From an enigmatic restaurant that awaits the secrets of Houdini to a culinary universe inspired by the fantasy of Alice in Wonderland. All of these enclaves can be found in remote locations in the USA, but we also include another one located in Madrid, to make the trip shorter. We compile below a list of some of the best themed restaurants in the world linked by their cinematic aura.
The Airplane Restaurant
The Airplane Restaurant landed in 1953 in Colorado Springs as a fully operational Boeing KC-97. After years of refueling planes in the air, it was grounded and finally began welcoming people in 2002.
From the heights, it descended to earth to serve diners in its restaurant where they have a high-altitude fast food menu with chicken wings and nachos, New York steaks or their BBQ Bomber burger. In addition, the theme extends to the costumes and interior design: the staff is dressed in stewardess uniforms to serve the restaurant’s version of airplane food, and the restaurant is filled with aviation-related photos, antique aircraft and toy planes.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
This culinary experience immerses diners in Captain Nemo’s Nautilus submarine, treating them to a feast and décor inspired by Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’.
Located in AREA15’s Lost Spirits complex, the evening orchestrated around 12 unique diners begins with a special house rum, a very strong 122-proof concoction. Next, dinner with the captain, Chef Taylor Persh, echoes the dishes that the protagonist, Captain Nemo, and his imprisoned guests ate in Verne’s novel with 16 sea-inspired delicacies, infused with rum in every bite. Among them, golden oscietra caviar in quail eggs, hidden inside a replica of the Fabergé Egg and fois gras on a potato pillow, captivate the small dinner audience. All of this is enhanced by small magic shows, contortionists, jazz and much more.
The Magic Castle
In Los Angeles, culinary wizardry is conjured up at The Magic Castle. Founded in 1963 as part of the Academy of Magical Arts, this is a members-only club for magic lovers. There, executive chef Jason Sperber captivates guests with Maryland crab cakes, roasted ora king salmon and braised short ribs. The real magic begins at dinner, with a main show, followed by other shows in the theaters scattered throughout The Magic Castle.
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar
San Francisco’s Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar opened its doors in 1945 under the ‘cinematic’ direction of set designer Mel Melvin. He would imbue the place with an oceanic theme that floods the entire space, giving it that tiki bar look with thatched roofs, tropical rain and rum drinks. All this has led food lovers or celebrities like Anthony Bourdain to go there.
In the bar’s “lagoon” emerges a floating musical stage where the group The Island Groove plays every night. In the purest Hollywood movie style, the room is filled with rain, lightning and thunder while customers sip drinks such as the 1944 Mai Tai or The Expat. Meanwhile, its culinary proposal has a Polynesian wink with dishes such as coconut curry seafood, Tonga grilled short rib and spicy basil chicken.
Alicia en el País de las Maravillas
Wonderland is the surreal universe created by The Kaiten Lab inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Located in the heart of Malasaña neighborhood, it displays its fantastic Asian cuisine that stands out for offering a buffet menu where you can taste up to 33 ‘wonders’, including sushi, nigiri, tiger prawn tacos, Karaage chicken, tuna Wantum, Gunkan, duck bao or pulled pork. Its interior translates the iconography of the play into the real world, with its iconic characters such as the White Rabbit, its mirrors and checkerboard that finish off the immersive experience.
