Usually when we go out for a meal, we just want tasty food and an enjoyable atmosphere. These quirky restaurants around the world, however, are serving up good food with a side of good times. Gimmicky? Sometimes. Memorable? Always.
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Výtopna. Prague, Czech Republic. We don’t care how old you are: model trains are always cool. And the owners of this local Czech chain would agree. Overlooking Prague’s Wenceslas Square, the original restaurant features a 400-metre-long model railway, complete with drawbridges, tunnels, towns and countrysides, with the trains – reaching up to 20 kph – choo-chooing across dining tables and delivering drinks to delighted customers. The concept proved so popular, the owners opened a second outpost in Prague’s Palladium mall, and a third in downtown Brno. The fare is mostly pizza, pasta and a few Czech favourites, like Wallachian cabbage soup. Beer enthusiasts should order tankové pivo, an unpasteurised 90-day-matured pale Czech lager served straight from the cask.
1/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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The Passenger. Madrid, Spain. Train enthusiasts with a longing to ride, but nowhere to go, might stop into this quirky Madrid hotspot. The long, narrow space has been outfitted like a luxury train car from the early 20th century, all brass and wood and leather. And since no train journey would be complete without a view, an entire wall is dedicated to “windows” – a sequence of TV screens synchronised with locomotive footage from around the world, giving the illusion that you’re actually inside a moving train. Visit by day for dining car vibes, premium coffee and small bites, or by night for cocktails and rock music.
2/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Slappy Cakes. Portland, Maui and Various Asian Locations. You don’t usually go to restaurants to cook your own meal …but you do if you’re going to Slappy Cakes. Here, patrons are given pancake batter, a griddle and a spatula, and told to go to town, choosing between various batter flavours and a large selection of sweet and savoury toppings – anything from fresh fruit to chocolate chips and lavender honey, or goat cheese, chorizo and toasted almonds. There’s also a full menu of dishes they’ll whip up for you in the kitchen, but that seems pretty boring when you can spend the meal flipping your own flapjacks and slathering on the fixings.
3/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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The Clink. Across the UK. Prison-themed restaurants can be found the world over, but why pretend to go to the slammer when you can actually dine in one? UK charity The Clink runs four restaurants based out of correctional facilities, operated in tandem with the inmates themselves. As they serve their time, prisoners can also serve up gourmet meals, learning and implementing valuable skills as chefs, waiters and business operators, in order to be placed in relevant jobs after their time behind bars. You get a first-rate dinner, they get a second chance at life once they’re back on the outside.
4/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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La Gruta. San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico. A visit to the Teotihuacán pyramids can be exciting, but also exhausting. Lucky for weary (and hungry) travellers, one of Mexico’s most unique restaurants is nestled in a volcanic cave just a short walk from the archaeological site. Colourful chairs and scores of candles brighten up the mysterious space, where diners feast on authentic local cuisine influenced by pre-Hispanic traditions – from the indulgent (rib-eye steak, mutton, beef tacos) to the adventurous (sautéed ant larvae, caterpillars, cactus salad). Mexican folk dance performances round out the cultural experience.
5/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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The Loading Bay. Cape Town, South Africa. At this restaurant-retailer hybrid in the De Waterkant district, you can load your shopping bags full of hip menswear brands like Acne and Our Legacy, then load up on comfort food classics – we don’t suggest doing it the other way around. The menu runs the gamut from heart-healthy to just plain hearty, offering fresh smoothies, Bircher müsli and seared salmon fillets alongside grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers and chicken strips. Don’t miss out on their truffle salted fries – just trust us on this.
6/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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The Laundromat Café. Iceland and Denmark. Snagging digs in a prime city location often means sacrificing space and amenities – and the washing machine is among the first to go. Laundromats are dismal places, but if you’re lucky enough to live near one of these welcoming washerettes, there’s no need to dread the regular laundry detail. Just put on a load, then tuck into a breakfast, brunch or lunch of omelettes, burgers and sandwiches, heaped with vibrant veggies and freshly made hummus, salsa or guacamole.
7/21
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Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Soneva Kiri Treepod Dining. Koh Kood, Thailand. Less of a restaurant, more of a suspended tree basket from which diners enjoy views of the ocean and distant tropical islands. Up to 4 guests can enter the bamboo “treepod” at ground level, which is then lifted via cable system high into the rainforest canopy. Take in the panoramas through a clearing in the foliage, and feast on Thai specialties delivered by your server – via zipline.
8/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Zauo. Various Locations in Japan and NYC. The Japanese dining scene is famous for its offbeat eateries (think: toilet-themed restaurants), but this one adds an extra level of liveliness to the experience. At Zauo’s 14 locations – 14 in Japan (4 in Tokyo) and 1 in New York City – diners are given a fishing rod and some bait, and let loose on the in-house moat to fish for their own dinner, which they can then choose to have grilled, boiled, fried or turned into sushi. The only catch? You can’t choose what takes the bait, and if you’ve caught it, you’ve bought it. On the bright side, fish caught live are about 30% cheaper than ones ordered off the menu – and it doesn’t get any fresher than this!
9/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Rollercoaster Restaurants. Europe, Russia and the Middle East. You might just be jealous of your food at this chain of inventive eateries, where dishes and drinks take a wild ride en route to your table. Guests place their orders via interactive tablets, then wait for their meal to arrive via the patented system of “rollercoaster” tracks – complete with loops and hairpin turns – powered only by gravity. In the 10 years since the flagship debuted in Nuremberg, 8 more Rollercoaster Restaurants have opened everywhere from the UK’s Alton Towers to Vienna, Sochi and Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
10/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Chillout. Dubai, UAE. Pack your parka, you’re going to… Dubai? Kept at a constant -6°C, this undeniably “cool” lounge is a surefire way to beat the desert heat – and maybe even make you miss it a little. Order a warm soup and sandwich or sip on hot chocolate as you admire the way the mood lighting illuminates the ice block walls, frozen sculptures and ceiling made of dazzling icicles. Don’t worry, no one expects you to come dressed for the weather indoors; thermal clothing is provided.
11/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Labasin Waterfall Restaurant. Tiaong, Philippines. The highlight of the Villa Escudero resort isn’t the accommodations or the working coconut plantation – it’s their one-of-a-kind restaurant. Situated at the foot of a waterfall, guests here are seated at long bamboo tables with their bare feet bathed in the rushing water. Bellies full of authentic Filipino favourites, diners can take a post-meal dip in the falls and then explore more of the resort’s amenities and activities, like bamboo rafting or coconut harvesting lessons.
12/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Fallen Angel. Cusco, Peru. The tables? Glass-covered bathtubs serving as tropical fish aquariums. The decor? Flying pigs, disco balls, eclectic art by local creatives. The food? Inventive takes on Peruvian classics, with ingredients carefully sourced from the best of the country’s surf and turf. A meal at this trippy Cuzco bolthole is a visual assault, but in a good way – and one you’ll be talking about for a while.
13/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Rattlesnake Saloon. Tuscumbia, Alabama. If the promise of live music and down-home grub don’t quite strike your fancy, the stunning location sure will: this Wild West-style watering hole is hunkered beneath an overhang amid 20,000 acres of natural woodlands. Come for the creatively named dishes (like Cowboy Buttons and Chuckwagon Nachos), stay for the beer and music, and don’t wear nice shoes. If you’re too tuckered to leave after the hootenanny, the folks at the lodge would be happy to arrange some accommodations, whether in a rustic cabin, on the campgrounds or in an old grain silo.
14/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. Melbourne, Australia. Normally, digging into a hot meal while riding the tram will get you dirty looks, but in this tram car, everybody’s doing it! Choose from morning tea, lunch, early dinner or late dinner, arrive punctually at the designated time, then get ready to enjoy a seasonal, multi-course meal as you cruise through the streets of Melbourne in a swanky vintage tram. A ticket to ride doesn’t come cheap, but it does include Australian wines, as well as drinks from the fully stocked bar, for the duration of the journey.
15/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Save The Date Café. London, UK. Finally, a restaurant meal you don’t have to feel guilty about – and we’re not talking about your waistline. Founded by the Real Junk Food Project, this forward-looking café is tackling the issue of food waste by taking perfectly good produce that was destined for the bin and turning it into mouth-watering meals. Everything here is done with heart: the café and kitchen, tucked into unused space in Dalston, were constructed from cast-off materials; volunteers prepare the food and maintain the café; and patrons are invited pay as much as they can/want for their meal, with proceeds benefiting the project.
16/21
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Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Beetle House. New York City and Los Angeles , US. If Halloween is your Christmas, then this is your new favourite hangout. The Tim Burton-esque lair is good spooky fun, right down to the gothic chandeliers, eerie antiques, ominous lighting and macabre cocktails with which to wash down American favourites like hot wings, burgers, chilli and mac ’n’ cheese. You might even run into Sweeney Todd, Willy Wonka or Beetlejuice…
17/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora. Singapore. Can’t justify shelling out more than $200 a plate for an underwater restaurant experience? Good news: You can dine in the deep blue sea for a fraction of the price. Well, sea-adjacent. US culinary celebrity Cat Cora serves up Mediterranean-inspired Californian cuisine at this fine-dining venue with front-row seats to the S.E.A. Aquarium™’s Open Ocean Habitat, home to 40,000 marine animals representing 120 species including reef manta rays, leopard sharks, hammerhead sharks and goliath groupers. Granted, you’re not quite under 5 metres of ocean, but you might as well be.
18/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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CuliAir. Netherlands. Having dinner in a hot air balloon might seem romantic, but not exactly like a culinary innovation. That’s where Angélique Schmeinck steps in. A daring master chef, Schmeinck can prepare a meal for up to 14 persons hundreds of metres in the air using the heat from the balloon itself. Dinner in “the world’s only hot air balloon restaurant” begins with an aperitif and canapés on the ground, before the whole dinner party is swept into the sky for sunset views and a gourmet meal with wine pairings.
19/21
Food
Fun Food: 20 Cool Restaurants And Dining Concepts.
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Andrés Carne de Res. Chía,Colombia. Get ready to be overwhelmed. At this cult steakhouse-slash-nightspot about 45 minutes north of Bogotá, everything is over-the-top, from the live music and improv actors to the manic decor and climbing wall, not to mention the fact that it seats 2,000 people – and still has to turn patrons away regularly. After taking your place in one of 11 dining areas, flip through the 64-page menu specialising in grilled meats and typical Colombian dishes – and after your meal, get ready to party. The restaurant has two dance floors and its own legendary night scene. If you think you can get away without joining the mass dance party, think again!
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