Top 15 Themed Restaurants in the U.S. in 2025
Check out these 15 themed restaurants to add some excitement to your next dining experience!
Isabel ThottamAuthor
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| Built for RestaurantsThe concept of a themed restaurant dates back as far as the early 1800s when restaurants started using a particular theme to make them stand out among the competition. The idea of a themed restaurant began in Paris, where cafes and cabarets started setting a theme and hosting shows while still serving drinks and food. The spirit of these counter-culture-style cafes and small restaurants took off in New York City with one of the first known themed restaurants, called Le Chat Noir, which was decorated inside with various depictions of black cats. From there, various themed restaurants started to pop up around the city and eventually the idea spread across the states.
Nowadays, you can find a themed restaurant in every state, and the theme often varies just as much as the menu. With so many different themed restaurants existing today, we took a look at the many different options to determine which ones had the best themes and did the best job at making themselves stand out in the competitive food industry.
Below you will find a look at the top 15 themed restaurants in the U.S. which have designed some of the most whimsical, crazy, fun, and extravagant themed eateries.
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar - San Francisco, CA
Aquarium Restaurant - Nashville, TN
Harvey Washbangers - College Station, TX
Industrial Revolution Eatery & Grille - Valparaiso, IN
Heart Attack Grill - Las Vegas, NV
The Proud Bird - Los Angeles, CA
Jessop’s Tavern - New Castle, DE
Mad Hatter Bistro - Birmingham, MI
Pioneer Saloon - Goodsprings, NV
The Purple Cow - Multiple locations in Arkansas
Cabbage Key - Pineland, FL
The Varsity - Atlanta, GA
Miracle of Science - Cambridge, MA
Clifton’s Republic - Los Angeles, CA
Biscuit Belly - Multiple locations in KY
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar - San Francisco, CA
Located in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, CA, the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar is a tiki-themed cocktail lounge serving food from the Pacific Rim. With a tropical and festive atmosphere with live entertainment, the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar is a themed restaurant and iconic spot in the Bay area. Their Mai Tai cocktail is rated as the best one in the city which goes great with any selections from the Polynesian fusion food menu served family style. What makes the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar a themed restaurant worth visiting is the surprise weather that occurs inside the restaurant – lightning, thunder, and storm sounds included!
Aquarium Restaurant - Nashville, TN
When in Nashville, the Aquarium restaurant is a themed spot that is exactly what it sounds like: a restaurant inside a huge fish tank. If you’ve ever wanted to dine underwater, the Aquarium restaurant is your opportunity to eat seafood entrees while surrounded by a 200-gallon aquarium with floor-to-ceiling views. Inside the aquarium are over 100 tropical fish imported from Hawaii, the South Pacific, and the Indian Ocean, as well as from the Caribbean Sea. Depending on the time you visit, you may even get to witness a diver feeding the fish inside the aquarium, or even an interactive performance by mystical mermaids.
Harvey Washbangers - College Station, TX
If you’ve ever been hungry in a laundromat, you’ll enjoy the theme at Harvey Washbangers. This laundromat-themed restaurant serves drinks and food and allows you to clean your dirty clothes while you dine! Their menu features a critically acclaimed burger and other comfort food offerings, such as hot dogs, chicken wings, cheese fries, and chips and salsa. Plus, they offer alcoholic beverages and milkshakes. Whether you just want to do your laundry or have a bite to eat while you wait, Harvey Washbangers is a unique themed restaurant located in College Station, Texas.
Industrial Revolution Eatery & Grille - Valparaiso, IN
Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, the Industrial Revolution Eatery & Grille offers a taste of the best, classic American foods, served with a side of history. The theme at this restaurant is the American spirit of innovation and greatness, which they channel through their upscale, industrial atmosphere. Their menu serves class comfort foods, such as burgers, brick oven pizza, fried pickles and cheese curds, and classic burgers. To experience and learn about the history of America while enjoying good food, check out the Industrial Revolution Eatery & Grille and reminisce on our country’s innovative past.
Heart Attack Grill - Las Vegas, NV
For a truly unique themed restaurant experience, the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada offers diners food in a hospital setting. Located in downtown Vegas on Fremont Street, Heart Attack Grill prides itself on selling high-calorie menu items where the theme is obesity and gluttony. With waitresses dressed as nurses and liquor served in prescription bottles, diners can get close to experiencing a heart attack in this restaurant, complete with a wristband and hospital gown as they are “admitted” to a table. Their menu offers a burger with a whopping 9,982 calories and guests are invited to weigh themselves before entering the restaurant because anyone over 350 pounds eats free.
The Proud Bird - Los Angeles, CA
Near Los Angeles International Airport you can find an aviation-themed restaurant, The Proud Bird, which offers a fantastic view of airplane landings. What used to be one restaurant is now a food hall and bazaar offering food from over six different kitchens. From Asian cuisine and Italian food to a famous barbeque restaurant, Bludso’s, The Proud Bird has many options for food, drinks, and aircraft memorabilia. Whether you have just arrived in Los Angeles or are awaiting your departure, a stop over at The Proud Bird will give you good food with good views.
Jessop’s Tavern - New Castle, DE
A 1724-era traditional pub, Jessop’s Tavern offers a historical-themed dining experience complete with colonial food and servers dressed in period-style garments. Inspired by the history of New Castle, Delaware, this themed restaurant fully immerses customers in its 300-year-old building to showcase the history of the 1700s paired with classic colonial food reflective of the English, Dutch, Belgian, and Swedish cuisine that inspired early American food. For drinks, Jessop’s Tavern offers a selection of beer from around the world with particular interest in Belgian bottles. For a side of history with your meal, Jessop’s will have you leaving full and appreciative of our nation’s past.
Mad Hatter Bistro - Birmingham, MI
Inspired by the story of Alice In Wonderland, the Mad Hatter Bistro, located in downtown Birmingham, Michigan, serves a whimsical experience paired with recipes passed down from the owner’s family over generations. The interior design mixes hip, eclectic design with historical reminders of the city’s past. This themed restaurant is two stories, with an odd, elegant dining room where you can watch the “Mad scientist” chefs prepare your food; or, you can “go down the rabbit hole” to the first floor and find yourself in Wonderland. They even serve afternoon tea for a true Alice in Wonderland experience.
Pioneer Saloon - Goodsprings, NV
This historic saloon about 25 minutes outside Las Vegas in Goodsprings, Nevada, offers food and drinks with a Texas twist on the typical, American bar food. Since opening in 1913, The Pioneer Saloon is the oldest saloon in Southern Nevada and has served as the setting for many famous movies and TV shows, such as Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Miss Congeniality 2, Jeopardy, and more. Before you even enter the saloon, you can feel its past from its historical building and surroundings. For a themed restaurant that is essentially an old drinking hole that has remained open since the 1900s, the Pioneer Saloon offers a cowboy experience with modern food.
The Purple Cow - Multiple locations in Arkansas
A festive, themed restaurant with various locations in Arkansas, The Purple Cow serves diners typical American food with ice cream, milkshakes, and malts in a cow-themed, purple interior. It’s a classic American diner with comfort food for everyone–and their soda fountain helps set the stage for feeling as though you’ve stepped back in time upon entering The Purple Cow. To get the most out of your experience here, you must try their iconic, signature vanilla, hand-dipped purple milkshake.
Cabbage Key - Pineland, FL
Located in the waters of Pineland, Florida, west of Fort Myers, Cabbage Key is an island with an old, historic resort that is only accessible by boat. It’s popular with locals and tourists alike who enjoy dining at its open-air concept-themed restaurant with a panoramic view of the nearby marina and coastal sound. They are famous for their Dollar Bill Bar, known as “the bar with money on the walls” for the estimated $70K worth of dollar bills hanging on their walls and ceiling, which were left by previous customers. The interior is also filled with antiques from the building and the area’s past, including vintage fishing gear, a tarpon replica, game fish, and lots of old photographs.
The Varsity - Atlanta, GA
Known as the “world’s largest drive-in restaurant,” The Varsity is a staple in Atlanta that has been around since 1928. Serving classic American foods, such as burgers, chili hot dogs, onion rings, and fries, The Varsity allows customers to dine in, dive up or walk up to an ordering window. It’s popular for college students and sports fans as a designated spot to “pre-game” any sporting event due to its friendly atmosphere and good food.
Miracle of Science - Cambridge, MA
Located near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this science-themed bar and grill is one of a kind. Miracle of Science has been serving the people of Cambridge great food and local beer since 1991. Inside, you can find plenty of periodic elements and kind employees. When the weather is nice you can enjoy your Hb (hamburger) on the patio!
Clifton’s Republic - Los Angeles, CA
A restaurant and nightline hot spot in downtown Los Angeles, Clifton’s Republic is a legendary spot for cocktails, classic American food, and the chance to experience a variety of different curiosities. The theme at Clifton’s Republic is artistic and adventurous as the space is lowly lit with eclectic decorations and different themed rooms. From animal taxidermy to large trees and other fantasies, the restaurant has created a truly unique themed location akin to a children’s playground where food and drinks are also served.
Biscuit Belly - Multiple locations in KY
Offering southern food with a twist throughout their multiple locations in Kentucky, Biscuit Belly created a brunch restaurant with a southern food theme. They are popular for their mouth-watering, homemade biscuit recipe that makes customers come back for their biscuits alone. Their inventive brunch menu contains many traditional and classic southern dishes, such as biscuits and gravy and biscuit sandwiches, to some modern twists like their biscuit French toast. The theme at Biscuit Belly is Southern hospitality and, well, biscuits!
There are themed restaurants all over the world and across the United States, but these 15 themed restaurants have unique concepts or have gone all out into their theme that they stand out among the others. The top 15 themed restaurants listed above have proved that decorating or choosing a specific theme and running with it leads to a successful business that customers will support and enjoy.
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