The Best Themed Restaurants in New York

I absolutely love theme restaurants! They offer such a fun and unique dining experience and New York City has some awesome themed restaurants you need to check out. Below is a list of restaurants I’ve tried and highly recommend for an awesome time with a group or a fun date. Think ninjas scaring the bejesus out of you, Soviet-chic decor where you can enjoy martinis with cucumbers and a spoon of caviar, seafood fare on-board a luxury yacht, a trailer park white-trash feel kind of place, and a musical themed restaurant.

Ninja NY offers a truly unforgettable dining experience. It is my all time favorite theme restaurant in New York and I recommend it to everyone! Upon entering the establishment’s tiny reception room with a ninja-outfitted receptionist, you’ll be warned, “beware of the ninjas”. Ninjas will appear unexpectedly by scaring you from behind, dropping from the ceiling and other means that may just scare the bejesus out of you! Once your table is ready, another ninja, after taking a bow whilst greeting you, will ask, “the ninja way or the normal way?” Come on, be adventurous and take the ninja way!

The design was inspired by the ninja bible and you won’t forget it for a long time. It's setup is that of a ninja castle, with mazes and all. The food is really delicious, offering great tasting menus. I usually split the tasting menu with a girlfriend when I go here. The food is high quality and all made from scratch. Did I mention that the presentation is totally amazing? Yes deserts are shaped like bonsai trees, smoke comes out of your food, and other unexpected things inspired by ninja art. Not only that, the drinks are very tasty! The “highly trained ninjas” will entertain and interact with you with throughout your entire time at Ninja, doing magic tricks and such.

Address: 25 Hudson St. (between Duane St & Reade St)
New York, NY 10013

Phone number: (212) 274-8500

Website: www.ninjanewyork.com

Neighborhood: TriBeCa

Cuisine: Japanese

• Recommendation: Make a reservation ahead of time!

• Recommended dish: Sanada Course Menu.

• Recommended drink: Sapporo (Japanese beer) is just $2.95, the lowest price in all of Manhattan.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in this favorite spot. If you’re looking to have fun, complete with flavored vodka shots and very distinctive fare that includes caviar, quail eggs and such, in a very “commie-chic” decor – this is the place for you! The food is really good and if you've never tried Russian cuisine, this is a great place to try it. Oh and you’ll want to take lots of photos.

Address: 281 Lafayette St (between Jersey St & Prince St)
New York, NY 10012

Telephone number: (212) 226-4696

Website: www.pravdany.com

Neighborhood: NoLita, SoHo

Cuisine: Russian

• Recommended drinks: a round of shots for the table - Pravda's ice rack of six selected vodkas. Also try the Caviar Martini, which is a martini that comes with a cucumber, dill and a spoon of caviar!

• Recommended food: the scrambled eggs with caviar and the crispy oysters for the table. A lamb shashlik“(skewers) as an entree

You’ll want to get on board this yacht-like trendy fish-fest in Soho serving fresh and creative seafood dishes, complete with an extensive raw bar and high-quality sushi. The inside decor will make you feel like you’re inside a super-sized yacht and the fish was just caught and served to you by a five star chef. Drinks are also not bad and happy hour is during weekdays from 5pm – 7pm. There’s weekend brunch too, which starts at 11:30. I love seafood and this is one of my favorite seafood restaurants in the city.

Address: 142 Mercer St (between Prince St & Houston St)
New York, NY 10012

Telephone number: (212) 431-7676

Website: www.lurefishbar.com

Neighborhood: SoHo

Cuisine: American Nouveau and Seafood

• Recommended entree: Grilled Dorado and yellow-fish tuna.
  
• Recommendation: I've been a couple of times and haven't made reservations beforehand, but it doesn't hurt if you're planning on going.

Come on down to New York’s trailer park if you want to get a laugh with some white-trash memorabilia and some tasty burgers and hot dogs. The joint includes a collection of biographies with witty titles such as Elvis: What Happened? The char-grilled sandwiches give you the backyard picnic feel.

Address: 271 W 23rd St (between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10011

Phone number: (212) 463-8000

Website: www.trailerparklounge.com

Neighborhood: Chelsea

Cuisine: American

• Recommended dishes: Fat dog with sweet-potato fries.

• Recommended drink: Try a Pork Slap Ale.

Vynl is all about records and a music-theme. There’s a hall of fame filled with Barbie dolls dressed as music icons such as Dolly and Cher and the menus are naturally made of old record sleeves. On the menu are delish American and Asian dishes such as Grandpa’s Traditional Meatloaf, Lemongrass Chicken Wrap, and Veggie Burger.

Address: 754 9th Ave (between 50th St & 51st St)
New York, NY 10019

Telephone number: (212) 974-2003

Website: www.vynl-nyc.com

Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District

Cuisine: American and Asian