weird restaurants

Two longstanding Melbourne schlock horror-themed theatre restaurants owe their recent resurgence in popularity to the Twilight phenomenon, the current obsession with vampires, witches and werewolves, and the burlesque craze. Claiming to have served three million people in 30 years, Draculas offers a camp, vaudevillian-style cabaret during a three-course dinner that begins with drinks in the Graveyard cocktail lounge and a ghost-train ride.Located in the Wicked Castle, the 40-year old Witches in Britches offers a kitschy interactive show rooted in contemporary pop culture (it helps to have some knowledge of Aussie television) and a five-course meal that starts with pumpkin soup with herbs picked from the old hags garden, ladled from a cauldron.

Hidden away in a tiny village of the Italian Tyrol, Onkel Taa is a gourmet restaurant serving traditional Mitteleuropa cuisine, but it is also the fantasy world of the owner-chef, Karl Platino. He is known in Italy as Il Re delle Lumache, the Snail King, because not only does he serve a dozen dishes featuring snails, he also breeds these molluscs in the jungle-like gardens surrounding the restaurant. And this is only one of Onkel Taas passions: the decor of the cosy wood-panelled osteria is filled with his weird and wonderful collections everything from corkscrews to snail shaped fossils; and a whole museum is dedicated to the Habsurg Empire and Emperor Franz Josef in particular, whom, coincidentally, the chef closely resembles. And if you want to see something really special, ask to go upstairs from the dining room, where Signor Platino has over a thousand incredible antique wooden doors stashed away.

And the award for most tastless restaurant goes to ... the Soldatenkaffee in Bandung, Indonesia. Celebrating Hitler as pop culture it is staffed by waiters in Nazi uniform. On the menu are German nachos, curry wurst and Bird Ness, whatever that is; and on the walls are photos of Hitler, stormtroopers and swastikas. Owner Henry Mulyana seemed genuinely surprised at the outrage the restaurant caused, insisting that he doesnt idolise Hitler, he simply adores the soldiers paraphernalia, a message he emphasises on his website: This WEB is not pro NAZI. It is matter of fact, with the intention of exploring Hitler & the NAZIS as pop culture. The authors of the WEB are not NAZIS or neo-NAZIS, we are Indonesian with no political affiliations. The furore caused by Soldatenkaffee didnt put off another owner opening the equally offensive Hitler Fried Chicken in Bangkok, a bizarre take on KFC, with an image of Hitler replacing that of Colonel Sanders.

Though its easy to think differently judging by the name, this Alice in Wonderland restaurant keeps things family-friendly. Bunny tails on the chairs, a big clock against one wall, a Mad Hatter Tea Party room, and a giant lamp deepen the illusion that diners have shrunk and are all part of this wonderland experience. The food is also presented in Alice-themed ways, with some appetizers served on a chessboard, and pizzas made to look like playing-card soldiers. And of course, all servers are dressed like Alice.sss

The bustling New Lucky Restaurant in Ahmadabad is famous for its milky tea, its buttery rolls, and the graves between the tables. Krishan Kutti Nair has helped run the restaurant built over a centuries-old Muslim cemetery for close to four decades, but he doesnt know who is buried in the cafe floor. Customers seem to like the graves, which resemble small cement coffins, and thats enough for him.

A restaurant situated inside the top security prison Fortezza Medicea in Italy is so popular that officials have since opened more branches. Serenaded by Bruno, a pianist doing life for murder, the clientele eat inside a deconsecrated chapel set behind the 60ft high walls, watch towers, searchlights and security cameras of the daunting 500-year-old Fortezza Medicea, at Volterra near Pisa. Under the watchful eye of armed prison warders, a 20-strong team of chefs, kitchen hands and waiters prepares 120 covers for diners who have all undergone strict security checks. Tables are booked up weeks in advance.

People are confused how a Chinese couple managed to run a busy restaurant 21 hours a day without getting tired. Turns out the restaurant is run by two couples ? both the men and women are identical twins.Locals had nicknamed the eatery the robot couple restaurant as they couldnt understand how the same couple seemed to be on duty from 6am through to 3am. However, a journalist from Today Morning Post interviewed the restaurant owner and found out the truth. It turned out that the twin brothers, 32, married a set of twin sisters from the same township three years ago and moved to Yiwu to run the restaurant together. Many diners thought we worked too hard and are like robots, but they dont know that we are actually four people, said Mao Zhanghua, 32, the elder brother.

D.S. Music Restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan is a medical-themed restaurant with crutches on the wall, waitresses dressed a nurses, and drinks served from an IV drip bottle! The owner came up with the idea to express his gratitude for care he received at a local hospital.