A restaurant that takes pride in the negative impact it has on your health? One that has you dining beside the dead? A toilet-themed restaurant? These five bizarre restaurants may not be made for those seeking fine dining. But adventurous eaters will love them.
The Heart Attack Grill – Las Vegas, Nevada
The Heart Attack Grill is undoubtedly one of the world’s most bizarre restaurants. Owner Jon Basso–an ex-nutritionist and Jenny Craig employee–claims to have founded it in hopes of generating controversy. So if for him, controversy = success, he is one of the most successful restaurateurs on the planet. The restaurant constantly comes under fire from health advocates, who claim that it openly promotes the consumption of foods that can potentially kill (just read the restaurant’s name). And they’re not necessarily wrong. One of the most ordered menu items, the “Quadruple Bypass Burger” is over 8,000 calories. Oh, and they cook the fries exclusively in lard.
Basso doesn’t advocate eating at his restaurant every day. But he won’t stop you from doing so either. For example, the restaurant’s former unofficial spokesman John Alleman–an everyday customer whose likeness appeared on Heart Attack Grill merchandise–died of, you guessed it, a heart attack in 2013. What was Basso’s response? “Death equals business at the Heart Attack Grill,” he told Business Insider. “Will it please me if other spokesmen die in the future? Absolutely.”
This being said, it’s unlikely that an occasional trip to the restaurant will do any long-term damage to your health. If nothing else, the Heart Attack Grill creates a fun experience for customers, referred to in-store as “patients.” Upon entry, patients must dress in a hospital wristband and gown. Those who finish the Quadruple Bypass Burger are escorted out on wheelchairs by scantily-clad “nurses.” It’s company policy that these nurses must spank patients who do not finish the burger.
The Heart Attack Grill is the quintessential restaurant for those here for a good time, not a long time.
The Modern Toilet – Taiwan (The Most Bizarre of All Bizarre Restaurants)
Gross-out humor brings out the child within us all. However, it’s the last thing we want to think about when dining. But somehow, toilet-themed restaurant the Modern Toilet has garnered enough success to open three branches across Taiwan.
At the Modern Toilet, seats are non-functioning toilets, your food is served in toilet-shaped bowls, drinks are served in small plastic urinals, and much of the food is reminiscent of, to put it bluntly, poo. Menu items include the Turd Sub Sandwich, the Constipation Black Stool Snowcone, and Mango Urine Snow Shavings.
At this point, you may be thinking, “Why would anyone want to eat at a toilet-themed restaurant?” Well, as you’ll see from the other restaurants on this list, you should never underestimate the value of novelty. Also, stellar reviews of the Modern Toilet confirm that the food is anything but crappy.
The New Lucky Restaurant – Ahmedabad, India – Bizarre Restaurants
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to dine amongst the dead? Well, if you’re one of the strange few who answered yes, you’re in luck. Inside the New Lucky Restaurant are the real gravestones and sarcophagi of 16th century residents of Ahmedabad, India.
The restaurant was constructed atop an old cemetery. Rather than paving over the graves, owner Krishnan Kutti felt it would be more respectful to simply build around them. Aside from steel bars surrounding the coffins, there is no barrier between the customer and the deceased.
Ironically, it’s anything but dead inside the New Lucky Restaurant. In fact, business is booming. Kutti attributes this to good luck brought about by the decedents.
The Disaster Café – Lloret de Mar, Spain – Bizarre Restaurants
We try our best to be open-minded; while eating out of miniature toilet bowls or in the presence of coffins are not necessarily our ideal ways to dine, we appreciate the creativity that goes into concepts like these. However, we cannot for the life of us figure out the appeal of the Disaster Café in Lloret de Mar, Spain.
At the Disaster Café, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake is simulated at random points throughout the meal period. Spills can and will happen, and you just may fall out of your chair. In order to prevent injury, staff must even wear construction hats.
Even amidst the other odd restaurants on this list, the question, “Why?” has never been more resounding. Frankly, we don’t have an answer. But apparently, the Disaster Café is so popular that it can only accept guests who have made reservations. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed temporarily in 2020.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant – Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
In concept, the last entry on our list is not necessarily bizarre, but it is unique in the fact that it may be the most awe-inspiring restaurant you will ever visit. Located at the Hilton Resort and Spa in the Maldives, the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is a tank-like space located 20 feet below sea level. As you dine, you’ll have a full view of the Pacific Ocean’s breathtaking marine life. As you may have guessed, the menu consists primarily of seafood.
The average lunch at Ithaa is around $150 per person. Factor this in with the cost of visiting the Maldives in the first place, and it becomes clear that eating at Ithaa is not something us regular folk are going to do any time soon. But we can dream, right? Meanwhile, find us at the Heart Attack Grill!
Keep reading to discover six weird places that can only be found in California.
