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Dinner with a Side of Show: Entertaining Restaurants and Food Theaters

These entertaining restaurants don't just offer delicious food. They're also serving up a show for you to enjoy.
By Sahara Borja
Is the standard restaurant experience just not cutting it anymore? Do you want something more? These restaurants and theaters understand your plight! Check out these fun, wild, and inventive entertaining restaurants that know how to put on a good show (the food's not bad either!).Like what these places offer? Check out this collection of the world's "weirdest" restaurants as well as these restaurants in strange and wonderful locations around the world.
1

Sleuths Mystery Dinner, Orlando, FL

Before you finish your food at Sleuth's, you'll spend the evening laughing and solving a  major mystery with the other guests at Sleuth's "dinner party". Orlando's longest running mystery dinner show lets guests become detectives for a few hours while they enjoy a top-quality meal! The dessert remains a "mystery," unless you're really the super sleuth you claim to be, it remains that way until it arrives!
Courtesy of Sleuths Mystery Dinner
When you attend Sleuth's "dinner party," you'll spend the evening solving a major mystery as you dine. Orlando's longest-running mystery dinner show lets guests become detectives for a few hours while they fill up on food. The dessert remains a mystery until it's served — unless you really are a super sleuth!

8267 International Dr., Orlando, FL; (407) 363-1985; sleuths.com
2

La Masia Encantada, Arenys de Munt, Spain

Guests work throughout their meal to reverse a curse that's been put on the land their sitting. This half-scary, half-funny show lasts about 3 hours and is paired with a delicious dinner.
Courtesy of La Masia Encantada
In a theatrical restaurant just up the coast from Barcelona, Spain, dinner guests work throughout their meal to reverse a "curse" that's been put on the land upon which they are sitting. This spectacle is part mystery, part magic, and part interactive. To get you through this three-and-a-half-hour event, you and your friends will dine on food from the 35-year-old Blau Verd, which has a menu that includes salad, Spanish potatoes, dessert, and wine. Enjoying the meal helps reverse the curse!

Urb. Santa Rosa dels Pins (ant. Mas Gabana) Torrent Bo, 08358 Arenys de Munt; lamasiaencantada.com
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3

Lumberjack Feud Dinner and Show, Pigeon Forge, TN

Lumberjack Feud
Courtesy of Lumberjack Feud
There's a feud in this town, and the opposing sides are two families of loggers. As you dine on mesquite-baked chicken, BBQ ribs, and other Southern delights, the Lumberjacks square off in competitions that have them sawing, climbing, and balancing on logs. The show is based on true events that occurred in the 1930s between the Dawson and McGraw families.

2713 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN; 855-244-3383; lumberjackfeud.com
4

Pirates Dinner Adventure, Buena Park, CA

Pirates fight before your very eyes in this replica 18th century Spanish galleon. The performers fight, romance, and do acrobatics in front of guests, leaving them excited to enjoy and participate in the show themselves. Enjoy Treasure's Chicken or Buccaneer BBQ Pork Loin during the show. Vegetarian lasagna is also available.
Courtesy of Pirates Dinner Adventure
Pirates fight before your eyes on a recreated 18th-century Spanish galleon. The performers take part in "wizardry, aerial artistry, swashbuckling swordplay," and dueling while watchers enjoy a hearty meal — roast chicken and BBQ pork loin, plus salads and an apple cobbler.

7600 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, CA; (714) 690-1497; piratesdinneradventureca.com
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5

Heart Attack Grill, Las Vegas, NV

Sexy "nurses" at the Heart Attack Grill prescribe "patients" single, double, triple, or quadruple bypass burgers, and if a patient weighs in at 350 plus pounds, they get to eat for free. This restaurant may be controversial, but people just keep coming back!
Courtesy of Heart Attack Grill
Sexy "nurses" at the Heart Attack Grill prescribe single, double, triple, or quadruple bypass burgers for "patients" at this dining spot. If a patient weighs 350 or more pounds, he or she gets to eat for free. The restaurant's tagline is "taste worth dying for!" which, given the obesity epidemic, seems to walk a fine line between joking and sincere branding. Customers are required to wear patient gowns while they eat. The premise may be controversial, but the restaurant does not suffer from a lack of walk-in "patients."

450 Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV; heartattackgrill.com
6

Count Dracula Club, Bucarest, Romania

White eating traditional Romanian dishes like stuffed cabbage rolls with polenta, guests will be frightened by the spooky décor and scenery. This restaurant offers Dracula-themed dinner shows, transporting guests to medieval Romania and taking them through the Count's story.
Courtesy of Count Dracula Club
This restaurant offers Dracula-themed dinner shows, transporting guests to medieval Romania and taking them through the Count's story. Will you empathize with Dracula, who searches for his long lost wife, Elisabeta? Or will you be too entranced by the Transylvanian chicken with smoked plums to notice?

Splaiul Independentei nr. 8A, Sector 5, Bucuresti, Romania; 021/3121353; count-dracula.ro
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7

Ed Debevic's, Chicago, IL

Burgers and shakes have helped define Ed Debevic's in Chicago, Illinois, since 1984, but that's not all. This restaurant is modeled after diners of the '50s, featuring waitstaff that dresses in clothes from the era and will get on top of the tables to dance and sing (check out their fun website). They offer traditional diner food like burgers, hot dogs, and meatloaf sandwiches, but they've managed to evolve with the times and also offer vegetarian and turkey burger options.
Courtesy of Ed Debevic's
Burgers and shakes have helped define Chicago's Ed Debevic's since 1984, but that's not all the restaurant has to offer. This establishment is modeled after 50s-era diners, featuring a waitstaff dressed in clothes from the time period who will get up on top of the tables to dance and sing for your enjoyment. The restaurant offers traditional diner food, like burgers, hot dogs, and meatloaf sandwiches, but it has managed to evolve with the times and also offers vegetarian and turkey burger options, too.

640 North Wells St., Chicago, IL; (312) 664-1707; eddebevics.com
8

Tamaki Maori Village, Rotorua, New Zealand

Maori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, welcome you into an authentic recreation of a Maori village, where you learn their ancient customs, rituals, and legends. As you explore the village, Maori descendants will teach you traditional dances, games meant to increase battle preparedness, and horticultural practices. After a song and dance show, you'll enjoy a meal of meats and vegetables prepared in the traditional Maori way — steamed under the earth on hot rocks for hours.<br /><br /> <i>1220 Hinemaru St., Rotorua, New Zealand; +64 (0)7 349 2999; <a href="http://www.maoriculture.co.nz/" target="_blank">maoriculture.co.nz</a>
Courtesy of Tamaki Maori Village
Maori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, welcome you into an authentic recreation of a Maori village, where you learn their ancient customs, rituals, and legends. As you explore the village, Maori descendants will teach you traditional dances, games meant to increase battle preparedness, and horticultural practices. After a song and dance show, you'll enjoy a meal of meats and vegetables prepared in the traditional Maori way — steamed under the earth on hot rocks for hours.

1220 Hinemaru St., Rotorua, New Zealand; +64 (0)7 349 2999; maoriculture.co.nz
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9

Teatro Zinzanni, Seattle, WA

Looking for some sizzle? How about some dazzle? Teatro Zinzanni, located in drizzly Seattle, offers both of these things. Part circus, part dinner theatre (and "always magical") Teatro Zinzanni promises a "night out unlike any other!" Thank goodness for their extensive gourmet meal replete with an "Apertivo," "Sopa," Ensalada," a main course, and a "Postre," because this "three-hour whirlwind" is going to take you for a ride, and you need the proper fuel. Comedy! Cabaret! Circus! Curtain changes! Vaudeville revue! Music! Dance! Are you dizzy yet? And supposedly, the show is different every night. How do they do it?! <br /><br /><i>222 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109; <a href="http://dreams.zinzanni.org" target="_blank">http://dreams.zinzanni.org</a></i>
Courtesy of Teatro Zinzanni
Looking for some sizzle? How about some dazzle? Teatro Zinzanni offers both. Part circus, part dinner theatre, and "always magical," Teatro Zinzanni promises a "night out unlike any other!" Thank goodness for their extensive gourmet meal, including "Apertivo," "Sopa," Ensalada," a main course, and a "Postre," because you need proper fuel for this three-hour show. It's got comedy, cabaret, circus, curtain changes, vaudeville revue, music, and dance! One visit may not be enough; the show reportedly changes every night.

222 Mercer Street Seattle, WA 98109; dreams.zinzanni.org
10

Capone's Dinner Show, Orlando, FL

‎"Prohibition has made nothing but trouble," said Al Capone. That's why he runs this saloon, serving spirits to the guests as they're transported back to prohibition and enjoy the performance of his glamorous, lovable ladies and fellow mobsters. Before enjoying an all-you-can-eat Dinner buffet, you will be escorted to your table by "mobsters, dames" and other characters from the show.  And don't hesitate to bring your children; this is an all-ages show!
Courtesy of Capone's Dinner and Show
"Prohibition has caused nothing but trouble," Al Capone famously said. In this saloon, guests are transported back to the prohibition era, but spirits are definitely not prohibited. Diners are escorted to tables by mobsters, "dames," and other characters from the show. They witness a performance by glamorous ladies and tough mobsters while enjoying an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet. Don't hesitate to bring your children — this performance is suitable for all ages.

4740 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Parkway (Highway 192), Kissimmee, FL; 1-800-220-8428; alcapones.com
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11

The Dinner Detective, Various Locations, USA

You don't have to suffer a stuffy restaurant to enjoy four amazing courses! The Dinner Dectective, with locations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin, is an interactive, sit-down dinner where guests take part in solving a murder mysterdy. Part of what makes it fun is that all of the performers are dressed like everyone else; you could be sitting next to the suspect — or worse yet, you could be a suspect yourself! Everyone is a suspect, and everything is delectable, too. Throughout the night, "mayem" occurs, clues present themselves, and Detectives amble around trying to help solve the mystery. There is a prize package for the "Top Sleuth," so get out your magnifying glass Sherlock, and get thee to a location, stat!<br /><br /><i>Various locations, <a href="http://www.thedinnerdetective.com" target="_blank">thedinnerdetective.com</a></i>
Courtesy of The Dinner Detective
You don't have to suffer in a stuffy restaurant to enjoy four amazing courses. The Dinner Detective, with locations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin, is an interactive, sit-down dinner during which guests help solve a murder mystery. All of the performers, however, are dressed like everyone else; you could be sitting next to the killer. Throughout the night, "mayhem" occurs, clues pop up, and detectives amble around trying to help solve the mystery. There is a prize package for the "Top Sleuth," so get out your magnifying glass, Sherlock, and start solving the mystery!

thedinnerdetective.com
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