Conventional restaurants with drab lighting and lustreless interiors are now passé as we enter into an age of ‘theme restaurants’, which offer a lot more to the customers rather than just delicious food. In these modern-age eateries, the stress is more on the concept of the restaurant, which in turn influences the architecture, food, music, and overall experience.

It must be noted that the roots of such theme-based restaurants can be traced back to the 19th century when burlesque and cabarets ruled the roost and were a hit in European countries. Some attribute the rise of such glitzy eateries to London’s Hard Rock Cafe, that opened its shutters in 1971. Ever since, several theme restaurants have mushroomed across the globe – some have managed to live up to its popularity while others have failed to survive.

Barbie Cafe

Women born in the 1990s always have a special place in their hearts for Barbie and her BFFs. So when Taiwan opened a Barbie-themed cafe, women of all ages thronged to this place, relieving their childhood memories and the restaurant’s popularity soared.

Dinner in the Sky

Very few people have the appetite to have something while dangling 150 feet above the ground from a crane. At Dinner in the Sky in Belgium, diners are strapped into chairs, raised to half the height of UK’s famous Big Ben and served meals like ham salad and sauteed prawns. The food is cooked in a small oven in the centre of the structure.