Restaurants with themes

• The Airplane Restaurant | Colorado Springs, CO

Located within a stone’s throw of Colorado Springs’ small city-owned airport, the Airplane Restaurant is housed within a converted KC-97 U.S. Air Force tanker. Diners can sit at small tables within the plane itself or in 'the terminal,' an attached dining room. While the food isn’t anything special—don’t expect much more than burgers, fries and a few straightforward salads—the fun involved in chowing down on non-airplane food while inside an airplane is, well, totally worth it.

• Aquarium Restaurant | Nashville, Denver and Houston

This unique restaurant with multiple locations, combines an aquarium visit with a seafood restaurant. (Yes, we also think it's a bit strange to chow down on the very creatures you’re observing but, hey, whatever works.) Diners are seated around a 200,000-gallon aquarium, where they can take in tropical fish, sharks, stingrays and more. Fish is at the center of the menu, too, with offerings such as clam chowder, a lobster tower with avocado and black beans, and crab-stuffed shrimp. Several times a month, guests are treated to a 'Mystic Mermaid' show, where 'mermaids' dive into the tank and put on a choreographed-to-music performance.

• Big Nose Kate's Saloon | Tombstone, AZ

Tombstone should be considered a compulsory stopover for any true Wild West enthusiast and along with all the history to be absorbed is Big Nose Kate's Saloon, offering a variety of menu items that can also be soaked up. The establishment is reportedly haunted and features an underground level where a worker spent years tunneling a secret entrance into a nearby silver mine. Visitors are welcome to dress up in period-style attire and you can freely snap selfies on the bar or draped across the piano should you be so inclined. The Wyatt Earp-esque experience is accompanied by nightly live music and the equally-themed menu includes burger, brisket, and homemade chili. And the movie Tombstone plays on an endless loop on screens behind the bar.

• Clifton’s Republic | Los Angeles, CA

Founded in 1931 as a pay-what-you-can cafeteria, Clifton’s now serves as a multi-level drinking den with a jaw-dropping forest theme. At the center of the space stands a 40ft-tall fake redwood tree; Its base is located near the Monarch Bar on the second level and it reaches up to the ceiling with reinforced branches designed to hold aerialists. On the third level you'll find the Gothic Bar, a repurposed 19th-century altar, and on the fourth floor offices were transformed into two more bars spaces, Treetops and the tiki-themed Pacific Seas.

• Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant | Kansas City, MO

This railroad-themed restaurant (with a second location in Kansas City, Kansas) has been delighting diners since it opened in KC in the mid-60s. At cherry-red vinyl booths among RR memorabilia like wooden train sets and crossroads sign, visitors order tried-and-true burgers, crinkle-cut fries and thick milkshakes, then wait for a ceiling-mounted 'train' that runs on tracks to deliver the order right to the table. It’s an old-fashioned good time that kids, in particular, are sure to love.

• Lehr's Greenhouse

Lehr's Greenhouse Restaurant, a glass-enclosed dining spa and florist shop in San Francisco, is open and featuring an gourmet dinner menu, highlighted by the bountiful "Picnic Table," an unbelievable array of choice seafood, meats, curries, fruits, and vegetables from around the world. The restaurant is designed like a greenhouse completely enclosed in glass and rare tropical plants. Owner Murray Lehr uses 13 huge torchiers from the MGM movie spectacular "Ben Hur" to illuminate the dozens of plants and ferns hanging from the roof. Lehr's "Greenhouse Restaurant and Potting Shed" will be open evenings from 5pm.

• Magic Time Machine | San Antonio, TX

Anything goes at this San Antonio classic open since 1973. The theme is broad, embracing everything from Marvel comics to Pirates of the Caribbean and the dining room is a hodgepodge of seating areas, including the attic, a tiki hut and even an old refrigerator. Servers are dressed as all kinds of characters: Spider Man, Robin Hood, Jack Sparrow and more. The fun is clearly aimed at kids, though grownups will enjoy the post-10pm saloon featuring a full bar and live music.

• The Proud Bird | Los Angeles, CA |

This LAX-adjacent spot began life in 1967 as an aviation-themed restaurant but was reborn as a modern food hall in 2017 featuring six food stalls serving Asian, Italian, American fare and more. The aviation theme has been preserved: Giant model planes hang from the ceiling and the lingo echoes travel language ('Arrival' is where you place your order, 'Departure' where you pick it up). Don’t forget to visit the Mile High Club bar to pick up a cocktail or a glass of wine and admire the view.

• 5. Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar | San Francisco, CA

Few other tiki bars, if any, in the nation show as much obsessive dedication to the form as Nob Hill’s classic watering hole Tonga Room. Located inside the iconic Fairmont hotel, the Polynesian-inspired bar-slash-restaurant has been pouring mai tais since 1945, but in 2010 benefited from a $1 million renovation and facelift. While we love the balanced drinks and indulgent finger foods, it’s the ambience at Tonga Room that’s unparalleled. Built around a 'lagoon' that was formerly the hotel’s swimming pool, it features a floating stage that’s occupied nightly by a live orchestra.