Discover NYC's Culinary Underbelly - Unearth 50 Unique Restaurants in the Big Apple

New York has fantastic nostalgic bars, spooky bistros, unusual-themed cafes, lodges, and unique restaurants in NYC to enjoy delicious meals in a special themed and unusual interior with quirky vibes. It has various weird and unusual places to explore and strange dining spots to enjoy the best food and drinks in an extraordinary atmosphere.

The city has fabulous landmarks and fantastic spots for entertainment, dining, and Shopping in New York. Whether you're a local or a new visitor to New York City, these unusual-themed and exciting fun dining spots offer the best unforgettable dining experience in the world!

List of Quirky and Unique Restaurants in NYC

Are you looking for some extraordinary and unique dining experience on a date night with your friends or planning a great party over quirky NYC spots? Some unique lodges, bars, restaurants, and cafes offer something remarkable and distinctive from other sites.

Some are fun; some are weird and quirky, and some offer BYOB, where you can bring your stuff with your buddies.

These fantastic dining lodges and top restaurants in NYC offer an awe-inspiring environment with delicious cuisines and drinks. You must get the best photo ops for your Instagram updates and show your exciting visits to the world!

Sugar Factory in Times Square, New York City

As it is named, Sugar Factory is a sweet eatery spot glamorous sugary scene with delicious treats. They offer lovely candies, fondues, ice creams, salty meals like burgers and fries, and sweet and soft desserts with unique interiors. You will wonder if to be in a fairy tale or a candy land full of sugary vibes. The quirky thing is that they offer monster size giant cocktails decorated with yummy candies, and it's the best photo op for social media for everyone.

Sugar Factory is renowned for entertainment and media. Several celebrities have visited this charming, sweet eatery, and it's one of the best kid-friendly restaurants in NYC.

Ichiran Ramen Restaurant in Times Square, NYC

Ichiran is a unique Japanese food restaurant in Times Square, Brooklyn, and midtown Manhattan. This lovely spot serves specific Ramen flavors and delicious, special red sauce with typical pepper and chili hot flavors, the original blend of Japanese Cuisines in NYC.

Get into a Delicious Ramen dinner with your friends if you love Ramen dishes and some quirky spicy sauces in a fantastic spot.

Chama Mama in Chelsea, New York City

Chama Mama is a Georgian restaurant in Upper Westside, Chelsea, New York City.

Experience a dine-in exclusive Georgian interior with a great menu with specific flavors of Khachapuri, kebabs, chicken skewers, cheese bread, and premium Georgian wines.

Barking Dog Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, New York City

This unique dog-themed restaurant offers an outdoor dining experience with your poochies. All the menus and meals are associated with the names of the dogs. You can enjoy your meals with your doggies with some rules and tips for a great experience. There are dog-themed interiors, lovely water fountains, and a fantastic dining experience at the Barking Dog restaurant.

They offer great menus like Barking Wings, Cheese Pups, Best Friend Burger, Turkey Dog Burger, Veggie farm dog burger, Seadog Fish and Chips, Blackened Salmon, and Barking Dog Cobbs.

Please Don't Tell in New York City

Please Don't Tell is a unique speakeasy bar and restaurant in New York City. People who want to enter need reservations. You must give them a call to reserve your spot and for entry into the tavern. If they accept your call and book a table for you, you're happy; otherwise, they should say "Wrong Number," and you can leave. When you arrive at the main door, there's a phone booth, and you must ring once for entry. The phone booth is the doorbell that gives you access to the unique and quirky tavern where you can enjoy exclusive cocktails and wines in the city.

Dinner Party in New York City

Dinner Party Restaurant is in Fort Greene, NYC. It's a great restaurant that offers an expansive space for its guests to host a party, whether for family or friends. So, enjoy the dinner party with loved ones with exclusive settings, lovely taper candles on the tables, classic wine bottles, and a delicious & expanded menu. It's one of the most remarkable fun places to go in NYC with friends.

La Caverna Restaurant in New York City

La Caverna is a cave-like restaurant in New York City. When you're stuck with your busy schedule and crowds in the city, you can reach La Caverna for the quirkiest dining experience. You will dive into an unforgettable dining experience in this cave-style dining hall.

Burp Castle Restaurant in New York City

Burp Castle Restaurant is a monastery-themed restaurant in NYC. The sophisticated atmosphere is like a monastery, with no more loud voices and noises and respect for rules to dine in. The dining space has exclusive paintings and murals. You must stay calm and quiet, consider the monks, and enjoy your food and drinks.

Max Brenner Restaurant in New York City

Max Brenner is a chocolate-themed restaurant with sweet decors that offer chocolate treats and yummy hot chocolate in a lovely mug. Enjoy the sweet chocolate treats and sugary deals with your loved ones, especially with kids. It’s a great family restaurant in New York City.

Apotheke Mixologist in New York City

Apotheke is a chemistry lab-themed bar for mixologists that create your crafted cocktails and drinks. When you enter, mixologists wearing white coats welcome you at the bar. When you take your table, they will suggest a mixology prescription. The prescription consists of the ingredients of your cocktail mixed with pure herbs and spices extracted from their private garden.

Dr. Clark in New York City

Dr. Clark is an outdoor restaurant and a patio dine-in in China Town, NYC. They serve food from Hokkaido; you will enjoy it at a covered Kotatsu table on the sidewalks. You can enjoy delicious Desserts, drinks, Salmon, stuffed squid with rice, Mutton, and lamb BBQ dishes. It's a unique Japanese food restaurant that offers the best patio settings in New York City.

Choco Bar Cortes in New York City

Choco Bar Cortes is in Mott Heaven, Bronx, NYC. It's all things in chocolate, like a chocolate-specific themed restaurant. It has a dance floor with live Dj music and a superb atmosphere in Choco Bar Cortes. You can enjoy the best chocolate desserts, treats, chicken wings, burgers, avocado toast, cocktails, beers, cheesecakes, tarts, and pastries filled with delicious chocolate and soft sugary cream.

Vspot Express in New York City

Vspot Express is a vegan paradise in East Village, NYC. It's a Latin vegan restaurant with a perfect comedy club named St. Marks Comedy Club, where you can enjoy the ideal vegetarian meals while laughing at the comedian acts.

Tokyo Record Bar in New York City

Tokyo Record Bar is in Greenwich Village, NYC. The unique thing in this restaurant is that when you enter and grab a table, you must select a playlist for music records, and all are vinyl records, and you can pick your favorite music or sing to play on. The restaurant is in the basement and serves the best Japanese meals and drinks with wonderful musical rhythms.

Niche-Niche Restaurant in New York City

Niche-Niche Restaurant is in Soho, NYC. It's a unique dining experience with superb wines and delicious food. Taste the classy Greek wines and lemon-oregano chicken and enjoy an excellent dine-in experience.

Trailer Park Lounge in Chelsea, New York City

Trailer Park Lounge is a unique American restaurant with a trailer park theme. It has a unique, fun atmosphere, an expansive dining room with great American Culture Trinkets like Christmas Lights, highway symbols that look real, and an active photo booth. It’s one of the most famous and Best Restaurants and bars in New York.

It's a perfect spot for a classic dinner with friends, a party, and drinks. They serve large portions of meals, enough for anyone hungry. You can enjoy delicious burgers with fries, various milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, and yummy breakfasts.

Beetle House Restaurant, New York City

Beetle House is the quirkiest experience to dine out in NYC. Halloween lovers can enjoy every night a Halloween even this unique restaurant. You will enjoy the spooky atmosphere, the horror settings, the creepy interiors, and all of that in the dim lights that give you scary vibes. The staff people also wear scary costumes and look more horrifying than a movie character. It's a perfect venue for a date night or buddy's hangouts.

The delightful food and meals in Beetle House included Salad, Mac & Cheese, Devil's Breath fries, burgers Fish, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, cakes, and desserts—crafted cocktails with lovely flavors and wines.

Ellen's Stardust Diner Restaurant, New York City

Ellen's Stardust Diner Restaurant is a 1950s-themed restaurant in the Theater District, Manhattan, NYC. Enjoy the classic dinner with delicious meals and specific live entertainment. All the staff is associated with Broadway, so you can get perfect live performances while enjoying delicious meals in the dining hall.

Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Factory, New York City

Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Factory is a lovely unique spot in NYC. It's a quirky spot that takes you back to the old era, the old times of soda shops. This unusual soda shop is in a historical medicine and pharmacy store from the 1920s.

You can explore a historical site while enjoying the lovely ice creams in nyc, sundaes, milkshakes, sodas, and eggs cream. This unusual spot has beautiful decor, vintage furniture, and old artwork that will be great photo ops for Instagram.

Beauty Bar in New York City

Beauty Bar is a beauty salon-themed cocktail bar in East Village. The quirky beauty bar has fabulous decors and massive chandeliers, vintage art collectibles, and domed hair dryers that look like a beauty salon associated with a cocktail bar. This beauty bar offers specific treatments and hosts fantastic events like comedy shows, dance parties, and burlesque nights.

Dirt Candy in New York City

Dirt Candy is a vegan restaurant and has offered the most delicious vegetarian meals for ten years in NYC. This fabulous dining spot offers veggie lovers the best culinary scene and delicious meals. The popular vegan meals at Dirt Candy are Broccoli hot dogs, Carrot Pizza, and Pepper gummy bears. They offer a small seasonal menu with classic wines and cocktails.

Jekyll & Hyde Club in New York City

Jekyll & Hyde Club is a spooky-themed club. It's renowned for its scary atmosphere, popular horror characters hanging around, weird decors, and visual effects for superb immersive spooky experiences.

It's more than a dine-in spot in Jekyll & Hyde Club but fun and amusement with friends and buddies. You can enjoy the most authentic flavorsome food from the movie-themed quirky menu, like the Mummy, Monster Burgers, signature cocktails, and dark rum with lime named "Bermuda Triangle." Get some cool clicks and unforgettable memories with your friends.

Serendipity3 Restaurant in New York City

Serendipity3 offers unique sugary treats with sweet flavors of creamy desserts and delicious fruits like frozen hot chocolate, a giant ice cream sundae, or a slice of rainbow cake. It's a fascinating dining experience where famous artists and celebrities enjoy delicious desserts and sugary treats.

It's a kids-themed restaurant with vibrant color decors and flying unicorns on the walls for fun and excitement. It's like a fairy tale, but the adults may enjoy the lovely atmosphere, especially the giant sundaes with colorful candy treats.

Spaghetti Tavern in New York City

What about the spaghetti in a bag? Can you taste the delicious pasta in a paper bag?

Spaghetti Tavern is a Western-style dining spot and the most unusual restaurant in NYC.

The great tavern is famous for its sauces and delicious pasta recipes like Salmon, Mushroom, and Pomodoro sauces in spaghetti. You will get fabulous vibes with live music and cocktails, and the Saturday / Sunday Bluegrass Brunch menu with yummy flavors and meals is not a big deal to dine in a unique spot in NYC. The Bluegrass is the best brunch in New York City.

Thai Villa Restaurant in New York City

Thai Villa Restaurant is a luxurious, unique dining spot in Flatiron, NYC. They have awe-inspiring interiors and decors and offer mouthwatering sweet, and spicy Thai cuisine. The glorious giant chandeliers, hanging lanterns, sparkling lights, and gorgeous decorations give you the remarkable ambiance to dine in such a super classy restaurant in NYC. The restaurant has a bar at the backside of the restaurant that offers classic wines, beers, and crafted cocktails.

Keys and Heels Restaurant in New York City

Keys and Heels Restaurant is in Upper Eastside Manhattan. It's a fantastic place. A locksmith and shoe repair shop in front of the street is a glorious cocktail bar offering exciting fun with live Dj music, illuminating huge disco balls, and giant chandeliers. Enjoy this unusual space's superbly crafted cocktails with lovely music and dance moves.

Abigail's Kitchen Restaurant in New York City

Abigail's Kitchen is the most quirk dine-in spot in Lower Eastside Manhattan. It was priorly in Greenwich Village. It's a great cooking school, event planner, and dine-in restaurant that offers a unique way of dining in dark, blindfolded dinners. Abigail's Kitchen

Rolf's Restaurant in New York City

Rolf's German Restaurant in NYC is a unique, charming place to enjoy excellent German cuisine. The holiday spirit in this restaurant is all around the year; the illuminating and sparkling lights and fantastic decors are like Christmas Eve. Enjoy dine-in German menus with superb wines and German Martinis with glorious vibes.

The VNYL Bar in New York City

The VNYL is a vintage retro-themed bar representing the luxury and classic lifestyle of the 1970s. The bar offers guests fascinating amenities, interiors, art collections, music, and photo ops. The delicious menu has Bangers & Mash Croquettes, Sushi with avocado, and cookie dough spring rolls.

The Late-Late Bar in New York City

Late-Late is an Irish bar that offers a delicious menu like Fish & chips Tacos, Cheddar Sticks, Irish Potato chips, Stout Relish and Crisp Sambo. They provide beautiful music and lovely vibes so you can enjoy the best food with classy wines and cocktails at the bar.

Pasticceria Rocco Cafe in New York City

Pasticceria Rocco Cafe is the sweet Italian tradition that offers tasty pastries, cheesecakes, banana foster, vanilla cupcakes, caramel biscuits, and giant-size savor cookies with delicious latte flavors. Enjoy its sweet treats with yummy latte flavors in NYC.

Zou Zou's Restaurant in New York City

Zou Zou's American Restaurant is in 9th Avenue, Manhattan. Its unique Eastern Mediterranean menu offers plenty of delicious meals and crafted cocktails, classy wines, and beers. Zou Zou has great art deco architecture, vibrant colors, and lovely plant species around the dining hall. They offer the classic sweet treats, hot spices, and chili flavors of Egypt, Israel, and Jordon to NYC.

Lillie's Victorian Establishment Restaurant in New York City

Lillie's Victorian Establishment Restaurant is an immersive dining experience in old Victorian age settings. It's a Victorian-age-themed restaurant with perfect shimmering chandeliers, sparkling mirrors, antique pieces, and Victorian art collections. The famous dine-in spot has brought the Victorian exclusive interiors and decor items from an old Victorian Mansion in Ireland.

Astoria Seafood Restaurant in New York City

Astoria Seafood Restaurant is a Greek Seafood Restaurant on Long Island. It’s a unique way to dine in a seafood store cum a restaurant. There’s a seafood purchasing counter for guests. You will buy fish, shrimp, crabs, or lobsters from the counter and hand them over for live cooking in the restaurant. Now wait for the delicious seafood meal, and you can grab a drink with your food.

Banzarbar in New York City

Banzarbar is in Lower Eastside inside Freeman’s Alley. The bar is at the back end of the alley, a speakeasy with a seafood menu and only four types of drinks. Only ten seatings are available for visitors, but you can enjoy classic wines with seafood in this small bar.

Heath Restaurant in New York City

Heath is a British Restaurant in McKittrick Hotel. It’s a counterpart of the famous theater show Sleep No More. The staff dresses like a cocktail, a fun atmosphere within this classic English dine-in spot in Heath Restaurant.

Lucky Cheng’s Restaurant in New York City

Lucky Cheng’s restaurant is in Times Square. You can enjoy delicious Asian-American food. The glamorous Drag Queens serve the food, and other Drag Queens perform the cabaret show, comedy shows, and dances.

River Cafe in New York City

It’s an authentic boat restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge. You can enjoy food with an iconic view of the City’s skyline and a relaxing cool breeze with beautiful water waves around the scene.

Black Ant Restaurant in New York City

Black Ant restaurant is a unique insect-themed restaurant in East Village. A traditional Vegan dining spot offers happy hours from Tuesday to Sunday.

House of Wax in New York City

House of Wax is a unique and quirky bar. It has a small wax museum filled with wax masks and anatomical wax statues that look like real dead people. They serve a themed-cocktail menu to raise the horrifying ambiance at the spot.

Tatiana Restaurant is a unique Russian Restaurant in NYC. The traditional Russian ambiance, cabaret dances, and excellent Russian menus serve with classic vodka and wines.

It’s a chic tropical-themed bar decorated with vibrant, sharp colors, tropical blooms, and a fascinating paradise scene with delicious food menus, superb wines, and crafted cocktails.

Trademark Taste & Grind is American Bistro with Italian signatures in Le Soleil Hotel, Herald Square, NYC. They offer the best delicious meals with great photo ops.

It’s a Chinese hot pot and Korean BBQ dine-in spot for large gatherings and parties. It’s quite an affordable place with a typical menu like Tofu. It is in Brooklyn, Lower Eastside, Flushing, and Staten Island in NYC.

Smac is a specific restaurant dedicated to Mac n Cheese in East Village. They offer a variety of macaroni and cheese flavors, sweet n spicy, chili and hot peppers, and masala Mac n Cheese.

Brooklyn Crab Restaurant in Brooklyn offers delicious seafood on the patio and outdoor dining. Enjoy seafood menus with cocktails and exciting games like mini golf and corn hole. It’s like a beach party with games and fun.

Insa is a Korean BBQ dine-in spot. It’s a huge dining hall with large tables, a sidebar, and perfect for groups of friends and parties for BBQ dinners.

It’s a Japanese restaurant in Midtown Manhattan in an office building down to the lobby, like a hidden place. They offer elegant interiors with great Japanese food at reasonable prices. It’s one of the best affordable restaurants in NYC, but you must reserve your spot before arriving.

Syndicated Restaurant is in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Enjoying tasty meals and drinks while watching a movie is a unique dining experience. It has a great dining hall and a sidebar, and they play movies on the projectors on the giant walls of the space.

Bohemian is a Japanese restaurant in East Village. It’s at the backside of a butcher shop, a hidden gem in NYC. It’s an exclusive dine-in spot requiring reservations, but you must know someone who dine-in here before reserving your table on Bohemian.

Conclusion

New York City has plenty of unusual, quirky, and unique things to do, whether a bar and restaurant or a fun and entertainment spot to explore. We can only discuss some unusual dine-in places in one article here. However, you will get the ultimate options like great coffee shops, cafes, bakeries, pizzerias, and the best bagel shops to enjoy the glorious dine-in scene with delicious meals in NYC.