Prison Cells To Central Perk: Dine At The Best Themed Restaurants in Chennai

This cycle themed café in Kotturpuram is definitely the kind of place everybody should visit at least once. Not only do you get to pick and choose from a long list of great Continental and Italian food. You also get to stare at beautiful bicycles hung up all through Ciclo Cafe. Even the lamps have cycle wheels in them! And that’s not all. Order yourself a portion of the French Fries and get it served to you in a cycle basket, because how else does one serve fries in a cycle-themed restaurant?

Is there anyone more famous than Rajinikanth in Chennai? Most probably not. Which is why Superstar pizza is only dedicated to the Thalaivar. The walls feature a lot of Rajinikanth posters and even some of his famous lines from his movies. The pizzas are also named after some of his famous lines as well as his movies, splitting them up genre-wise from Action Scenes to even Guest Roles – which is mostly pasta. For a Rajini fan, this is the perfect place to be. And if you’re not a fan, you will be when you’re done with your meal.

Most of us have never been inside a mine before, so it’s obviously unknown what it looks like down there. But walk into the Miner Diner and you get a feel of it. Brick walls surround the entire restaurant, while the ceiling has burlap sacks and there are kerosene lamps everywhere. Their menu features a wide range of dishes that you’ve probably never had before. But whatever you do order, don't miss out on their waffle pizzas and waffle sandwiches - they're quite something. 

An Anna Nagar staple, Haunted is one of the most interesting themed restaurants in the city! The name says it all, and the experience is just as exciting as you’d imagine. The dark walls and the dim lighting give you the shivers, but the multi-cuisine menu (North Indian, Chinese, Arabian and Burmese to name a few) looks inviting. There are crooked frames and cobwebs on the wall and some creepy looking residents at the restaurant but thankfully, the food isn’t as gruesome.

If you’ve been looking for a beautifully themed restaurant for a romantic dinner - this is it. With a view of an indoor waterfall, this restaurant sets the mood for any kind of evening. The soft sounds of the waterfall along with the ambient music make it quite the experience. As for the food, you can either enjoy a flavoursome biryani with bae here or try something different from their Chinese section and end it all with a Waterfall Special Dessert Jar! 

For more romantic restaurants in Chennai, click here.

Styled like the inside of a prison, Kaidi Kitchen has its staff dressed up as police officers and inmates. The tables are nicely spread out and for the full kaidi experience, you can sit at one of the tables inside the prison cells. Don’t worry, they won’t lock you in there. The menu is purely vegetarian, catering to even Jain customers on special request. And the food fills out different cuisines with nachos and tacos being served alongside momos and spring rolls. They’ve even got kebabs and pasta salads to choose from.

Heave ho your way to the Black Pearl in Sholinganallur to dine amidst Jack Sparrow and his pirates. Along with octopus on a stage, electrocuting chair and beheading spot, they have a buffet spread serving all kinds of heavenly meat. They have live counters for chaats, pizzas and grills too. Paneer Khurchan with naan is something we would totally recommend you to go for along with some potato wedges as starters. Meat lovers, hold your horses because we would just recommend everything chicken.

Elegant blue walls, vintage chairs and historic paintings - Winter Palace will give you the chills. Located inside the Russian Centre Of Science And Culture, it is all about having a piece of Russia in the city. The food is also all Russian! Order yourself some Russian pancakes or some Red Caviar Blini. You can find all kinds of Russian traditional dishes but if you are worried about vegetarian options, fret not. They have mushrooms and vegetable pies as well! Don't forget to down it all with some vodka.

A fair warning, you will be greeted by Neythri's humongous bust as you enter. However, trust us, it gets better. Avatar like the same suggests has brought to life Pandora right in Porur. With the floor lit up with fluorescent lights and dragons protruding out from the tables, it is all the more fun to dine on some North Indian tasties. They have a buffet spread with tandoor and tikka options in chicken, prawns and mutton as well. 

All things Switzerland! Aptly named Swiss Hutte, this restaurant in Nungambakkam is like a countryside house in the Alps made out of washed bricks and sloped roofs. As you enter inside, the cosy vintage cottage vibes and the smell of bacon and steak just lure you in. Our favourite are their dessert options which start from Swiss Bündner Walnut Tart to Swiss Apple Pie humbel.

Unlike the movie, you don't have to fall through the rabbit hole like Alice did to reach Madhatter's Tea Garden in Nungambakkam. Just walk through the gate, and you will be surprised with life-sized mushrooms, colourful walls and quirky teapot on creepers. You can even pull out a book to read in this fantasy garden. The food is reasonably priced to match your tea party's theme. Needless to say - don't forget to order some tea. The MadHatter's Tea Pot is our fave. To check out more introvert-friendly restaurants, click here.

As the name suggests, this is a locomotive-themed restaurant where you can see a model train and a car welcoming you and the food comes to your table on a bullet train or a car. No, really. The food gets delivered to you on a tray that is shaped like a train and a Ferrari, that runs on a conveyor belt. As for the food, they've got Chinese, Continental, and Indian. Their chicken lollipop and kadai vegetable are our fave. 

More of a Rajasthani cultural fair, a visit here doesn't just involve food. It's a mix of Rajasthani culture and cuisine presented to you over a day's time. You get to have dinner here, and boy! It's soul-satisfying. You get to gorge on a full vegetarian thali comprising vegetable pulao, khichdi, dal baati, boondi raitha, and much more. There's dessert too. Read more here. 

People heading to the Rail Museum in the city can now relish a fancy meal at this rail coach-themed restaurant in Chennai. The decor comprises light fittings with an antique touch and modern art on its exterior. As for the food, you can choose from Chinese, Continental, North Indian, and South Indian food. 

While the menu is mainly spread across Continental, Oriental and Indian cuisine, it is the rain forest theme of the restaurant that warrants a visit. The animal models, trees and dim lighting there really create an authentic forest-like ambience for you to enjoy.

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