Fun with Food

Your mother always told you not to play with your food. Apparently, not everyone listens to his or her mother. Dining at a themed restaurant is a fun way to do something different this vacation by being an attraction in itself as well as a place to satisfy your hunger. You can grab a great bite between giggles amid the outrageously decorated interiors of two of New York’s wacky themed restaurants.

Ever dream of being an astronaut and traveling to far off worlds? Now you can, at Mars-themed restaurant Mars 2112. Mars 2112 transports you to the red planet by way of Times Square for an out-of-this-world experience.

Decorated like a sci-fi movie set complete with neon lights, red rocks, and eerie space music, Mars 2112 offers kid friendly food like chicken fingers and hamburgers as well as more sophisticated fare for the adults like ribs, calamari, and salmon. All this is served to you by waitresses dressed in Martian costumes.

When you’re done eating, head off through the dancing Martians scattered about the restaurant to the arcade for some space-age games or bring back an intergalactic souvenir from their gift shop. At the bar, adults can grab a silly space-themed drink like a Cosmos-politan or a Mars-tini.

Heee-ya! Unleash the ninja in you at Ninja New York, a restaurant whose entire theme is…you guessed it, ninjas.

The highlight here is not just the interesting fusion of the Japanese, American, and French style menu. Everything from the moment you enter the restaurant is carefully orchestrated to present a surprisingly fun ninja experience. Your journey begins after you enter the underground elevator and stealthily make your way down the secret path, which is filled with live ninjas who jump out at you. By the time you are led to your final seating at a single table in a private dungeon, you’ll know that this is sure to be one memorable meal.

The show continues during the meal itself with chef Michinobu Okamoto preparing one of the five fixed priced menus right there at your table. Top off the meal with an exquisitely sculpted dessert.

If you felt like doing something crazy this vacation, here are some great places to do it.

Whatever the budget, the New York hotel stay can fit the bill.