Most unique restaurants in NYC

New York City is one of the unofficial capitals of the world. It is a place where hundreds of nations live alongside, where every part of the world is somehow presented. One can think that to find something that will surprise or astonish in an unexpected way is already a kind of problem in this city. Especially, if we are talking about dining options. Hundreds of luxurious restaurants with different cuisines are always there to visit and experience. 

However, we have got something really special. New York City has much more to offer if you are looking for a fresh experience. The city carries many unusual, unique, quirky and almost dazzling places to eat in. Be careful, because these places are capable of changing your eating habits! Well, at least the dining environment you might use will be completely beyond your expectations.

These restaurants will marvel you with its ornateness, weirdness, outside-the-box thinking behind the idea of a place.

• La Caverne is going to be first on this list. Once you get yourself inside the walls of this restaurant, the feeling of being in New York City will vanish from you. The sense of being elsewhere plus a drink or dinner will give you something you haven’t feel yet.

La Caverna offers a long list of cocktails and wines. If you in La Caverna, make sure you don’t miss the most interesting plates from the menu. There are Penne Vodka (Penne Pasta with Vodka Sauce), La Caverna Burger (Secret Sauce from the chef, Lettuce, Pickles, Provolone (Served with your Choice of Salad or Fries) and Lamb Sliders. 

For some people, La Caverna is a great way just to have fun, for the others the cave has many different meanings from Plato’s myth to the prehistoric period (cave art is a reason for that). And it must be this way – unusual ambiance proposed by this place evokes all sorts of emotions. So if you would like to eat, drink and eventually, have some dancing, this place will surprise you. La Caverna can be booked for private events and parties. 

Address: 122 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002, b/t Norfolk St & Essex St, Lower East Side. 

Average main course: $20

• In a conversation about unusual and unique restaurants it would be quite wrong to miss the place called Ninja New York. Sounds like a theme park, isn’t it? The absolutely unique place will marvel you with its concept. Japanese cultured restaurant recreating a ninja village with a selection of dishes from traditional Japanese cuisine. Dishes not just super tasty, but also, as the founder said: “pleased the eye”. 

Dark corridors, gimmicky mood, the staff is in special costumes; the restaurant generally giving you the feeling of being in ninja’s hangout place. 

In the menu, you will find several sections – course, a la carte, vegetarian menu and dessert menu. The best dishes are Lobster Miso Bisque (misoflavored bisque with lobster meat, bay), saizou rolls (sautéed king oyster mushroom, boiled asparagus, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, guacamole, tomato with lemon honey mayo), Ninja star, shrimp tempura roll. All the food is delicious and flavorful. 

Besides that, there are also many traditional dishes like chicken, tuna rolls, salmon teriyaki.  The restaurant is great to celebrate birthdays, taking kids for holidays or family anniversaries. 

Address: 25 Hudson St, New York, NY 10013, b/t Duane St & Reade St TriBeCa. 

Average main course: $50

• The Village Voice, The New Yorker, The New York Times – each of these magazines was astonished by the restaurant called Dirt Candy. 

The place serves nothing but vegetables. The mind behind the menu is Amanda Cohen – award-winning and very famous chef. The motto of Dirt Candy is “to make vegetables as delicious as possible”. Korean fried broccoli, Brussel sprout tacos, mushroom tacos, “vegetable garden”, Cucumber dish, lentil waffles – the food is astounding. 

The New York Times magazine wrote one of the most amazing things about this place – “can be like going to a child’s birthday party in a country where all the children love vegetables…Ms. Cohen is not adopting the vegetarian cuisine of some other culture. She is inventing her own.” These words are the very essence of what Dirt Candy is. Take your children or the whole family (there is a great selection of wines) to the restaurant and you won’t regret it. Amazing culinary experience, as well as a cozy ambiance, is a great way to spend the evening. Dirt Candy is ideal for it. 

Address: 86 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002, Lower East Side. 

Average main course: $45. 

• For those who enjoy literature and especially Robert Lewis Stevenson’s probably the most famous novel can visit the spooky place – Jekyll and Hyde Club. 

The cast of characters recreated in the building is truly marvelous. There are 62 dishes, where you can find specialities like Create-Your-Own-Monster burgers and Frankenstein’s Favorite. We can assure you that something like that is impossible to find elsewhere. There are several sections in the menu – dinner, dessert, Cocktails, Beer and wine, and for kids. 

If you want to throw a scary party for one of your friends or for the bunch of buddies don’t hesitate to come here. If you come for dinner, get ready to behold some shows and mini acts from the staff. 

Address: 91 7th Ave Street, New York, NY 10014, b/t Grove St & S 7 Ave, West Village. 

Average main course: $25.

• If you would like to have some time in the 70th bar and get some retro vibes, we can offer you to visit a restaurant called The VNYL. 

The place itself is a great representation of the spirit inherent to 70th.  It has 3 floors with art, music, fashion and design derived from that time period. The first floor is a lounge, then Mezzanine and the last floor for the events. The cuisine imitates mixture of Californian styles, but beverages are being designed to attract a wide range of people with different tastes and likes. If you like cocktails, there is the whole special program for it.  

For true fans, there is a store with records and vinyl. The whole interior as well as furniture designed especially for the place. The place can be booked for dinner (6 people maximum) or for private parties (for 500-600 people). There is plenty of space in both the bar area and the hall with tables.

The happy hour specials include the whole bunch of different plates. VNYL is rather a versatile place with different moods on each floor.

Address: 100 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003, b/t 13th St & 12th Street, East Village. 

Average main course: moderate. 

• Beetle House is the place for the fans of Tim Burton. All the food and the menu are named after his works. Check these out – Edvard’s Lemonade (Whiskey, Cherry, Orange, Splash of Simple Syrup), Chocolate Chocolate Milk (Vanilla Vodka, Chocolate Syrup, Milk, Whipped Cream), The Beetle’s Juice (Tequila, Muddled Blackberry, Cranberry Juice), Edward’s Burger Hands (honey butter toasted bun, CAB half a pound patty topped with bacon, pepper jack cheese, sriracha aioli, roasted red bell peppers, lettuce, tomato, fried egg and avocado with side of fries). 

The motto behind this place is “we are restaurant and bar that pays tribute through food and drink to all things dark and lovely”. Each time there you feel like a celebration of Halloween.

To enjoy this restaurant you don’t even have to be a big fan of Burton’s works – generally, it is a space that unifies people who love creepy culture – horror films and comics, dark music, gothic fashion. You can also buy some theme t-shirts and zip-ups. 

 Address: 308 E 6th Street, New York, NY 10003, b/t 1st Ave & 2nd Avenue, East Village. 

Average main course: $25

• Apotheke is a truly unique restaurant where you practically feel like visiting the past times. On the other hand, it looks very much alike to the chemistry lab.  

The founders were so inspired by the old times, mostly 19th century, that they decided to make apothecary restaurant. 

Besides cocktails, the experience of being here is worth mentioning. Once you passed the curtains you will feel like in another era, and definitely another city – is has nothing to do with actual New York City. It’s like visiting a real theatre. Clients appreciate thorough attitude towards them – each cocktail has its own kind of Austrian glass. Pretty neat, isn’t it?

Address: 9 Doyers Street, New York, NY 10013, b/t Division St & St James Pl, Chinatown, Civic Center. 

Average main course: expensive. 

• The aesthetics can be different. This is what differs how people react to things and what they prefer to see in their private time. If you are into unusual and macabre things, find a time to go to The House of Wax. We guarantee that the bar and the interior will be one of your best memories. Anatomical models of famous persons – both dead and alive, lots of waxen masks, the feeling of 1800 tours, pathology and anthropology exhibition, rare and marvelous oddities.

Address: 445 Albee Square West, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 4th floor across from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema ticketing and concierge. 

• Give a try to some kitsch and visit The Trailer Park Lounge. The place has everything in it. Elvis pants, hundreds of posters, funny mannequins. The best way to describe The Trailer Park Lounge is to call it eclectic. Vintage decorations are another way to perform some time travel. Happy hours specials are what is worth coming here. 

Address: 271 W 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011, b/t 7th Ave & 8th Avenue Chelsea. A

Average main course – $30. 

• Tokyo Record Bar is an amazing place to gain some unusual dining experience. After you take your seat you are going to do something that you don’t expect to do in a regular restaurant – choose the playlist. And it is not on the screens, everything on vinyl. The choice is limitless. Therefore, many clients claim that the process of choosing the song is a great way to spend time.  

Come to the Tokyo Record Bar to have some bite and listen to the music you chose. Space is small, chamber and cozy. 

Address – 127 Macdougal Street, New York, NY 10012. 

Average main course: $30