You’ve read the comics, you’ve seen the movies, you’ve played the games and now you can eat in Gotham City!
Last week saw the announcement that a Batman restaurant is set to open up in London this Spring. The project is called Park Row and describes itself as “the first fully immersive DC-inspired gastronomic restaurant experience found anywhere in the world.” I’m sure it is, but what exactly does that mean?
Set inside an 18,000 square foot London venue, Park Row will contain various restaurants themed after various Batman characters. Pennyworth’s serves a selection of top British cuisine, the Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge has an international menu, there’s a Harley Quinn-inspired sushi bar, and Old Gotham is a “villainous speakeasy” serving cocktails. Perhaps the most ambitious though will be Monarch Theatre, which will offer an “exhilarating, multi-sensory tasting menu experience with 360-degree projection mapping technology to explore the psychology of heroism through food.” Cool.
Now we’ve got our first look inside, which shows off their plans for the Iceberg Lounge. See for yourself below:
It certainly sounds unique. I’ve got to say though, when I think of Batman and the hellish, crime-ridden industrial nightmare of Gotham City, my stomach doesn’t immediately start rumbling. Here’s hoping that the restaurant experience is coupled with some kind of immersive theatre production in which Batman does battle with various villains while we eat. Still, given that the restaurant seems to be built in and around Crime Alley, perhaps the famously dour Caped Crusader won’t be happy with diners clinking wine glasses together right where his parents were brutally gunned down. In any case, according to the promotional blurb, “the less you know, the more fun you’ll have,” so I’ll leave it there.
Park Row is scheduled to open this Spring in London and it sounds just weird and crazy enough to be worth the trip. I mean, when else I am going to be able to have dinner in Gotham City?