10 Restaurants from Books and Movies That Became Real
Books and movies are full of restaurants that are too good to be true, because nothing tastes as good as something that isn't real. Thankfully, there are major marketing teams and entrepreneurial individuals working very hard to help fans live and eat their dreams. The latest imaginary eatery to join the ranks of the actual will be in Disneyland Paris; the park has just announced that it will enlist the culinary talent of none other than legendary French chef Paul Bocuse to bring its Ratatouille-themed restaurant to life.
There are, of course, places like Tom's Restaurant, the iconic Upper West Side facade that became iconic as the face of Seinfeld hang-out Monk's, or real Albuquerque burrito joints that made it into Breaking Bad. But those restaurants, while iconic cameos, existed before fiction made them famous. We're talking about those restaurants that only became real after the movie or the book was done. Think of it as edible fan fiction. And when the butterbeer tastes totally wrong and nothing like you imagined it, well, you can always read the book for the gazillionth time.
Check out the slideshow to see how you can continue your Harry Potter obsession (among others), even after the books and movies have come to an end.
Disneyland Paris1/10Bistrot Chez Rémy
For Paris's finest fictional restaurant, only the finest real-live chef: Paul Bocuse will helm Bistro Chez Rémy, the *Ratatouille-*themed restaurant coming to life as part of Disneyland Paris's forthcoming "Le Monde de Rémy." Bocuse already operates Monsieur Paul in Epcot, but this will be the first time he takes a man in a rat suit as his sous. When the attraction opens this summer, visitors will be whisked through Chez Gusteau in the "Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy" ride before heading next door to eat at the restaurant for real: ratatouille for everyone!
Universal Orlando Resort2/10Three Broomsticks
There is perhaps no fictional drink more mouthwatering than butterbeer, and it was worth constructing Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where all the amazing things from J.K. Rowling's mind are brought to life, just to make the drink real. Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade was known as the coolest field trip destination ever, and here it's a "buffeteria," serving fish and chips, Cornish pasties, and a "Great Feast Platter" of roast chicken, ribs, and sides for family-sized fun. There's pumpkin juice by the glass, and the butterbeer here is J.K. Rowling–approved.
Universal Orlando Resort3/10Diagon Alley
Beginning this summer, you'll be able to hop a quick ride on the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Part Two, where Diagon Alley, plus the seedier and probably way more fun Knockturn Alley, will be brought to life. After you buy your wand, get some quidditch supplies, pick up a set of dress robes, and maybe a pygmy puff or two at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, you can pop in for some cottage pie and a tankard at the Leaky Cauldron. And for dessert? The magical strawberry and peanut butter ice cream from Florean Fortescue's.
4/10Bluth's Frozen Banana Stand
The most successful of the Bluth family's businesses was burned down, rebuilt, and destroyed again many times, and saw one final reincarnation when, in anticipation of Arrested Development's final season, Netflix brought the Big Yellow Joint to life. The stand made stops in London, New York, and Los Angeles, serving very real frozen bananas to a very real fanbase, proving George Sr. right once and for all: "There's always money in the banana stand."
Facebook/Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.5/10Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
When Bubba and Forrest Gump dreamed of going into the shrimp business in Vietnam, little did they know that Forrest would go on to buy a boat named Jenny and make a killing with Lieutenant Dan serving fast casual shrimp to the masses. The restaurant was such a success that Viacom had to reap some benefits in real-life, opening the first Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Monterrey, California, in 1996. Fans can now get Bubba's Far Out Dip and Mama's Bread Pudding across the U.S. and in Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. And of course, there are all the kinds of shrimp: "shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That—that's about it."
Ricky Brigant6/10Krusty Burger and Moe's Tavern
Springfield, USA, is every town and no town, and now it is a fake town in Universal Studios Florida, complete with all the watering holes that, miraculously, haven't killed any characters yet. There is a real-life Krusty Burger, founded by the one and only Krusty the Klown, which is slightly healthier than the animated "unhealthiest restaurant in the world," and, it is to be assumed, makes their eponymous Krusty Burger with actual beef, and not, say, zoo animals. If the animatronics get to be a bit much, take the edge off at Moe's Tavern, where the Duff Beer and Flaming Moe's flow free.
Yelp7/10Goodburger (Home of the Goodburger)
This restaurant is sadly no more, but Good Burger began serving real-life good burgers in Manhattan in 2005. The restaurant was not officially linked to Nickelodeon or to its undeniable inspiration, the movie that was in turn inspired by the All That sketch comedy of the '90s and the teen comic genius of Kenan and Kel. But the burgers were good enough to be declared a New York Times favorite just months after it opened.
J. Miers8/10Cheers
The Bull & Finch Club in Beacon Hill that served as the inspiration for Cheers was once a neighborhood joint in its own right, but when it became more lucrative to own a fictional neighborhood bar than a real one, the bar was renamed Cheers. Life continued to imitate art imitating life when a second location was opened in nearby Fanueil Hall, this time a replica of the sitcom set, which actually looks nothing like the original bar. Today, these bars continue to serve Cheers fans as the place where no one actually knows your name, but everyone at least has some shared interest in TV shows.
Pixar9/10Pizza Planet
The real-life Pizza Planet in Disneyland Paris doesn't have the cutting-edge design of the Pixar original, but the remake of Toy Story's most futuristic pizza joint does have an all-you-can-eat buffet of pizzas, pastas, and salads, a generous amount of neon, and a "giant 1950s-style rocket launcher full of three-eyed aliens." Just watch out for Sid.
Summit Entertainment10/10The Lodge in Forks
Opening a Twilight-inspired restaurant in quiet-town-turned-tourist-destination Forks, WA, that caters to the millions of obsessed fans who would follow Robert Pattinson to the ends of the earth? We don't see what could possibly go wrong with this business plan. Nevertheless, the Lodge in Forks, along with similarly Twilight-themed the Dungeon Bar and Twilight Lounge, couldn't wrangle up enough Twihards to stay in business and shuttered last year. In its brief heyday, the Lodge, named after a restaurant Bella visits in the book, served dishes like a Volturi Salad and Big Bad Wolf Burger. The restaurants may have closed, but the owners' Dazzled by Twilight gift shops remain open.
