• Theme restaurants are establishments where the food, décor and structure revolve around a single subject. New York City has at least a dozen of such restaurants, with themes ranging from sports to science fiction to American rock music. Patrons usually go to these restaurants to enjoy the theme rather than the food, which often has a reputation for being sub par and expensive. Nonetheless, if diners know what to expect from a theme restaurant in advance, they can have a good time.
  
  

Jekyll & Hyde Club New York

• This theater district restaurant's theme is loosely based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The exterior of the restaurant resembles a haunted mansion, and its interior is filled with spooky special effects and ghoulish interactive characters, such as gargoyles, werewolves and skeletons. The restaurant is composed of multiple floors, and like Dr. Jekyll's home, include an attic, library, laboratory and grand salon. Live characters perform throughout the entire meal, sneaking up on unsuspecting dinner and playing other tricks. Kids will likely be spooked by it the most.
  
  Jekyll & Hyde Club New York
  1409 Ave. of the Americas
  New York, NY 10019
  212-541-9505
  jekyllandhydeclub.com
  
  

ESPN Sports Zone

• Sports lovers will find that ESPN's Sports Zone is the theme restaurant for them. Located in the heart of Times Square, the restaurant has 150 televisions (even in the bathrooms) featuring all kinds of sporting events and shows. When guests are not eating their buffalo wings, sliders or burgers, or watching their favorite game from an oversized recliner, they can head to the immense arcade and score some points of their own.
  
  ESPN Sports Zone
  1472 Broadway
  New York, NY 10036
  212-921-3776
  espnzone.com
  
  

Mars 2112

• As its name suggests, Mars 2112 is a space-themed restaurant. A silvery "space shuttle" takes guests on a bumpy simulated ride to interior of the restaurant, which is designed to resemble the vast rocky terrain of the Red Planet. Diners should expect to be greeted by a few Martians, have a drink at the futuristic Mars bar, and take a look at some of the restaurant's decorative details, including the Blue Lava Fountain, the "Window to Mars," and the Crystal Crater, a three-story high tree made of crystal. The food includes the standard fare of burgers, chicken and pasta with sci-fi names attached.
  
  Mars 2112
  1633 Broadway
  New York, New York 10019
  212-582-2112
  mars2112.com
  
  

Ninja

• Of all the theme restaurants in New York, this one is probably the least kid-centric, if for no other reason than the high price of the meals (the kids meal alone is $25). Ninja is a $3.5 million recreation of a pair of eighteenth century Japanese mountain villages. Servers dressed as ninjas lead diners to their table through the dimly-lit labyrinthine restaurant, whispering incantations and secret codes to reveal passages along the way. The show continues throughout the meal as the waiter-ninja surprises diners with swords and tricks in addition to serving them. The cuisine is contemporary Japanese.
  
  Ninja
  25 Hudson Street
  New York, New York 10003
  212-274-8500
  ninjanewyork.com