The Wackiest Themed Bars in the World

When your barstool is Christmas tree adjacent even in July or there’s a ninja serving you your Mai Tai, then there’s no need to worry about awkward pauses—even before the liquid courage sets in. While plenty of bars change their menus and decor seasonally, or in response to current events, few are stubborn enough to fully commit to them—and even fewer still are willing to commit to something crazy. Here, the world’s wackiest themed bars.

In August 2016, Frosty’s opened up in Orlando, determined to bring Christmas cheer to the Sunshine State all year round. Don’t worry, that doesn’t require drinking Hot Toddys or Eggnog in 80-degree weather. While the bar’s nutcrackers, Yule Log and strings of Christmas lights stay true to the cold spirit of Christmas, its cocktails are much more weather appropriate.

Don your goggles, hide your iPhone and brush up on your HG Wells, because this steampunk bar exists in an alternate reality, one powered by steam and cogs. The industrial-themed bar features an art gallery, quirky inventions (bionic deer head included), stiff cocktails and lots of gentlemen in top hats.

Don’t worry, just because Ringling Brothers recently closed down for systematically torturing elephants doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the circus. Unicorn and Narwhal are two circus-themed bars in Seattle that bring you all the fun of the circus without any of the guilt. Both bars (Narwal is located underneath Unicorn) feature carnival food like corndogs and funnel cake, arcade games, clowns and whimsical cocktails like The Cereal Killer (Froot Loop vodka, Rumchata, Sprite and grenadine) and Fantasy Island (brown sugar bourbon, cream soda and orange soda).

There are plenty of TV and movie-themed bars out there, but our favorite of the bunch is the Lebowski Bar. Located in Reykjavík, Iceland, it’s decked out with bowling paraphernalia, Big Lebowski memorabilia and a whole shelf stocked with Kahlua and vodka—fuel for the bar’s entire menu of White Russian variations, which include the classic along with many other creamy concoctions like The Siberian (a White Russian milkshake) and the Dirty Russian (topped with Pepsi).

Named for the man responsible for so many of our xenomorph nightmares, the H.R. Giger Bar features chrome seating (designed to look like spines), indecipherable alien runes on the floor, and futuristic light fixtures and mirrors. It is truly out of this world (pun intended, and immediately regretted).

If you’ve ever wanted to drink like Hemingway, look no further than Hemingway’s Lounge in Hollywood. The Hemingway-themed bar features a house rum called Papa’s Pilar Rum, inspired by the great American author (and, of course, his love for the spirit), as well as cocktails named for Hemingway’s works like The Old Man & the Sea (a take on a Mojito) and the Moveable Feast (rye, blackberries and sage). Lined with books and the occasional rifle, it’s a bar Hemingway would have loved—although maybe he would have skipped the DJ sets.