Cat Cafes, Zombie Food Trucks And The Future Of Popular, And Revolting, Dining

Francoise Villeneuve•

The year 2013 saw its fair share of revolting themed food. A hospital-themed restaurant in Latvia with body-part-look-a-like food and a toilet-themed place in L.A. made our hit-list of places to avoid. From cat cafés to subway grub, here are 5 of the most off-putting restaurant concepts for 2014.

  1. Indoor crops reached new heights of gross this week, with a salad and herb farm in London's underground. Yes, that's right. Sharing air with millions of sweaty commuters, Haute Tube lettuce, basil and other produce will soon be coming to restaurants near you.
  • A hairnet or abundance of antibacterial gel does not fill me with confidence when it comes to dining out at a cat café. Even as a cat lover, this is a disgusting development. Just because cat videos are internet gold doesn't mean we want to see the real thing when trying to enjoy a cup of tea. Or god forbid, food.
  • In a roundup for Valentines' Day, we spotted another dining blind concept. There are now blackout dining spots in China, Korea and Germany. Frankly, it's not a huge surprise that something this theme-heavy tends to have a short shelf life (the one in New York, among others, closed). While we applaud thinking outside the box when it comes to fine dining, the shudder-inducing power of imagination makes this idea a horror movie waiting to happen. Think Delicatessen with blindfolds.

  • Ratatouille the movie? Adorable. Ratatouille the restaurant? Less so. Disney Paris is getting a new Ratatouille-themed eatery. Don't get us wrong, we all wanted a taste of that amazing ratatouille dish. But just the juxtaposition of rats and food is off-putting for many. Remy the rat goes from hanging out by the garbage cans to touching ingredients that go in finished dishes, all without washing his hands onscreen. Somehow, running his buddies through the dishwasher didn't quite eliminate the gross factor for us.
  • We appreciate a good zombie movie/series, can't understand why zombie themes keep cropping up in restaurants if your mind immediately goes to "braaaains!" and scenes from the Walking Dead. Food truck Undead Frank's Zombie Bites is the latest, in Minneapolis, with a logo featuring a blood-covered face and an axe.

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