Although Gotham City, the crime-ridden urban center patrolled by Batman, doesn’t really exist, you can reserve a table at one of its restaurants. British firm Wonderland Restaurants, in collaboration with DC Entertainment, opened Park Row, a group of comic-book-inspired immersive restaurants in London, England.
The project was announced in february 2020 via a series of pictures on Instagram. Together they reveal a version of the Iceberg Lounge, a restaurant owned by Oswald Cobblepot, better known in the comics as the Penguin.
About Batman and Park Row
The name “Park Row” refers to an area formerly frecuented by members of Gotham City’s affluent upper class. That is, until it fell on hard times due to rising crime rates. Here you can find Crime Alley, the walkway where young Bruce Wayne saw his parents shot dead by a desperate thug.
Park Row is located in a 18,000-square-feet (1.672-square-meter) basement. Ab Rogers Design (ARD) was commissioned to design the interiors to house up to 330 people at a time.
The original plan consisted of five restaurants and three bars inspired by the Batman universe and its inhabitants. Hospitality and Catering News that Park Row would include a Harley Quinn-inspired omakaze room.
Entrance
As Forbes predicted, the entrance to Park Row references the Batcave, Batman’s secret underground base. Customers arrive at Wayne Manor and are directed to a secret door behind a bookcase. A spiral staircase leads them down Una escalera en espiral los desciende hasta los restaurantes.
Currently, Park Row’s top spots are the Iceberg Lounge and the Monarch Theatre.
(Sources: Wonderland Restaurants.)
Iceberg Lounge
The pride of Oswald Cobblepot, the Iceberg Lounge sells itself as a modern japanese restaurant and bar. The menu include fowl, fish and seafood based dishes in line with the Penguin theme.
Here you can savor traditional japanese dishes such as bao, gyozas, miso soup, sashimi, salmon tataki, y Wagyū steak. (Penguin himself recommends the Joker-inspired ‘Why So Serious?’ gyoza roulette on his own menu.)
The Iceberg Lounge also includes a caviar and oyster bar, as well as a champagne bar where you can have a cocktail while you wait for your table.
(Sources: Wonderland Restaurants.)
Monarch Theatre
The other culinary alternative here is the Monarch Theatre. This movie theater turned restaurant where the Waynes enjoyed their final family outing. An ambitious space which offers a multisensory experience with the goal of exploring the psychology of heroism and villainy through food.
The Monarch offers a 10-course dinner. Each course is highlighted by floor-to-ceiling screens and 360-degree projection mapping. Every dish references an important character or incident within DC Comics.
Before the “food show,” there is a pre-show portion in which you can try some of the desserts and small plates offered in the Iceberg Lounge.
Bring Your Rogues Gallery
Besides individual dinners, Park Row is available for groups and special occasions. You can organize your event in the Iceberg Lounge or in other comic-inspired spaces. There’s Pennyworth’s, a shared-dish restaurant based on Alfred the Butler. You also have Old Gotham City, a Prohibition Era speakeasy.
Park Row’s spaces can accommodate up to 500 guests, with catering menu options available for up to 125 people or less.
Creators and Verdicts
The Park Row culinary project is the brainchild of Wonderland. This studio comprises a group of individuals with vast combined experience in the food and entertainment industries. Its members include professional magicians, engineers, former Disney creatives and former employees of The Fat Duck Group, a gourmet restaurant design firm intent on telling a story with each dish and cocktail in their meals.
Their effort has turned into a series of amazing gastronomic experiences worthy of their source material. We may not become superheroes or villains in real life. At Park Row, we can at least eat where they eat.
The average price per person at Park Row restaurants is estimated at 45 pound (59 dollars) at each area except Monarch, which costs around 120 pound (157 dollars).
Where to Find It
77 Brewer Street, London, Inglaterra W1F 9ZN
+44 020 3745 3431
parkrowlondon.co.uk
