Whether you call it food and a flick or dinner and a movie, the trend of cinemas offering a full menu with a ticket to the silver screen is red hot right now.
Some, like Brooklyn’s now famous Nitehawk Cinema, provide in-theater table seating and waiter service. Others are more casual with a buy-it-in-the lobby and carry-it-to-your-seat policy.
Most, if not all, understand the value of a good libation. The ten theaters below run the gamut of service, but all have personal touches that make them stand out from the crowd. We call them, cinemas off the eatin’ path.
1. Enzian, Maitland, FL
Enzian served its first grub in 1985. Back then it was a decidedly down-home affair. The family-owned spot just outside Orlando showed second-run films at a discount and offered two staples: hot dogs and pizza. Today, Enzian is first run and first class—it’s currently showing the Oscar nominated short films, with the fantastic documentaryTim’s Vermeer coming up next. This major art house with love seats and banquettes presents fare with flair like truffle parmesan fries, pesto crab pizza, and shrimp and loaded grits. The wait staff wears all black to discretely serve and clear during the show. Set on three lush acres and surrounded by old oak trees, Enzian is dripping with cinematic atmosphere.
The Credits requests: Some Like it Hot
2. Aimie’s Dinner & Movie, Glens Falls, NY
Any theater that dishes out “Lord of the Onion Rings,” “Green Bean Mile,” “Sandwitches of Eastwick,” and “Sonny Corleone’s Scampi” (“worth getting whacked for”) knows its stuff. Tucked into the Three Squares Historic District of this upstate burg since 2001, Aimie’s is actually two cozy 50-seat theaters back-to-back with booths, banquettes, and table service. Independent films do best, says co-owner Sandy Metivier, and she’ll rent out for kids’ parties and throw on the Justin Bieber DVD. A modest $7.95 minimum on food and drinks plus a tasty $5.50 ticket makes for cheap thrills in the dark.
The Credits requests: Fried Green Tomatoes
3. Brewvies Cinema Pub, Salt Lake City, UT
Brewvies = Brewskies + Movies, get it? With 19 different beers on tap, plus a menu of corn dogs, falafel, fish tacos, and cheese fries to soak up the suds, this 17-year-old theater has that frat feel. In fact, college students get in on a discount. Need to kill time before the show? Hang at the bar (yes, students, they sell cocktails, too) and shoot some pool. The twin 170-seat theaters feature couches and tables, plus typical theater seating with counters running the length of each row to rest your brew on. You order before entering, get a number, and when your food is ready your number lights up on the big Keno board. Come and get it!
The Credits requests: Animal House
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