Local Flavor: Haunted House Restaurant attracts hordes of fright fans and foodies

The only thing scarier than the new Haunted House Restaurant is, well, the wait to get a reservation at the frightful site.

It seems folks are dying for a chance to visit the relatively new and unique eatery in Cleveland Heights.

The lines were so long when it opened up its crypt doors in July, the owners had to conjure up a new plan and switch to online reservations through OpenTable. And when they do become available, they are snatched up faster than corpses from a graveyard.

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This restaurant has been on my bucket list since it opened.

My ghoulfriend (actually my wife, Jennifer, of 30-plus years, but I wanted to keep this pun thing going) and I visited on a recent weekday.

Like other businesses of late, the restaurant has been plagued by staffing challenges, so it only opens up a limited number of tables.

It is located in a former Melt on Cedar Road, so street parking can be a bit tricky. 

We found a space by a creepy, overflowing dumpster tucked behind the restaurant.

I thought maybe it was part of the restaurant’s motif and some creature or fiend might jump out and grab us.

But, alas, we were not on the first course and hapless victims even before the opening credits.

The fun really begins when you walk through the front door and into the restaurant’s lobby, which more resembles that of a movie theater. You check in at the box office and then wait to be called for your table.

This gives you a chance to admire the movie posters and large murals that highlight some classic horror creeps and take an obligatory selfie or two or three.

Like a movie theater, the smell of fresh popcorn is in the air.

And once you make your way to the table, you are greeted by a bowl of fresh popcorn instead of the usual warm bread served up at more traditional restaurants. A nice added touch is an assortment of flavored toppings from the requisite butter to the more adventurous garlic Parmesan.

All this munching on popcorn makes one thirsty.

We were rather boring and ordered an Old Fashioned for me and a Long Island Iced Tea for Jennifer, whose drink was a not-so-scary $5 during Happy Hour. But we were envious of those around us who ordered the adventurous house drinks served in bubbling bowls and test tubes.

Some of the appetizers were also a bit cheaper during Happy Hour so we ordered a round of the Chucky Rolls.

The Southern-style egg rolls ($7.99 for the smaller “preview” portion) were an interesting pairing of chicken, greens and mac & cheese in a deep fried roll served on a plate with the words “wanna play?” spelled out in sweet potato purée.

The one-page menu is rather short — sort of like the staff — but what it lacks in offerings it certainly makes up in creativity.

The wait staff hustles to keep up with serving food and drinks while participating in boisterous birthday greetings that involve large flaming sparklers.

Our waitress was running to serve tables on both sides of the restaurant, with a bar-like setting on one side and the smaller, more traditional dining room where we were seated on the other side, which are separated by a wall.

We were intrigued by the Brinner offerings that combine breakfast, lunch and dinner items all on one plate.

Jennifer chose the Twilight entrée ($15.99) that consists of a crispy black waffle with  cream cheese whipped topping and a pair of “sticky” fried chicken wings with a red,  blood-like syrup along the edge of the plate.

The tastes were an interesting pairing, but we wondered whether a boneless chicken might have made for a more traditional chicken and waffle offering.

But I suppose in a horror-themed restaurant offering the unexpected is, well, sort of expected.

I opted for the more boring BirdBox ($13.99) sandwich served with waffle fries.

Like a plot twist in a horror movie, the sandwich had a surprise or two.

It seemed traditional enough at first. At first glance, it was a nice, thick chicken sandwich.

That was until the first bite when blood-like juice squirted out. Don’t worry, the chicken was fully cooked.

Amused, I ate on.

It wasn’t until much later in the evening while at Progressive Field that I spotted blood spatters on my pants from dinner.

This might explain all the side-eyed glances I was getting all evening.

Even Slider took off running when I approached.

Blood splatters aside, the foul murder — err, sandwich — was quite tasty with its Cajun mayo, brown sugar slaw, white American cheese and haunted sauce.

Although it bills itself as a Haunted Restaurant, the theming inside is perhaps better suited for scary movie fans.

There’s a large animated Pennywise figure in one corner and another creepy fellow holding court in another corner.

The restaurant provides a nice and scarily refreshing change from the usual fare with an unusual menu that includes a green waffle sandwich named the Slimer and a not-your-typical hamburger with smoked Gouda and bacon jam dubbed the Lurch.

And should something nefarious happen, the chicken sandwich can always be a fine alibi for the blood stains on one’s pants.

Craig Webb, who particularly enjoyed watching “Ghostbusters” on one of the restaurant’s big TV screens, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

What: Haunted House Restaurant

Where: 13463 Cedar Road Cleveland Heights 

For more: Visit https://thehauntedhouserestaurant.com/