10 More Fictional Hangouts I Wish Were Real
By Gaby Dunn
1. Eric Foreman’s House – That 70s Show
The basement weed smoking circle alone is worth it. How come none of my friends ever had a cool hangout area where all the kids could sit and talk and smoke pot and generally be unencumbered by adults? Oh? Because this is a TV show? Groovy.
2. The Max – Saved By The Bell
The Max was the most 80s-looking place I’d ever seen. So many important moments in Saved By the Bell happened at this burger joint. All the coolest kids at Bayside High hung out at The Max. Plus, it was owned by a magician. Why isn’t this place real?!
3. The Peach Pit – 90210
This place was changing all the time but the cast of characters either coming by or working there — looking at you, Brandon Walsh — stayed the same. First The Peach Pit was retro, then it was just a modern, Beverly Hills restaurant. Remember when it became a nightclub? The Peach Pit After Dark? LOL.
4. Luke’s Diner – Gilmore Girls
For your coffee fix, why not head to Star’s Hollow for a cup of joe at Luke’s Diner? I hear the owner never takes off his backwards baseball cap. Sure a bunch of weirdos eat there and everyone talks really, really fast but it’s a family joint, you know? It’s cozy.
5. The Shore Shack – Rocket Power
There is nothing young me wanted more than for this restaurant to be real. Well, other than that I wished I lived in Californian and that me and my friends were awesome skaters, surfers and skateboarders. The whole beachside pier where the Shore Shack was seemed awesome too, and Tito was the man.
6. The Krusty Krab – Spongebob
If you say you wouldn’t eat a real life Krabby Patty you are a liar. We’re all basically Plankton searching out the perfect recipe for the elusive Krabby Patty forever. Damn it, Krusty Krab. Why aren’t you real?
7. The Snakehole Lounge and The Bulge – Parks and Recreation
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoH1yO_5MTI&w=600&h=350]
Everybody’s wasted at the Snakehole Lounge because snake juice is, as Donna puts it, basically rat poison. And also it’s hilarious. The Snakehole Lounge might come second to Pawnee’s infamous gay bar The Bulge, where they LOVE Leslie Knope. All the fictional places on Parks and Rec are genius.
8. The Honker Burger – Doug
Man, there are a lot of burger places on this list. TV characters love burgers! But the best burger of all might just be the Honker Burger. They also served beets there according to their signage. (What’s with this show and beets?) It almost seems like a homage to In N’ Out but then you’re like, no. Honker Burger would probably even be better than that.
9. Cafe Nervosa – Frasier
The name is a nice little hat-tip to the anxiety and neurosis of the characters in Frasier. Who wouldn’t want to get coffee here? I mean, it’s in Seattle for Christ’s sake, the best place to get coffee. According to Wikipedia, a cafe does exist on the spot where Niles and Frasier got their java, but it’s actually a Starbucks. I bet they don’t serve tossed salads and scrambled eggs.
10. Tom’s Restaurant/Monk’s Cafe – Seinfeld
Good news! This one is real! I’ve seen it! Though only the word “Restaurant” is shown in the sign, it’s actually an establishment called Tom’s Restaurant in New York City. But unfortunately, only the exterior is real. The indoor scenes were all filmed on a set in California. It’s also called “Monk’s Cafe” in the show, so okay maybe it’s not as real as I’d hoped when I first came across the iconic exterior. Close, but no soup for you.