The cult of extreme eating -- be it a dinner date with KFC's Double Down or following the path of Andrew Zimmern -- has become surprisingly mainstream. While most Americans are not snacking on fried Cambodian tarantulas, they are increasingly aware of such daredevil dining habits.
Related: The World's 8 Weirdest Food Museums
Yet some of the world's most frightening culinary experiences have entirely normal menus. Instead, the restaurants themselves provide the fear factor.
Consider Dans Le Noir. Already an institution of terror in Paris, Barcelona and St. Petersburg, the dining-in-total-darkness restaurant recently debuted a branch in Manhattan's Times Square, giving New Yorkers the chance to stumble through three mysterious courses alongside 70 unseen strangers in a pitch-black space.
Our guide takes you into the Midtown madness and beyond. Those with a strong constitution and solid game face might consider booking a table at a haunted Southern mansion, in an Italian prison or 150 feet above city traffic. With Halloween coming up next week, what better time to take a look at the world's scariest restaurants?
The World's 6 Scariest Restaurants
Check out these other lists from Food Republic:
The World's 8 Wildest Food Markets
The World's Top 5 Culinary Obsessions
The World's Best Airport Restaurants
8 Restaurant Tourist Traps Worth The Trip