Mad Rex, the world’s first post-apocalyptic themed restaurant and virtual reality lounge, is now open for business in Philadelphia. The 8,500-square-foot and 225-seat urban outpost features a dining room, virtual reality chamber, bar, stage, lounge, outdoor patio, and private event space.
Patrons celebrate the dawn of a new day by immersing themselves in a world designed for survivors in “the hour after.” Executive Chef and Butcher Peter Rule provides an artisan “butcher to table” experience from the kitchen that features scratch cooking, local sourcing, healthy alternatives, and vegetarian options. Bartenders mix unique and themed cocktails to quench thirst in post-armageddon times. Twelve drafts pour from a mini-refinery constructed from a steam pipe. The region’s only virtual reality chamber and lounge lets users travel from the far depths of the ocean, to the outer limits of space and everywhere in between.
“Mad Rex is unlike any restaurant in the world,” says general manager Nick Stefanou. “We want to create an environment where patrons are encouraged to create their own ‘interactive rites’ through virtual reality. Where despite the fallout there’s still a sense of food, culture, community, and art that still thrives. A sanctuary where urbanites are encouraged to create and share their own experiences, where the food is locally sourced, the cocktails surprise you, and you feel like this is the ultimate stop in the post apocalypse—we want you to lose yourself in a futuristic world that stimulates both your imagination and your taste buds.”
Mad Rex is open Sunday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., and Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Lunch service is available daily from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dinner service is available 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and to 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Down the road, Mad Rex will launch an “Hour After” themed happy hour, late night bar menu, children’s menu, and weekend brunch service. Mad Rex is fully handicapped accessible.
