Haunted Castle Cafe Opens in Plano. Does It Have a Ghost of a Chance?

Following Community Impact’s initial report in May that a gothic haunted house-themed restaurant would be popping up in Plano, we’ve kept our ears open and eyes peeled for when it’d finally open its doors.With the approach of Halloween and fall, the Haunted Castle Cafe chose to host its soft opening on Aug. 15. Given how many of us love to revel in all things spooky during this time of year, we imagine this timing will work in the restaurant’s favor. Eventually. Maybe.

With an atmosphere that seems to make guests feel as though they’re eating and drinking inside Hangman’s House of Horrors, this spot could be such a fun and novel concept if done well. So, full of anticipation, we stopped by to try it for dinner on a weeknight.

Evidently, we’ve not been the only bunch anticipating its opening. Many guests have already taken to Yelp or Google to write reviews that rake the young establishment over the coals, with complaints about service and a menu offering grown-up entrees in a kid-friendly atmosphere. We found ourselves with a qualm or two (or three) as well.

We don't expect perfection from such a new restaurant. It’s challenging for both diners and owners when significant hype surrounds an opening, and such hype can drive up expectations. Let's be gracious and say there's much room for the restaurant and its concept to grow.

One common sentiment among online reviews is that it might not have been prepared to open. It’s been open just shy of two weeks, so perhaps a bit of time is needed for the restaurant to find its legs. On its website, the Haunted Castle Cafe promises an “eerie experience” and a “spooky ambiance,” and on that it certainly delivers.
Anticipating an overall dining experience along the lines of Medieval Times or The Magic Time Machine, we didn't have the highest expectations for the taste and quality of the food. Our excitement lay mostly in the vibe, decor and service. No one visits Medieval Times expecting a Michelin-star quality meal; a decent meal and a fun time watching people fight with swords on horseback is good enough.

As we entered, our eyes adjusted from daylight to the restaurant’s decorations glowing under blacklight: faux cobwebs, life-size figures of characters from horror movies, coffins and lush, gothic-inspired furniture in the waiting area. What it's done with its 10,000-square-foot space is fun and immersive.

The host handed us menus and pointed us toward the bar, which we understood meant we were to seat ourselves. With an impressive Nosferatu-looking fellow looming overhead and vintage-looking light fixtures, the bar is a highlight, and its drink menu is one of the restaurant’s redeeming qualities. Its list of themed cocktails includes the coffin roasted espresso martini and Smashing Pumpkin, which combines pumpkin spice with bitters and bourbon.
It wasn’t busy when we stopped by: maybe six tables and one (very) gleeful pack of children in costumes running around beneath mylar balloons that suggested a birthday celebration. Theirs were screeches of joy, but they were screeches nonetheless. The couple who ended up across from us at the bar seemed to think they might have been able to quietly cozy up with their drinks. They appeared a little perturbed.

We went with a few appetizers, including the beef empanadas ($12), calamari ($15) and a fig and goat flatbread ($18). The calamari was ... adequate. The lemon aioli served alongside it wasn’t well-received; a dining companion remarked that it tasted like “plastic bottle.” It certainly didn’t taste fresh. A side of marinara paired better.
Next up was the fig and goat flatbread ($18), which didn’t quite live up to its potential. The menu doesn’t have descriptions under many of its items, and we asked what toppings came on the flatbread. The bartender described it as a margherita pizza with tomatoes, spinach and figs.
The upside of this pizza is that it didn’t skimp on the cheese. Its downside was that it, like the restaurant itself, pulled in a few too many directions. The crust of the flatbread was nice, but the addition of tomato-based sauce and cherry tomatoes introduced an acidic and savory flavor that clashed with the sweetness of the figs and tanginess of the goat cheese. Marinara and figs just wasn’t our favorite combo.

Next up were the empanadas. Their filling had an odd texture reminiscent of a frozen burrito, with beef that seemed to have been processed enough to be blended into a smooth paste. Almost worse was that their temperature was  inconsistent — some cold and others warm — making us a little afraid that they'd either been microwaved or left sitting under a heat lamp for a long while.
In terms of service, there wasn’t much. Our bartender was friendly and smiled at us when they could. Though there were few tables, it seemed as if the staff was struggling to stay out of the weeds.

It’s not entirely clear what this restaurant is trying to be. Is it trying to be a spot that uses its theme to attract children’s birthday parties, or is it a place that aims to attract adults for nice dinners and craft cocktails with a $45 Chilean sea bass entree on its menu? It tries to do both, and in the words of Taylor Swift, "Chase two girls, lose the one."

If you choose to stop by, perhaps give it a few weeks. Love, care and time might improve it.

Haunted Castle Cafe, 1900 Dallas Parkway, Plano. Daily, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.