16 Haunted Restaurants From Around The World - Tasting Table

"For as long as humans have been telling stories, we've been telling ghost stories - and that's not an exaggeration. Back in 2021, historians from The British Museum detailed a translation of an ancient Mesopotamian tablet dated to around 1500 B.C., and revealed the both very neat and slightly terrifying fact that it contained instructions on performing a ritual that would send earth-walking spirits back to the realm of the dead."

"Whether or not you believe in the existence of ghosts is sort of irrelevant, because we would argue that we should all be able to appreciate a great story. That's especially true for foodies, because there are bars and restaurants across the U.S. that come with their own ghostly tales. But what about other countries? From Canada to South Africa, from Scotland and Wales to Australia, there are plenty of inns, pubs, taverns, and restaurants said to be home to something extraordinary. In some cases, unexplained phenomena happen with such frequency that it's enough to make the biggest skeptic rethink things. Also, if we're going to be coming back as a ghost, we can think of worse places to spend eternity than a Michelin-starred restaurant."

"First, we need to do a little debunking here, because The Ostrich Inn is often said to be the site of at least 60 murders. The story involves a trap door and a bloodthirsty landlord who killed rich visitors for their wealth, but historians have traced that story to a work of fiction. "Thomas of Reading" was published in 1602, and somewhere along the line, the tale got confused with history. (It's still up for debate on whether or not it was inspired by true events.)"

Ghost stories have persisted from ancient rituals to modern dining establishments. A Mesopotamian tablet from around 1500 B.C. contains ritual instructions aimed at returning earth-walking spirits to the dead. Bars, inns, taverns, and restaurants across many countries carry ghostly tales that attract curiosity and occasional skepticism. Some locations report frequent unexplained phenomena that challenge nonbelievers, while other legends trace back to fiction rather than fact. Historical myths sometimes become conflated with local lore, yet haunted reputations endure and can even coexist with everyday offerings like Sunday roasts and classic pub menus.

Read at Tasting Table