Instead of taking the day off to rest from the prior nights activities of interviewing the Doctor Who cast and attending the World Premiere of the new 8th Season in New York City last week, Beyond the Marquee’s resident pint-size Whovian hitched a ride to Beacon, NY. to grab a themed lunch.

Just about 90 minutes out of Manhattan, in the small town of Beacon, it’s here that Lindalee sits down with Shirley Hot, the owner and founder of new The Pandorica restaurant, to learn it’s history, dive into it’s menu and find out what the future holds for this exciting new establishment.

Check out Lindalee’s Exclusive video interview at The Pandorica above and click ahead to read the review of our restaurant experience below!

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With only a handful of themed menu items, some colorful and iconic visuals scattered around the recently retrofitted Cup and Saucer Tea Room has been given a breath of new life. In an effort to attract more local business and phase out a slowing business that catered to bridal showers, weekend birthdays and tea parties at her establishment, owner Shirley Hot grabbed the reins of one of the hottest TV trends in both America and around the globe, and incorporated it into her restaurant. Doctor Who.

The Pandorica table setting

Being an avid and loyal Doctor Who fan since she was kid and growing up in London, the birthplace of the classic BBC show, Shirley’s love for time-lords, phone booth looking spaceships, aliens and colorful companions now have a place to call home, and an ever growing themed menu that offers up foods inspired by characters or episodes that die-hard fans will certainly appreciate.

While visiting the restaurant with Lindalee Rose and some of our Beyond the Marquee crew the day after attending the BBC America’s Season 8 World Tour event in New York City, we were excited to take a little road trip out of the city and check The Pandorica out.

Opening up on July 7th of this year, the restaurant is still in it’s infancy stages, giving a vibe of slowly integrating itself over the decor and layout that the prior Cup and Saucer Tea Room commanded for nearly 15 years before Shirley’s decided to change the theme, (much like the Doctor changes his TARDIS interior desktop). It was evident, that though the Doctor Who theme has been in place for just over a month, it wasn’t until a recent viral blast online that suddenly the world started to hear about The Pandorica.

While speaking to Shirley we learned that folks were driving in from all over the New York and New Jersey area, and as far as West Virginia and Canada. Some of the patrons Lindalee interviewed during our visit, we learned off camera, had driven anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours to come check it out. With an overnight success also comes some overnight headaches of a smash hit restaurant, like running out of food, having to stay open later to accommodate business and long lines of people waiting to get in. Clearly the problems that still make Shirley and her staff scratch their heads with a smile as they were darting back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room.

Fans of the “Vincent and the Doctor” episode won’t miss the huge impressive mural upon entering the restaurant that looks identical to the one that Van Gogh painted of the exploding TARDIS.

The interior of The Pandorica restaurant

An interesting tid-bit about the name; The Pandorica. Shirley wanted to attract a name that would be instantly recognizable to Whovians, but also not scare away and alienate the regular townsfolk who weren’t into Doctor Who and may just want to come in for a casual drink and dinner. She thought the name Pandorica sounded beautiful and flowed nicely and thus restaurant history was made.

The TARDIS Bathroom Door at The Pandorica restaurant

Want to see the most photographed door in the world? Wait in line for the bathroom. The Pandorica’s single restroom from the outside looks like the TARDIS! When you enter and turn on the light inside, a light outside atop the TARDIS design turns on like in the show. Inside there’s a huge image of the 10th Doctor’s TARDIS interior and the familiar red “most important leaf in the universe” resides in there too, an emotionally moving gift given to Shirley from a friend on opening day of The Pandorica restaurant.

A sample of the Menu at The Pandorica

If you make it out to Beacon and can get a table, we suggest the battered K-9 Hot dog bites, Sontaran Stuffed Mini-Potato’s and the Fish Fingers (battered dipped French Toast) and warm Custard desert, an absolute MUST!!!

We here at Beyond the Marquee have some suggestions for Shirley and her staff for a few more Doctor Who Entree’s, Drinks and “Companion” menu item’s we’d like to see (and taste) next time we come back to town;

The Weeping Angel-Hair Pasta

Clara’s Souffle (a changing weekly special)

Matt Smith’s BOW-TIE Pasta (because bow-tie pasta is cool)

The Master (A Sampler platter of lots of breaded, yellow and fried things!)

The Jelly Baby (a Fun Fruit Cocktail drink of sorts)

River Song’s Sweet-Tea

The Pandorica (a big box full of French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Tater Tots and Ood Onion Rings)

Grilled Rainbow Patrick Trout’on

A Sonic Screwdriver (traditional bar drink, but with your choice of either blue or green light up mini ice cubes)

The Lindalee Rose; Chocolate Ice Cream w/ Sprinkles (she offered up this one on her own)

The BTM team, and most of all Lindalee loved The Pandorica, well worth the drive and we’re excited to follow the restaurant and watch to see how it grows.

We wish Shirley and her team the best of luck in this booming new business. With the ever-growing interest and following of Doctor Who she should be doing quite well for another 15 years.

The Exterior of The Pandorica in Beacon, NY

Lindalee Rose and Shirley Hot of the Pandorica Restaurant in Beacon, NY