Discover 10 unique restaurants worldwide: underwater tunnels, sea caves and dinners in the sky. Highlights and tips for an unforgettable dining experience.
Across the globe, plenty of restaurants entice not just with refined cooking but with settings that turn dinner into a small journey. In these places, every detail—from interiors to location—works toward a particular mood. You can eat beneath the waves, inside a cave, on a cliff above the sea or even high in the air. Here are restaurants where atmosphere is part of the flavor and a visit feels worth making at least once.
Set on the Maldives, this was the first undersea restaurant to offer guests the chance to dine about five meters below the surface. Part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, it sits in one of the Indian Ocean’s most photogenic corners.
The space is a transparent acrylic tunnel with a domed ceiling, giving a 270-degree view of the reef and its residents. The hush is striking—soft light, calm design, and a sweeping panorama of coral and passing sea life. Guests watch rays, sharks and shoals of tropical fish drift by just overhead. The effect is surprisingly serene.
The menu leans toward elegant European cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood and local ingredients. Tasting menus showcase careful flavors and polished presentation—think lobster carpaccio, foie gras with truffle sauce, and fillet of sea bass.
Reservations are essential. Seating is limited to around 14, which only heightens the sense of occasion. Access is via a wooden jetty and a spiral staircase that leads into the underwater tunnel.
On the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, this tiny restaurant perches on a rock in the Indian Ocean, delivering a rare mix of seclusion and closeness to nature. The setting is as much the draw as the cooking and turns a meal into a neat little adventure.
Located near the village of Michamvi Pingwe on the southeast coast, it’s reachable on foot at low tide along the white-sand beach. When the tide comes in, a boat takes you across—an extra dash of romance.
Inside, it’s small and cozy, seating about 12–15 guests. The look is simple and elegant with local touches, and every table angles toward the ocean view.
The menu blends Zanzibar traditions with ultra-fresh seafood—lobster, prawns, octopus and fish—alongside meat dishes and vegetarian options. A house favorite is the seafood “Rock Pasta.” Local herbs and spices add the region’s unmistakable aroma.
Thanks to its location, it’s one of Zanzibar’s signature sights—memorable for what’s on the plate and everything around it.
On the Canary Island of Lanzarote, this restaurant is known for a singular technique: cooking with heat from the earth itself. Set in the heart of Timanfaya National Park—famous for otherworldly lava fields—El Diablo makes the most of the island’s volcanic character.
Opened in 1970 and designed by celebrated Canarian architect César Manrique, it channels the landscape into the dining experience.
Its signature “volcanic grill” is a circular opening in the ground venting heat from below. At roughly 450–500°C, it sears meat and seafood with a distinctive finish. The volcano is dormant, but its warmth is very much alive in the kitchen.
The menu focuses on Spanish and Canarian classics, plus anything that sings on that volcanic grill—pork, chicken, beef, fish, squid. Skewers and grilled fish are standouts.
Natural stone and wood give the room a warm feel, while large windows frame the stark beauty of Timanfaya’s lava fields and fire-colored hills. The view alone could be a reason to linger.
In the southern Italian town of Polignano a Mare, this restaurant is tucked inside a natural sea cave carved into a cliff above the Adriatic. Few settings feel more romantic.
Built in a cave long used as a shelter and gathering place, it’s now among Italy’s most coveted dining rooms. The entrance is through a historic palazzo and down a staircase into the grotto.
The main dining area is an open terrace fitted into the rock, with a natural vault overhead. Tables are set to maximize the view, which becomes spellbinding at sunset as the horizon melts into the water.
The menu centers on classic Italian flavors, especially fresh seafood and seasonal produce—oysters, lobster, seafood pastas, meat dishes and polished desserts.
It opens only in the warmer months, typically May through October, so the open-air terrace can be enjoyed fully.
People often choose it for milestones—romantic dinners, weddings and celebrations—when atmosphere matters as much as cuisine.
On Railay Beach in Krabi, The Grotto is set into a natural cave at the base of a limestone cliff, right where sand meets sea. It’s part of the Rayavadee resort, known for polished service and a knack for dramatic backdrops.
Tables sit directly on the sand beneath the rocky vault, with turquoise Andaman water in front and islands punctuating the horizon. At dusk, the view steals the show.
The interior is intentionally minimal to let the cave’s textures do the talking. Gentle lighting and candle glow turn evenings into something quietly theatrical.
The menu features fresh seafood and Thai favorites—oysters, mixed seafood grills, salads with local tropical fruit and a rotation of regional specialties. Beach barbecue nights are especially popular.
This concept serves a full tasting experience 50 meters above ground. Diners are seated on a platform suspended from a crane, with a central cooking station and seats all around—gastronomy meets adrenaline.
Born in Belgium in 2006, it has since toured the world, appearing in countries from France and Italy to the United States, Canada, Australia and beyond.
The platform seats 22, with safety harnesses at each chair. In the middle, the chef and team cook in full view. Once hoisted, the panorama becomes part of the menu.
Menus vary by location and event, but the focus is always on well-sourced ingredients and fine dining presentation.
The thrill isn’t only the height; it’s the altered perspective—seeing a city or coastline from above while savoring plated courses turns a meal into a memory.
High cuisine with a view: this emblematic restaurant sits on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, 125 meters above the city. It’s one of France’s most famous dining rooms, drawing gourmets and travelers for its cooking, atmosphere and sweeping Paris vistas.
Named for the novelist Jules Verne, it opened in 1983 and has been awarded a Michelin star, underscoring the level of craft at work.
The look is sleek and contemporary, in tune with the tower’s ironwork. Floor-to-ceiling windows pull Paris close—the Louvre, the Seine, the Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre. After dark, the city lights do the rest.
The menu delivers refined French cuisine built on seasonal produce and a creative take on tradition—foie gras with truffles, lobster baked with lemongrass, duck with currant sauce, and classic desserts like tarte Tatin.
Guests arrive by private elevator straight to the second level, a touch that subtly heightens the sense of occasion. It’s a natural choice for romantic dinners and milestone moments.
On Kenya’s coast at Diani Beach, this restaurant serves in a coral cave estimated by geologists to be around 180,000 years old. It’s one of East Africa’s most atmospheric dining spots.
The cave is divided into several chambers, each styled to highlight the natural coral walls and vaulted ceilings. In the evening, openings in the rock frame the night sky, which lends dinner a hint of magic.
The entrance carries traditional African motifs, and the lighting is soft and intimate. With space for up to about 30 guests, it suits romantic dinners, weddings and small private gatherings.
The menu is international with a strong seafood focus—fresh oysters, prawns, lobster and grilled fish—plus steaks, lamb and vegetarian choices. Desserts such as cheesecake or tropical fruit in coconut sauce close the meal on a bright note.
The location is the star: dining under the stars while seated inside a natural cave is hard to forget.
On the Thai island of Ko Kut, this experience—part of the Soneva Kiri resort—reimagines dining aloft. Guests settle into bamboo-and-rattan “pods” that are raised into the treetops, roughly 10–15 meters above the ground.
Each pod seats up to four. Once lifted, the view opens across tropical forest, white sand and the Gulf of Thailand. The quiet is enveloping and the sense of privacy is rare.
Servers deliver food and drinks via a cable system, which adds a playful flash of theater without breaking the calm.
The menu draws on Thai traditions with modern touches, using fresh local ingredients—green papaya salad, coconut-milk curries with prawns, seafood from the grill, and desserts such as mango with sticky rice and coconut.
It’s primarily for resort guests and must be booked in advance due to limited capacity. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of Thailand’s most photographed dining experiences.
In the heart of Covent Garden, Clos Maggiore is often cited as one of London’s most romantic restaurants. The draw is a mix of polished French cooking and a room that feels tailor-made for special moments.
Inspired by Provençal country houses, the setting is warmly detailed. The signature winter garden room is a showstopper: branches of cherry blossom, white flowers and hundreds of tiny lights create a quietly enchanting canopy. A fireplace glows in winter; in summer, the glass roof opens to the sky.
The menu features French dishes with a modern sensibility—roast duck with caramelized apples and lavender honey, oysters with champagne, lobster with avocado tartare, foie gras with truffle sauce. It changes seasonally to follow the freshest produce, and there are options for vegetarians and guests with specific diets.