Nothing beats dining with a view. But what if you could gaze out at tropical fish swimming past as you tuck into world-class food? Offering a culinary experience like you’ve never known before, these dazzling underwater restaurants combine fine dining with the thrill of being underwater, making the most of stunning aquatic locations all over the globe.
Click or scroll through our gallery to see incredible images of underwater restaurants around the world – guaranteed to inspire watery wanderlust.
When a restaurant is housed in a marble-clad resort sometimes called the world’s first seven-star hotel, you know you’re in for something special. Located in Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel, Ristorante L’Olivo at Al Mahara is wrapped around an enormous aquarium filled with tropical fish. As you might expect, the food is elegant and refined, with a seafood focus. While eating here doesn’t come cheap, the memories will last a lifetime.
Named for its 20-foot (6m) depth underwater, Subsix is easily one of the most beautiful undersea restaurants out there, with its abstract chandelier installation designed to mimic ocean corals. Adding to the feeling of remoteness, it’s located 1,650 feet (503m) out into the ocean off Niyama island and can only be accessed by speedboat. The 'subaquatic lunch' menu includes the likes of scallop ravioli, Maldivian octopus carpaccio and braised mottainai lamb shoulder.
Located in Valencia’s architecturally fascinating Oceanogràfic aquarium, Submarino Restaurant gives the feeling of being in a glass-walled submarine. It serves up modern, fusion-style dishes, with a nod to traditional Mediterranean cooking techniques. The daily lunch and dinner menus are reasonably priced, with enticing-sounding options such as Valencian paella.
A seriously swanky spot, this bar, lounge and restaurant in Antalya, Turkey, fuses glitzy interiors, stunning aquarium views and modern cooking to impressive effect. Guests enter Nemo via a floating (architecturally speaking) staircase, which leads down to the aquarium-panelled dining area. The vibe is decidedly grown-up, with gleaming marble floors, clever lighting illuminating the shoals of fish gliding by and a DJ providing background music.
The food here is as impressive as the decor – Nemo was named Turkey’s best hotel restaurant at the 2020 World Culinary Awards – and the menu features modern European dishes with Pan Asian influences. That means diners can look forward to tucking into the likes of Japanese Caesar salad, French oysters and Korean braised ribs, as well as an extensive selection of innovative sushi and spanking fresh sashimi.
The largest underwater restaurant in the Maldives, Only Blu, opened in June 2022, and is already a strong contender for the most stunning dining destination in the archipelago. Sitting pretty some 22 feet (6.8m) below the surface, Only Blu boasts an impressive open kitchen and a clever horseshoe-shaped design, which ensures each diner is guaranteed a window seat view of the sparkling waters and teeming coral reef. Guests are greeted with canapés, setting the tone for an unforgettable evening.
Opened in 2019, Under is Europe’s first underwater restaurant – and it also just so happens to be the largest in the world. The half-sunken building, located in Lindesnes in southern Norway, was designed in collaboration with renowned architecture firm Snøhetta and uses marine-friendly materials, which will eventually turn into an artificial coral reef. Guests dine beside a large glass wall, 18 feet (5.5m) below the surface, with panoramic views across the chilly North Sea.
The menu pays homage to the rich bounty of flavours to be found in the surrounding waters, combining locally sourced fish and seafood with delicate sea herbs and seasonal vegetables. It was developed by head chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard, who has a background working at some of Scandinavia’s finest restaurants and won Under a Michelin Star in 2020, which it has retained ever since. Sustainability is at the heart of his ethos; Ellitsgaard often uses ingredients such as stone crab or squat lobster, which would usually be discarded by fishermen, and makes them the focus of a dish.
The Maldives is known for its sparkling, coral-filled waters, so it makes sense that it's such a hotspot for underwater dining. Located at the luxurious Conrad Maldives Resort on Rangali Island, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is housed in an acrylic-walled tunnel which allows for 270-degree views of the surrounding oceans.
The impressive structure was built in Singapore in 2004, before being transported to Rangali Island by barge and submerged 16 feet (5m) underwater. Only open to hotel guests, the set lunch and dinner menus offer a fusion of Maldivian and European cuisine. You’d better get a move on if you want to try it, though; due to its extreme location, the restaurant is only expected to last 20 years.
Floor-to-ceiling windows make the most of jaw-dropping ocean views at SEA, located at the edge of a coral reef at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas. As well as a gourmet menu, expect to see sharks, turtles and tropical fish swim by as you dine. Customers call the experience beautiful and breathtaking, while the restaurant also has several awards under its belt.
Guests can enjoy menus packed with fresh, seasonal delights. Breakfast (pictured) includes freshly baked pastries, a choice of egg dishes, freshly squeezed juices and a cheese platter. Later, the seven-course tasting menu showcases local delicacies including Maldivian lobster, river scampi and scallops.
Dining alongside sharks might not be for everyone, but if the idea appeals, there’s no better place to try it than at Cargo Hold Restaurant in Durban’s uShaka Marine World. While it’s technically housed in an aquarium rather than being underwater, it certainly gives the feeling of being submerged.
The modern, dimly lit restaurant – the design for which was inspired by the missing 'Phantom Ship' – is surrounded by shark tanks, allowing guests to gaze out at the apex predators and a host of other marine life swimming by. Menus include a wide selection of seafood (Mozambique prawns, mussels and crayfish), as well as grilled meats.
Dubai’s man-made, palm tree–shaped island has long been a go-to destination for all things lavish, so it makes sense that it’s home to one of the world’s finest undersea restaurants. Located at the renowned Atlantis resort, the sleek dining room at Ossiano is surrounded by huge windows which showcase an array of marine life, from sharks and stingrays to colourful tropical fish.
Awarded a Michelin star in 2022, the restaurant focuses on Mediterranean-inspired flavours and progressive cooking techniques. Opt for the 11-course tasting menu and you could tuck into the likes of beef tartare with black truffle and wasabi, pomme soufflé with sour cream and caviar, and Gillardeau oysters with grape and verjus.
Submerged 20 feet (6m) underwater, H2O at the Maldives’ You & Me by Cocoon resort sits in an underwater tube offering panoramic ocean vistas. Tables are oriented towards the windows, so diners can make the most of gazing out at tropical fish and corals in the stunning Maldivian waters. Plus, an elevator means it’s truly accessible, unlike many underwater restaurants.
Decorated Italian chef Andrea Berton, who has four Michelin stars across three restaurants, designed the menu here, and it shows. At lunchtime, diners can feast on a four-course meal, which includes the likes of sea sponge, prawns and smoked rosemary ice cream, while the dinner menu features options like local lobster and scene-stealing desserts.
This is aquatic dining, the Disney way. At Coral Reef Restaurant, diners get the full under-the-sea experience thanks to vast windows that look into The Seas. This huge saltwater tank (we’re talking 54 Olympic-sized swimming pools big) is home to more than 2,000 sea creatures – sharks, rays and sea turtles included. The interiors (all blues and greens) reflect the aquatic theme, and the family-friendly menu is filled with all-American favourites; think clam chowder, Caesar salad, steak and shrimp and grits.
Winning the title of the world’s most picture-perfect restaurant in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards 2021, Koral Restaurant in Bali offers a pretty spectacular experience. It’s housed inside an aquarium at The Apurva Kempinski resort, with giant windows and a glass tunnel providing a viewpoint out onto vibrant fish and marine creatures. Elements such as ornate monochrome floor tiles, red clay brickwork and teak ceilings are designed to echo the ancient Majapahit empire of southeast Asia.
It’s not just stunning to look at. The menu at Koral features seafood specialities including blue crab, Tasmanian smoked salmon and grilled spiny lobster, while there are also plenty of options for those with vegetarian and vegan diets. What’s more, it’s fairly reasonably priced compared to many underwater restaurants, particularly if you opt for the set lunch menu.
Located 19 feet (5.8m) underwater, this Maldivian eatery is the largest all-glass underwater restaurant in the world. The restaurant, which is part of the Hurawalhi Island Resort, is housed in a spectacular arched tunnel which allows diners to feast their eyes on a kaleidoscopic array of marine life – while literally feasting on some of the finest food in the archipelago.
A haven for fine dining at all hours of the day, 5.8 Undersea Restaurant has a five-course lunch or seven-course dinner menu, with vegan and vegetarian diets well catered for. Among the lavish items to be found on its menus are Saku belly tuna, beluga caviar and Wagyu tenderloin beef, while you can also book a private breakfast on request.
A shorthand for the depth at which it’s submerged underwater ('minus six metres'), M6m is an immersive culinary experience. Diners kick things off with canapés in the upstairs lounge before descending under the sea, where tables are angled towards the glass windows for maximum exposure to underwater views.
The gourmet menu revolves around fish and seafood but best of all (according to some parents, at least), there’s the option to drop children off at the on-site kids' club for snacks and activities, while the adults enjoy an exquisite underwater meal. However, under 12s are allowed in for lunch at set times.
Although the dining rooms are housed in aquariums rather than technically being underwater, the array of marine life you can see at the various Aquarium Restaurant locations makes it a great option for sea-inspired dining (there’s two spots in Texas and one each in Colorado and Tennessee). Ideal for a memorable, and family-friendly, underwater meal, the restaurant is surrounded by tanks filled with hundreds of different species of fish from all over the world.
Unlike some of the fancier spots on this list, this place is ideal for relaxed family dining, with hearty and comforting dishes including steak and chips, clam chowder and fish tacos. Prices are reasonable, vegan and vegetarian diets are well catered for, and the atmosphere is welcoming. Visit at the right time of day and you’ll even be able to watch a diver feeding the fish as you eat.
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