Did you know you could dine underwater, in a remote restaurant inside the Arctic Circle, in a treehouse, or even on the side of a volcano? We take a peek inside 28 restaurants in some of the world's most unusual and amazing places. Dive in...

Housed in a converted bank vault, Trinity Place Restaurant lies in the heart of New York’s financial district. At the beginning of the 1900s, it was hailed as the largest and strongest bank vault in the world and there are still vestiges of this here today. Guests enter through heavy metal-barred doors and into a space with steel vaulted ceilings and bags of old world charm. The menu features many classic American options such as New England clam chowder, Caesar salad and steak.

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Tanzania’s most spectacular sights – a huge ancient crater lake, home to scores of wildlife, so imagine being able to enjoy a meal whilst looking down over it. The restaurant at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge offers the perfect outdoor balcony to marvel at nature’s greatest show – where elephants, zebra, wildebeest, flamingos and hippos come to drink. It serves pan-African dishes such as duck with kumquat and chilli marmalade.

This gourmet experience in Brussels, allows visitors to explore the Belgian capital while they dine. Inside one of the city's modern trams, guests are treated to a six-course tasting menu, while passing some of Brussels' most iconic sights as they go. Every few months, different chefs from some of the city’s best restaurants take over the Tram Experience, meaning no two tram rides are the same.

You’ve heard of overwater bungalows, but this one is an overwater restaurant. Guests can relax on oversized beanbags, while surrounded by sublime sea views and enjoy a unique fusion of Khmer and international cuisine. The menu features organic locally-sourced produce, with ingredients such as Kampot pepper, Ibis rice from the North of Cambodia, as well as cashew nuts and coconuts from nearby local villages.

Situated in the middle of London’s West End theatre land, this somewhat bizarre restaurant resembles an old forgotten props room. Seated inside regal opera boxes and surrounded by a curious mix of plush gold curtains, masks and gilt-edged mirrors, guests can enjoy a fragrant Middle Eastern menu. Think dishes such as lamb koftas with grilled peppers, stuffed aubergines, falafels and mezze sharing platters.

As you may guess from the name, this celebrated San Francisco restaurant is housed in a former cinema. A city institution, it has become a much-loved local haunt. Dine alfresco under a fairy-light sky and watch your favourite films on the big screen while you eat. It’s open for brunches, dinners and cocktails. Try its famous brunches such as a champagne omelette with chanterelle mushrooms; or mains including orange tuna tartare with avocado, habanero sauce and wonton crisps.

Five metres below the surface at the Conrad Maldives Rangali, lies Ithaa – the world’s first underwater restaurant. You’ll eat inside a glass tunnel, with panoramic views of the underwater coral garden, while tropical fish swim around you. The menu, unsurprisingly, has a strong seafood focus. Dishes include blackened scallops with beetroot and plantain chips for starters and coconut crusted légine fish served with curry bisque and spicy sea snails for a main.

Few views can match those from the Dasheen Restaurant at Ladera Resort in St. Lucia. The Caribbean Sea and the perfect pinnacles of the famous Pitons frame your view. Dishes use fresh native ingredients produced by island farmers and include plates such as roasted conch with pickled vegetables; Cajun Creole vegetable bakes; and plantain gratin with coconut rum sauce.

Imagine looking out across the African savannah, sitting on the edge of a waterhole, where elephant, buffalo and antelope come to drink. At the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, guests can do just that and won’t even have to leave the dining table to enjoy their safari. The restaurant specialises in wild game offerings, including flame-grilled warthog, crocodile stir-fry, Zambezi bream or seared kudu (a type of antelope) fillet.

This gourmet Thai restaurant is situated on the island of Koh Kood in Thailand. Guests are taken up river in small wooden boats to a rustic, yet charming bamboo hut on wooden stilts. There’s no menu, but instead, Chef Benz creates several dishes, inspired by the local ingredients he sources that day.

Nautika is not only one of Dubrovnik’s best restaurants, but one of its best looking too. Chairs and tables are scattered along the walls of the Dubrovnik School of Maritime Studies, offering impressive views of the historic fortresses of Lovrijenac and Bokar. The menu focuses on seafood, which is brought in fresh from the Adriatic each morning. There’s lobster from the local island of Vis, large shrimps served on polenta and cuttlefish medallions in sesame sauce.

El Diablo is located in the heart of Lanzarote's Timanfaya National Park, surrounded by the Mountains of Fire. From the circular glass windows, diners can look out across the otherworldly Martian-like landscapes and watch as volcanic steam vents explode into the air. But it’s not just the views that are special at this restaurant, it also has a unique way of cooking. Ingredients are cooked on hot stones over a volcanic cauldron. Order the pork chops, lamb cutlets or barbecued seafood.

South Africa’s Cape Winelands region is known for its spectacular scenery, but nothing quite prepares you for its rich carpet of colours – bright violets, mustard yellows and bottle greens. Of course, there are many restaurants in the region which offer these stunning views, but perhaps none quite as good as those at the Delaire Graff Estate near Stellenbosch. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, guests can feast on seasonal menus, featuring the estate's very own produce.

If you feel like buying one of Armenia’s beautiful carpets and want to try some of its traditional cuisine, you can do both at once, at the Megerian Carpet Factory. The restaurant is located inside the carpet factory itself and patrons can enjoy their meals surrounded by exquisitely-patterned rugs and tables made from old looms. Try the local pork stuffed with spinach, which is cooked in a clay pot underground. Knowledgeable staff can also explain all about how the carpets are made.

El Cocinero is housed in a former peanut oil factory in Havana, which was active during the 1930s. You can see the restaurant from miles around, due to its iconic chimney stack. Guests climb up the steep winding staircase to the restaurant, where they ring a ship’s bell to announce their arrival. Inside the industrial interior, sample plates such as rabbit in white wine sauce, lamb curry with naan and cucumber spaghetti with meatballs. There’s also a spectacular rooftop terrace.

One of the most romantic restaurants on our list is the magical Grotta Palazzese, where you can eat inside a natural cave, complete with stunning sea views. Dimly lit by hundreds of individual lamps, the space has in fact been used for parties and banquets since the 1700s. Not to be outdone by the views however, chef Felice Sgarra creates beautiful and delicate Italian dishes, including ricotta and fava bean cream with crispy pork cheeks, or breaded sea bass with pistachios. Check out the restaurants with stunning views in every state

Imagine Bali and you’re probably picturing jade green rice terraces, swaying palms and pagoda-style temples. North of Ubud, sat right on the edge of the vast and iconic Tegallalang rice terraces, you’ll find all this and more at Boni Restaurant. Here, they serve Indonesia’s national dish – nasi campur, made up of a mix of different spiced curries, vegetables, rice and peanuts, as well as chicken or shrimp satay.

Just say the words ‘Open Sesame’ and you’ll be welcomed into Ali Barbour’s magical cave, lit by hundreds of hanging lamps and the starry sky. Located in Kenya's Diani Beach resort, it’s definitely the town’s most atmospheric place to dine. The menu is decidedly international, but fresh local seafood with Creole flavours is also on offer. Try the chilli crab, fresh Indian Ocean oysters, or the pan grilled barracuda fish. There are also vegetarian options.

You’ll eat well at Michelin-starred Fäviken Magasinet, that is, if you can reach it. Fäviken Magasinet is so hard to get to in fact, that it’s often touted as the world’s most isolated restaurant. It's located in northern Sweden, surrounded by fjords and snow-capped mountains. During the summer, chef Magnus Nilsson forages and hunts for ingredients, then salts or pickles them for the winter to come. There are also a few attached rooms – in case you're worried about the journey back.

Housed inside the UK’s first public subscription library, The Library Restaurant in Norwich has stayed true to its heritage, keeping its original mezzanine, wood cladding and floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Encircled by antique leather-bound volumes, diners can enjoy a range of traditional British pub fare such as Sunday roasts, fish and chips and wood-fired steaks.

Located in a set of 1920s municipal greenhouses in Amsterdam, sits the unusual Restaurant De Kas. Here, guests can eat surrounded by the herbs and vegetables that go into creating their dishes. The restaurant offers just one daily fixed menu, which depends entirely on what restaurant staff can harvest that day.

Located along the Burguret River, on the edge of Mount Kenya Forest, sits this magnificent tree house restaurant. Sat high up in the canopy of a sacred fig tree, Trout Tree Restaurant offers a secluded and romantic place to dine under twisting branches and vines. If you’re lucky, the resident troupe of black-and-white colobus monkeys may also come to watch you eat. As the name suggests, it specialises in grilled trout, caught fresh from the ponds below.

It’s an adventure just to get to the Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah, let alone the experience of dining there. First, guests must do a bit of exercise, snowshoeing through the forest to reach an authentic Mongolian yurt. Once inside this cosy hideaway, the chef will prepare your meal right in front of you. Exquisitely-plated dishes include scallops and asparagus for starters, Wagyu beef steak for main and rich chocolate mousse or classic apple pie for dessert.

This unusual restaurant in Berlin is located in a former industrial launderette, where patrons enjoy hearty home-cooked Italian dishes, enclosed by washing lines, vintage mangles and wash tubs. There’s a daily changing menu with set courses for lunch and dinner which might include, for example, antipasti of oysters with vinegar caramel, or mains of fettuccine with fennel, saffron and almonds.

Located 250km north of the Arctic Circle in a rural Finland, beneath the ethereal Northern Lights, sits this unique restaurant, built entirely from ice and snow. Sit at ice tables, on icy cold chairs and enjoy regional specialties from Lapland and the Barents Sea. These include sautéed reindeer with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and pickles; fried Arctic char and king crab; and Finnish cheese with cloudberries for dessert.

You may get a bit of a surprise inside this old Victorian public toilet in London's Fitzrovia, for instead of private cubicles, you'll find a  buzzing brunch bar. Sit at original porcelain urinals, surrounded by antique Victorian bathroom tiles and tuck in. Don't let the decor put you off your food however, as you'll definitely want to try their hearty brunches – from waffles with mango compote and lemon mascarpone to avocado smash with beetroot hummus.

Dine with the stars: the best restaurants for spotting celebrities in the USA 

Deserts have a reputation for being inhospitable places, but you’ll get nothing less than the best hospitality and service at the Suhail restaurant, in one of the world’s biggest deserts. Sit on the rooftop under the stars and admire the views across the miles of undulating sand dunes. The restaurant serves an international menu of everything from black Angus steak to saffron risotto and even vegan polenta.

Take a look at these iconic restaurants that we wish were still open. 

You’ll have to wade out into the water or get a boat to reach The Rock in Zanzibar, but once you arrive, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree Indian Ocean views. Once a local fisherman’s post, The Rock serves a fusion of traditional Zanzibarian seafood dishes and Italian cuisine. The seafood is caught fresh from the reefs, the spices grow on the island and the pasta is made on site.

Now read: US restaurants with the best views