When it comes to restaurants, where you eat can sometimes be as much a part of the experience as what you eat. Restaurateurs place almost as much value in the aesthetic and surroundings, as they do to what actually goes on your plate.
From dining under the ocean waves to restaurants where you don't have to talk to anybody, or a mountaintop meal where your food is cooked over a dormant volcano, BBC Bitesize presents five astonishing eateries that use their location to thrill all of your senses, not just your taste buds.
5.8 Undersea Restaurant - Maldives
For some people the idea of dining under the stars is one of the most romantic meal time settings, but how about dining under the sea?
Where is it? As its name hints, this awe inspiring restaurant is located 5.8 metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean. These clear blue waters surround the luxurious island resort of Hurawalhi in the Maldives, where you need to travel to if you fancy a visit to this underwater restaurant.
What’s the attraction? Surrounding the dining area is a man-made reef which attracts diverse sea life, including reef sharks and manta rays. But if you’re lucky enough to drop in for dinner, with all those underwater eyes peering in at you, it might be polite to skip the fish course.
The glass that keeps the sea-life out, and sea-food in, is 15 centimetres thick. It was manufactured in New Zealand in one piece, before being shipped to the Maldives and carefully lowered into the lagoon.
What’s on the menu? No matter the time of day there is plenty to choose from. You could book a private breakfast and try traditional Maldivian omelette. Alternatively a seven course dining experience will see you sample a wide range of meat, fish or vegan dishes. There’s certainly something for everyone, but most with price tags that will make your eyes water!
Ichiran - Japan (and other countries)
Oodles of noodles, and not a soul in sight. In the bustling cities of Asia you’d think it not possible. You’d be wrong.
Where is it? Ichiran started out in Fukuoka, Japan in 1996 and the chain can now be found in over 60 places in Japan, as well as Hong Kong, Taipei and Brooklyn, New York.
What's the attraction? Silence can be golden, especially at meal times, and that’s exactly what Ichiran offers. On arrival, diners buy a ticket from a vending machine specifying what kind of a type of Japanese noodle soup often featuring a meat, vegetable or miso broththey want. They can then seat themselves in a private booth which has a window just large enough to allow the servers' hands to pass through. After filling in a form specifying the desired firmness, texture and saltiness of the noodles, they press a call button, and the card is taken. Their chosen dish is then prepared and served silently through the window without a word being spoken.
The restaurant’s founder, Manabu Yoshitomi, got the idea for these private ‘flavour concentration booths’ when he noticed that many customers didn’t like being watched by strangers as they slurped their noodles. The idea has become hugely popular especially given the rise of the Japanese trend of 'ohitorisama', which favours doing things solo.
What’s on the menu? Classic A ramen dish featuring a savoury broth made with pork bonesis the order of the day here, but customers can make a bowl of this hearty dish their own through many customisations. From dashi (saltiness) and spice level to noodle texture and additional toppings, all without saying a word.
Restaurante El Diablo - Canary Islands
Think your back-garden barbecue can get quite toasty? Well, ‘flame-grilled’ gets a new meaning at Restaurante El Diablo (literally ‘the restaurant of the devil’). Here, the heat from a dormant volcano is used to cook a selection of dishes from the menu for hungry customers.
Where is it? This dramatic eatery is situated high in the mountains amid the rock-strewn, desolate landscape of Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote.
What’s the attraction? This meal place was the brainchild of famous architect César Manrique, who was commissioned to build a restaurant on the summit of the appropriately named Fire Mountains. Because the ground was so hot, he added nine layers of basalt rock as the restaurant’s foundations, leaving part of it open to act as a cooking pit. The chefs consulted volcanologists to ensure that preparing food this way didn’t present any safety concerns for diners. If you’re reading this and feeling a little nervous about an eruption during appetisers, worry not - the last volcanic activity in the area was in 1824.
What’s on the menu? Temperatures above the grill reach 400-500 degrees celcius. This allows dishes like chicken and pork skewers, or beef, to be cooked just right. Of course there are some slightly less intense options too like local cheeses and veg, plus a volcano shaped sweet treat for dessert.
Attendant Coffee Roasters - UK
While many restaurants in this article have literally been built from the ground up others eateries exist in buildings that previously served an altogether different purpose. Take the Malmaison Brasserie in Oxford it is housed in a former prison workshop. Another cafe in London that fits into the 'recycled venue' category is one owned by Attendant Coffee Roasters.
Where is it? Located in London’s trendy Fitzrovia area, this is a cafe in a repurposed (and of course, thoroughly scrubbed) public toilet, built in Victorian times.
What’s the attraction? The lavs were left derelict for fifty years after they closed before the new owners spent a reported £100,000 renovating the conveniences and transforming them into a swish cafe. The cafe retains much of the Victorian era charm (public loos of the time were very posh by modern standards) complete with porcelain fittings and intricate tile work.
What’s on the menu? Brekkie, brunch, bakes, and of course plenty of hot and cold drinks. Customers can sip on a cup of their favourite brew whilst surrounded by what are the tops of former urinals. Talk about spending a penny!
Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN - Japan
The robots in this Japanese cafe aren’t your usual tray removers or delivery drones. Instead, they are are all controlled remotely, sometimes from an entirely different country.
Where is it? Located in Tokyo, Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN opened it’s doors in 2021. Remote 'pilots' operate the robots that work alongside a handful of human staff who are there to keep an eye.
What’s the attraction? When you arrive here, you are welcomed not by a person, but by a robot avatar, which has been designed with the traditional Japanese Noh theatre mask in mind. Once comfy a different robot takes your order and has a bit of chat, before another delivers the goods. There are no robots in the kitchen, all the food and drink prep is carried out by human hands. But this futuristic experience is not just a gimmick. The company behind the cafe (and its robotic servers) has a longer term goal, they want to explore and tackle the isolation faced by people who are currently confined to their homes.
What's on the menu? From shrimp and avocado sandwiches to vegetable keema curry, classic pepperoni pizzas and frozen yoghurt parfaits. Everything here is plated up ready for the robots to serve. And if you’re feeling daring, why not ask for for the afternoon tea platter and watch on as it’s delivered with precision…hopefully!
This article was published in September 2025
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