16 inspirational examples of underwater restaurants
In recent years, underwater restaurants, in which visitors are invited to combine a meal with admiring the marine life, began to actively appear around the world, and in the Maldives they have grown so much that they began to seriously compete with each other. The 1000 Ideas portal decided to collect 16 of the best underwater restaurants and aquarium restaurants from around the world.
ITHAA UNDERSEA RESTAURANT, Rangali Island, Maldives
The most famous underwater restaurant called Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is located in the Laccadive Sea at a 5-meter depth off Rangali Island, Maldives. Since its opening in 2005, it has attracted endless crowds of tourists. From those who want to get to the cherished 14 places, there is simply no end: orders are made a month before a visit. Above the guests’ head is a large glass dome, which opens up the stunning underwater world of the Maldives. The menu, as you might guess, has fish, shellfish and all kinds of sea delicacies. The cost of a standard lunch will be at least 300-350 dollars. Guests have the opportunity to rent an underwater bedroom for the night – a real fairy tale for lovers. The restaurant is connected to the land by a spiral staircase that starts in a thatched house on the pier. It is interesting that the underwater restaurant has a limited service life – after 20 years it will have to be closed, otherwise it will become unsafe for life inside. Therefore, a visit to Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is better not to postpone later than 2025.
AL MAHARA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
In Dubai, in the hotel “Burj al Arab”, which is located on an artificial island and without undue modesty characterizes itself as a seven-star, is located the luxurious restaurant-aquarium Al Mahara. A huge panorama of the artificially created underwater world appears before the guests. Inside the aquarium with a volume of 280 thousand liters, 50 species of fish live. The hallmark of the restaurant is a two-meter fish named George from the Gubanov family, which has been living here for more than a dozen years. Each table at Al Mahara is served by several people, one of whom is a sommelier. The menu includes European cuisine, seafood, dishes for vegetarians. The restaurant is designed for 114 people, including 3 VIP-halls.
RED SEA STAR RESTAURANT, Eilat, Israel
This is a former underwater restaurant and strip bar Red Sea Star in the Israeli city of Eilat. It was opened in 1993 at a 5-meter depth, 70 meters from the coast. The interior of the establishment was made in a marine style, and visitors could watch what was happening in the sea from large Plexiglass windows, of which there were 62 pieces. The restaurant looked especially unusual in the dark, when the lights turned on along the perimeter of the building, and you could watch the fish and the world of sea corals until late at night. Today, alas, only divers can admire all this.
INTERCONTINENTAL HAITANG BAY SANYA, Hainan, China
The 5-star InterContinental Sanya Haitang Bay Hotel, located on Hainan Island in southern China, has its own restaurant with an aquarium. Guests are invited to get acquainted with the underwater world, from colorful fish to huge sharks and turtles, during dinner. The restaurant opens at 18.00. You can get to a sumptuous meal only by pre-booking a table, as the place is very popular among the Chinese. For those who cannot afford such a dinner, next to the restaurant there is a door to the corridor with an amazingly beautiful aquarium.
THE PEARL, Brussels, Belgium
The Belgians also have their own underwater restaurant. It is called The Pearl, which translates as “Pearl.” The restaurant’s feature is that it is located at the bottom of the pool for scuba divers of the Nemo33 diving center, at a depth of 5 meters. Externally, The Pearl resembles a pearl and is a sphere with a diameter of 2 meters with several porthole windows. Inside the sphere can fit up to 4 people. The menu includes foie gras, lobster salad and champagne. The cost of lunch is on average about 99 euros per person. The interesting thing is that in order to fulfill the order, the waiter needs to put on a scuba gear and put the food in a waterproof package.
