DRImagine eating a meal while dangling 150 ft. above the ground from a crane or having a prix-fixe meal in complete darkness served by a crew of blind or visually impaired waiters… Excited? Here is a list of restaurants across the globe, each a unique destination in itself not just for the food it serves but the gastronomic adventure on offer
SPAIN
Sublimotion, Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza
The world’s most expensive restaurant, Sublimotion at Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza, delivers a 20-course gastro-sensory meal that costs €1,500 per person. Michelin-starred chef Paco Roncero spent two years developing this multisensory culinary voyage, which marries art, gastronomy and virtual reality thanks to the latest wearable technology from Samsung. Two dozen chefs fret over 12 diners in a room completely encased in blank screens, which light up with audio-visuals that change throughout the meal. When questioned about the price tag, Chef Roncero had responded by calling his restaurant the “cheapest life-changing experience anyone can have.”
The Disaster Café, Lloret de Mar, Girona
A unique restaurant with an amazing design and an even better idea behind it. Guests who dine here can experience simulated earthquakes measuring 7.8 on the Richter Scale while being completely safe!
MALDIVES
Ithaa, Conrad Maldives Rangali Resort
Ithaa meaning ‘mother of pearl’ makes it to the list because of its location, design, amazing food, service and of course the unforgettable view of the marine species and the reef. Built 16 ft. (4.8 m) below the sea level, the restaurant seats a maximum of 14 guests at a time. You can reach it by walking down a spiral staircase.
THAILAND
Vertigo Restaurant and Moon Bar, Bangkok
For those not scared of heights this is a ‘must visit’ restaurant! Located at the top of a skyscraper, it is part of the Banyan Tree Hotel. Featuring a great Sky Bar with an elongated deck, guests can enjoy a floating feeling while consuming a cocktail.
Bird’s Nest Restaurant, Soneva Kiri Luxury Jungle Resort, Kon Kut Island
Check out one of the finest and most unique restaurants in the world. Those who choose to dine here are amazed by its uniqueness and positioning. The restaurant is literally a bird’s nest – with tree nests on actual trees, 16 ft. above ground level. Not only will you enjoy every bit of the food here, but surely like the spectacular view as well. To deliver your meals and drinks, the waiters use a specially-designed zipline!
PHILIPPINES
The Labassin Waterfall Restaurant, Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort, San Pablo, Laguna Province
It does not get more exotic and surreal than this. When people dine here, they soak their feet in the clear water and enjoy the view of a wonderful waterfall that serves as a ‘natural air conditioner. Its authentic cuisine is very tasty and rather unique, served on bamboo tables. Very often, the restaurant hosts traditional music and dance shows.
ZANZIBAR
The Rock Restaurant, Michamwi Pingwe
Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island region of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean is home to the huge rock called The Rock Restaurant conspicuous on the Michamwi Pingwe beach. You can reach it by canoe, walk, or swim to it. Its appearance isn’t the only reason why people visit this restaurant – the food is amazingly tasty, as well!
TAIWAN
Marton Theme Restaurant, Wanhua District, Taipei
At this place, you will find everything making you feel like you are in a modern toilet. Some guests will like it and others will feel disgusted. Either way, you should try focusing on enjoying the experience of trying something new.
CHINA
Devil Island Prison Restaurant, Tianjin
This restaurant surrounded by rusting prison bars gives you a taste of jail time. The owner Zhou Keqiang of Devil Island Prison wanted to scare people away from a life of crime by showing them what jail is like. Whether or not the lesson is learned, eating in a makeshift prison restaurant is still a one-of-a-kind experience.
Ultraviolet, Shanghai
Fifteen years in the making, Ultraviolet opened in May 2012 offering an avant-garde 20-course menu to 10 guests per night from a mysterious building somewhere in Shanghai (guests are escorted from a designated meeting point). This immersive dining experience from French chef Paul Pairet takes shape within a bare bones room with no decor, no ornaments and no views. Instead, 360-degree wall projections, table projections, scent diffusers and a multi-channel speaker system set the tone, enhancing diners’ experience of flavor through a meticulously controlled atmosphere. Ten seats become available at midnight Shanghai time each night for bookings 90 days in advance!
BELGIUM
Dinner in the Sky, Brussels and Antwerp
Imagine eating a meal while dangling 150 ft. above the ground from a crane. At Dinner in the Sky in Belgium, diners are strapped on to chairs, raised to half the height of Big Ben and served meals like ham salad and sautéed prawns that are cooked in a small oven in the center of the structure. Also available in more than 45 countries worldwide.
USA
Dick’s Last Resort Restaurant
Dick’s Last Resort is a bar and restaurant chain in The United States, known for its intentional employment of an obnoxious staff. With locations all over America including Chicago, Boston and Dallas, Dick’s will satisfy your impulses to be treated rudely, called names and ridiculed by restaurant staff. If that sounds like everyday dining to you, rest assured that Dick’s will kindly write out these insults and put them on dunce caps which you’re obligated to wear while eating. There are no napkins on the tables: they are generally thrown at the customers by the serving staff.
Ninja, New York
Some of New York’s most creative fusion food is served in this rather unusual restaurant. Guests are led to the subterranean eatery through a “secret path” where “ninjas” lurk in the shadows, and brought to a table housed within a dungeon-like chamber. The ninja waiters perform magic tricks that extend into the meal, like sauces that catch fire!
Atera, New York
New York is home to some of the most groundbreaking restaurants on earth and Atera is arguably one of the best molecular gastronomy hot spots in the city. Executive Chef Ronny Emborg (Michelin Star) has been able to construct an innovative kitchen that births avant-garde dishes with cutting-edge molecular technique. Atera is a Basque word that translates to: “to go out.”
Alinea, Chicago
From culinary pyrotechnics to mood-altering lights and menus created to evoke childhood memories, Chef Grant Achatz is never short on innovation. The Chicago chef has built up an inimitable reputation over the last 10 years by turning Alinea into one of the most theatrical and forward-thinking restaurants in the United States.
Opaque, San Francisco
“Dining in the Dark” is a trend that swept Europe in the early 2000s and found a happy home in up-for-anything San Francisco by 2008. Guests at Opaque, located in a basement near Jefferson Square Park, enjoy a prix-fixe meal in complete darkness served by a crew of blind or visually impaired waiters. The sight deprivation is said to make diners more sensitive to aspects of the cuisine that might otherwise go unnoticed, such as textures, odours and subtle changes in flavor. Opaque has a second dining-in-the-dark outpost in Los Angeles.
NEW ZEALAND
Auricle Wine & Sound Bar, Christchurch
This one is the world’s first dedicated wine and sound bar, which lies within the Auricle Sonic Arts Gallery. Sound artist and wine critic Jo Burzynska is the brain behind Auricle’s multi-sensory experiences. Each month she selects a range of New Zealand and international wines to match the sonorous qualities of Auricle’s changing exhibitions. Burzynska organizes regular ‘wine and music matching workshops,’ as well as multi-sensory dining experiences, working alongside visual artists like Toshi Endo and Chef Alex Davies.
