In today's world, delicious cuisine and friendly service aren't enough to surprise diners. People are hungry for experiences, and cutting-edge restaurateurs from all over the world are competing to present these experiences as sharp and unique as possible. We have gathered for you a selection of amazing places in the world that have become super-popular not thanks to cooking.
Sushiya no Nohachi, Tokyo, Japan — Dinner under the microscope
What started out as a joke has made chef Hironori Ikeno almost world famous. The chef of a small restaurant in Tokyo decided to serve his guests miniature food on tiny plates. The portions got smaller each time, so later Hironori discovered with excitement that it was quite possible to make sushi from a single grain of rice. Today, tourists from all over the world flock to this unique Tokyo restaurant to sample Ikeno's miniature culinary masterpieces.
Dinner in the Sky, Brussels, Belgium — A meal in the clouds
This amazing restaurant was invented in Belgium by a company specializing in the manufacture of cranes. But instead of building cargo, once in the sky, at a height of 50 meters lifted a special platform, which accommodates 22 visitors to the "restaurant", as well as waiters and cooks who prepare dishes right there — in the air.
Now in this way you can dine almost anywhere in the world, because the team of the restaurant go to the specified place and in two hours prepares everything you need for a heavenly meal. The unusual restaurant has already visited more than 50 countries, including Ukraine.
True, the price for such a meal starts from 1500 euros per person, but there are always lovers of acute impressions.
ION Adventure Hotel, Iceland is a bar overlooking the northern lights
This restaurant (as well as hotel) is located on the volcanic mountain of Gengitl, 18 kilometers from the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Thingvellir National Park.
The bar has panoramic views of the picturesque surroundings, allowing diners to see the aurora borealis quite often without having to get up from their table.
Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya — Dine with giraffes
You may have heard of this restaurant before, as a video of giraffes boldly peering through the windows at diners to graciously serve them their food once flooded the web.
We are talking about the Kenyan hotel Giraffe Manor, where handsome giraffes will keep you company not only during the meal: these animals are released here to walk around the territory and they freely peek through the windows and doors. Don't forget to treat the animals to something tasty and, of course, take a photo as a souvenir!
You can book the hotel with a discount of up to -65% on the website.
Kayabukiya Tavern, Utsunomiya, Japan — Monkey Waiters
If you find yourself in Kayabukiya Tavern, which is located in Utsunomiya, don't be surprised if your sake is brought to you by a monkey in the form of a waitress. The owner of the restaurant claims that he taught the monkeys this craft on purpose — they learned it all by watching and repeating after him. Today, the local authorities have officially allowed the monkeys to work in the restaurant, and satisfied customers leave them tips in the form of soy beans and other goodies.
Das Klo Bar, Berlin, Germany — Fear Room
People with a weak psyche should avoid this restaurant, because there is a high probability that from the first steps of the visitors will be attacked by various monsters, gorillas will growl, and the friendly bartender suddenly decides to press a special button under the bar, from which your chair will fly up in the air. All walls here are covered with bizarre creatures, headless dolls, bloody body parts, skeletons or stuffed animals, which move randomly and hope to scare you out of your wits!
Cencio La Parolaccia, Rome, Italy — A restaurant where you will be called names
What do you usually do if you didn't like the service and the waiters were rude and unfriendly? That's right — leave the establishment and never visit it again. At the same time, expressive, loud and often harsh Italians do not see anything wrong in it, and on the contrary, the restaurant Cencio La Parolaccia, where waiters deliberately insult and mock visitors, gathers tourists from different parts of the world.
Clothing Optional Dinners, New York, USA — Nudist Dining
The further we searched for unique venues from around the world for this selection, the more we came across the more bizarre and daring ones. For example, once a month the Clothing Optional Dinners club in Manhattan, New York, holds a so-called "naked" party, during which all visitors enjoy a meal without any clothes on. Such a meal was invented by nudist John J. Ordover. The event has several rules, one of which is that the caterers must be clothed.
Heart attack Grill, Las Vegas, USA — Food that can kill you
We ask all fans of healthy eating to step away from the screen. We are talking about the restaurant Heart attack Grill, the founder of which says: "Don't come to my restaurant, it is harmful and can kill you". The cafe specializes in junk food with tons of calories and a complete lack of vegetables. Just the names of the dishes like "Death Fries", "The Dying Burger" or "The Heart Attack Hot Dog" tell you that fitness fans will not be welcome here.
Ithaa, Maldives — The First Underwater Restaurant
4 meters underwater in the Maldives is the world's first underwater restaurant. It offers not only sumptuous dining, but also incredible panoramic ocean views and hundreds of unique underwater creatures swimming right above your head. However, this unusual restaurant seats only 14 people, so tables are sometimes booked a year in advance.
Bel Canto, Paris, France — Singing Restaurant
This restaurant opened in Paris back in 1999 and became world famous due to the fact that the entire staff here has opera singing abilities. The singers usually work in groups of four and sing a different part every 15 minutes, creating an original combination of fine dining and theatrical performance. The restaurant is upholstered in red and gold velvet and the walls are decorated with musical instruments and opera costumes.
Hotel de hielo, Kemi, Finland — ice restaurant
Perhaps, the most actual today gastronomic expierience can be considered a dinner in a real snow castle. This is the idea that enthusiasts from Finland came up with . The result of such a bold idea was a unique restaurant made of snow and ice, which is rebuilt every year at the end of January.
Visitors do not need to leave their coats and down jackets at the entrance, because the temperature in the room does not rise above -5°C. In the small resort town of Kemi at this time a lot of travelers come to visit. There are plenty of travelers who want to visit the original place, so make sure to reserve a table in advance.
From Helsinki to Kemi can be reached by car (almost 8 hours), by airplane (1.5 hours), the most economical and convenient option — by train (night trains with sleeping cars and platforms for cars are available, 8 hours on the road).
O.Noir Restaurant, Montreal, Canada — a blind lunch
The idea of dining in pitch darkness to heighten the senses of taste and smell has already gained popularity in major cities around the world. However, gourmets recognize this Montreal restaurant, opened in 2006, as one of the best "dark" establishments.
Guests are welcomed in a semi-dark room — here visitors have the opportunity to order from the menu. And also everyone turns off their phones and any lighting devices, because the next few hours will have to do without them. Those who managed to be there, claim that the experience is truly unique and will bring new value and colors to the usual meal. But it is not advisable to wear new clothes, as there is a chance of swiping past the mouth.
Ristorante Grotta Palazzese, Polignano-a-Mare, Italy — table above the sea
Speaking about the most beautiful restaurants in the world, this place is often mentioned. However, in this institution you can dine only in the warm season, since it accepts visitors only from May to October. Such restrictions are caused by the fact that the restaurant site is located in a limestone grotto above the sea.
The bonus to the amazing food here are equally amazing views: while dining, guests have the opportunity to watch the waves of the Adriatic from a height of 25 meters. The restaurant is part of the hotel complex of the same name, the rooms of which are also designed in "cave" style and all of them are panoramic.
Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland — on top of a mountain
And this Swiss restaurant boasts not only views (of which there are plenty), but also a fascinating history. Some of the key scenes of one of the Bond films, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), were filmed here.
It should be said that the owners of the restaurant use such an entertaining fact properly: not only "James Bond" champagne and several specialties of the same name are waiting for visitors here, but even a thematic interactive exhibition and a souvenir store. To the round rotating building of the institution, located on the top of the Schilthorn mountain, visitors are brought by a special cable car, and it is possible to ski down from the famous peak, because there are several tracks leading down from here.
From Geneva to the ski resort of Interlaken can be reached by train with a change in Bern in 3.5 hours. You can also book a cab transfer to the ski resort of Murren (3 hours and 15 minutes) or you can take the train first to Interlaken (2 hours).
Redwood Treehouse, Auckland, New Zealand — visiting birds
The country of amazing nature and luxurious beaches, New Zealand is extremely rich in the most original tourist lures. One of them, undoubtedly, can be called the Redwood Treehouse restaurant. Its visitors can not only spend an unusual meal in unity with nature, but also feel like children again, climbing into a cozy treehouse.
The facility is an unusual ellipsoidal room, arranged around a powerful perennial sequoia at a height of more than 10 meters. In the menu here you can find dishes from cuisines of different countries, but the wine list includes only "native" wines.
Waterfall Restaurant, San Pablo, Philippines — Lunch by the Waterfall
What do you think of the idea of rinsing your feet in the waters of a picturesque waterfall? Enterprising Filipinos thought that it will be to everyone's liking, so they organized such an institution at one of the resorts near San Pablo — "Villa Escudero".
The warm clear waters of the artificial Labassin waterfall massage the guests' feet while they taste simple local dishes sitting at bamboo tables. After enjoying your meal, you can go for a swim in the shallow waters at the foot of the falls.
From Manila to San Pablo is cheapest by bus (2 hours 40 minutes), but twice as fast by car.
