13 Restaurants With Unique Underwater Views

Most restaurants promise a nice view, but a few take that idea considerably further. Imagine sitting down for dinner while reef fish swim past your table, sharks cruise through the water outside, or an entire aquarium becomes the backdrop for your meal. It’s certainly a different experience from requesting a window seat overlooking the parking lot.

A handful of restaurants around the world are actually located beneath the ocean’s surface, offering remarkable views of marine life in its natural environment. Others create a similar atmosphere using enormous aquariums, elaborate interiors, and dining rooms designed to make guests feel as though they’ve stepped underwater. Some are luxurious destinations where dinner costs several hundred dollars, while others are casual enough to enjoy with the family.

These 13 restaurants and dining venues demonstrate just how creative underwater-inspired dining can be. The collection includes genuine undersea restaurants, aquarium dining rooms, and a couple of historically significant attractions that have since closed or changed. We’ve also noted temporary closures and renovations where applicable, since there’s nothing quite like traveling halfway around the world only to discover your dinner reservation isn’t happening. Prices, opening schedules, and availability can change, so it’s always worth checking directly before making plans.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant – Maldives

There are oceanfront restaurants, and then there’s Ithaa Undersea Restaurant at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Opened in 2005, Ithaa became famous as the world’s first all-glass undersea restaurant, although its transparent structure is actually made using curved acrylic panels. The dining room sits approximately 16 feet beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, offering remarkable views of coral reefs and marine life through a transparent tunnel-like enclosure. With seating for only 14 guests, it’s about as far removed from a crowded restaurant as you can get. Instead of watching traffic pass outside the window, you’re watching tropical fish go about their day.

The restaurant offers carefully prepared tasting menus featuring ingredients such as Maldivian lobster, premium meats, and other international specialties. Guests can reserve lunch or dinner, with additional experiences available at certain times. Reservations are strongly recommended, and the experience comes with luxury-resort pricing. Of course, the real attraction isn’t necessarily what’s on your plate. It’s the opportunity to enjoy a meal while surrounded by the Indian Ocean without getting your feet wet. The resort also offers limited visiting opportunities for people who want to see the restaurant without committing to a full dining experience. For travelers visiting the Maldives, Ithaa remains one of the more unusual places to spend an afternoon or evening.

Under – Lindesnes, Norway

Norway’s coastline is spectacular enough without adding an underwater restaurant, but apparently somebody decided the view from above wasn’t quite sufficient. Located in Lindesnes, near the southern tip of Norway, Under is a remarkable structure designed by the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta. The building resembles an enormous concrete tube extending from the shoreline into the North Atlantic, with its dining room approximately 16 feet beneath the water. Unlike the transparent tunnels found at some tropical underwater restaurants, Under features a large panoramic window looking directly into the surrounding marine environment.

Opened in 2019, the restaurant has earned a Michelin star for its seasonal cooking and emphasis on ingredients from southern Norway. Guests can expect a tasting menu built around seafood and regional produce, although the exact selections change with the seasons. One of the more interesting aspects of Under is that the restaurant’s exterior was designed to encourage marine organisms to settle on its surface, gradually becoming part of the surrounding ecosystem. The restaurant has also supported marine research and observation. Naturally, the underwater scenery is very different from the tropical reefs of the Maldives. Instead of colorful coral gardens, diners may see cold-water fish, seaweed, and other North Atlantic marine life. It’s an unusual combination of fine dining, architecture, and environmental design that makes Under worth knowing about, even for travelers who have no immediate plans to visit Norway.

5.8 Undersea Restaurant – Maldives

If you’re wondering where the name comes from, 5.8 Undersea Restaurant doesn’t require much investigation. Located at Hurawalhi Island Resort in the Maldives, the restaurant sits approximately 5.8 meters, or 19 feet, beneath the ocean’s surface. Its curved glass walls and ceiling provide extraordinary views of the surrounding reef, making diners feel as though they’re sitting inside a giant underwater observation tunnel. The resort describes 5.8 as the world’s largest all-glass undersea restaurant, although it’s still a remarkably intimate space, accommodating no more than 20 guests at a time.

The restaurant specializes in multi-course tasting menus, with five-course lunches and seven-course dinners among its dining experiences. Menus change with seasonal ingredients and the chef’s selections, and options can be arranged for certain dietary preferences. Interestingly, guests staying at other resorts can also inquire about reservations, although transportation arrangements and additional costs may apply. The restaurant operates on a reservation-only basis, so visitors can’t simply wander downstairs for a quick look between meals. Given the limited seating and unusual location, advance planning is practically essential. It’s certainly not an everyday dining experience, but for travelers who have always wondered what it would be like to enjoy dinner surrounded by a living coral reef, 5.8 offers a pretty convincing answer.

Ossiano – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai has never been particularly shy about doing things on an enormous scale, and Ossiano at Atlantis, The Palm, certainly fits that reputation. The restaurant offers an elaborate fine-dining experience beside the resort’s enormous Ambassador Lagoon aquarium, home to thousands of marine animals. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow guests to watch sharks, rays, and other fish swimming past while enjoying a multi-course meal. Unlike restaurants built directly beneath the ocean, Ossiano is surrounded by a managed aquarium environment, but the effect is still extraordinary. It’s difficult to imagine paying much attention to the person across the table when a shark happens to be cruising past your shoulder.

Ossiano has earned a Michelin star for its contemporary cuisine, which emphasizes carefully prepared ingredients, creative presentations, and an elaborate tasting-menu experience. The resort currently advertises a nine-course menu priced at AED 1,350 per person before optional beverage pairings, although prices can change. One important consideration for travelers is availability. As of October 2026, the Michelin Guide and Dubai’s official tourism website list Ossiano as temporarily closed, even though Atlantis continues to publish dining information for the restaurant. Anyone interested in visiting should confirm reopening details directly with the resort before making plans. When operating, Ossiano offers a distinctive combination of theatrical dining and aquarium scenery, but it isn’t a restaurant where you should assume walk-in reservations are possible.

SEA Underwater Restaurant – Maldives

The Maldives apparently has a particular fondness for underwater dining, and SEA at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas is another example of just how elaborate these experiences can become. The restaurant sits beneath the ocean’s surface, surrounded by large windows that provide views of tropical fish, reef sharks, turtles, and other marine life. Rather than watching an aquarium constructed inside a resort, guests are observing the natural underwater environment of the surrounding Indian Ocean. It’s a setting that probably makes even a relatively ordinary lunch feel like something worth remembering.

SEA specializes in fine dining, with menus that include caviar, lobster, scallops, premium beef, and other carefully prepared dishes. One particularly unusual feature is its underwater wine cellar, which adds another layer of extravagance to an already unusual dining experience. The restaurant offers lunch and dinner, along with breakfast arrangements on request. However, there are restrictions worth understanding before booking. According to the resort’s published schedule, SEA is closed on Fridays, and dinner is generally adults-only except on Mondays and Thursdays. Menus and dining policies can change, so reservations should be arranged directly through the resort. For visitors willing to pay luxury-resort prices, SEA combines the atmosphere of an exclusive restaurant with the fascinating unpredictability of marine life swimming outside the windows.

L’Olivo at Al Mahara – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai’s Burj Al Arab has long been associated with extravagant accommodations and equally elaborate dining experiences. Among its most recognizable restaurants was Al Mahara, a dining room built around a large saltwater aquarium filled with colorful marine life. The setting created the illusion of dining beneath the ocean, although the restaurant itself was not actually underwater. Over the years, the venue underwent changes to its culinary identity, eventually operating as L’Olivo at Al Mahara, an Italian fine-dining restaurant associated with the acclaimed L’Olivo restaurant on the island of Capri.

Guests could enjoy refined Italian cooking while surrounded by the restaurant’s impressive aquarium, where fish moved past the dining room’s enormous windows. The unusual setting helped establish Al Mahara as one of Dubai’s recognizable luxury dining destinations. However, travelers should be aware that the restaurant is not currently available for reservations. According to the Michelin Guide, L’Olivo at Al Mahara is closed for refurbishment until late 2027, part of the broader restoration work affecting the Burj Al Arab. The historic dining room remains an interesting example of aquarium-inspired restaurant design, but anyone visiting Dubai in the meantime will need to look elsewhere for dinner. It’s a good reminder that even some of the world’s most famous dining experiences aren’t necessarily permanent fixtures.

Coral Reef Restaurant – Orlando, Florida

You don’t have to travel halfway around the world or book an expensive island resort to enjoy dinner with a view of marine life. Walt Disney World’s Coral Reef Restaurant, located inside EPCOT’s World Nature neighborhood, has offered a version of the experience for years. The restaurant overlooks the enormous aquarium inside The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion, allowing diners to watch fish, sea turtles, rays, and other animals while enjoying their meals. Unlike the underwater restaurants in the Maldives, Coral Reef isn’t beneath the ocean. Instead, the dining room is positioned beside one of the resort’s major aquarium exhibits.

The menu emphasizes American cuisine and seafood, with options designed to appeal to families and visitors spending the day at EPCOT. The restaurant is generally more approachable than the exclusive tasting-menu establishments found at luxury resorts, although guests still need valid theme park admission and should make advance dining reservations. There’s also an important temporary closure to consider. Disney announced that Coral Reef Restaurant would close for planned maintenance beginning September 8, 2026, with reopening expected later in the year. As of this update, visitors should check Disney’s official dining calendar for availability rather than assuming it’s accepting reservations. When open, Coral Reef offers an unusual opportunity to enjoy a meal beside an aquarium without requiring international travel, a boat ride, or a particularly adventurous spirit.

Restaurante Submarino – Valencia, Spain

Valencia’s Oceanogràfic is one of Europe’s most impressive aquarium attractions, and its Restaurante Submarino offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy a meal surrounded by marine life. Located within the City of Arts and Sciences complex, the restaurant features a distinctive dining room with a large aquarium surrounding its central space. According to the attraction, the aquatic exhibit contains more than 10,000 fish, creating the appearance of an underwater environment even though guests aren’t actually dining beneath the Mediterranean Sea.

The restaurant focuses on creative Mediterranean cuisine, with menus that change according to available ingredients and the kitchen’s current selections. Its modern design and unusual surroundings make it an appealing option for visitors interested in more than the aquarium’s regular attractions. One of the benefits of dining here is that it can be incorporated into a broader visit to Oceanogràfic, allowing travelers to explore the marine exhibits and then sit down for a meal without leaving the complex. Reservations and restaurant admission policies should be checked in advance, since access to certain dining experiences may be handled separately from general attraction tickets. For travelers visiting Valencia, Restaurante Submarino offers a distinctive combination of regional food, contemporary architecture, and an aquatic setting that feels considerably more elaborate than a typical museum cafe.

Atrium Bar and the Former AquaDom – Berlin, Germany

For years, visitors to Berlin could enjoy a drink beneath one of the most remarkable aquarium installations ever constructed. The AquaDom, located inside the former Radisson Blu Hotel, was a towering cylindrical aquarium that rose approximately 52 feet above the hotel’s atrium. Filled with roughly one million liters of saltwater and home to around 1,500 fish, it created an extraordinary backdrop for the surrounding lobby and bar. Guests could sit beneath the aquarium, look upward at the marine life, and watch fish swimming high above their heads. It was certainly a memorable feature, particularly considering the hotel was located in the middle of a major European city.

Unfortunately, that experience no longer exists. On December 16, 2022, the AquaDom ruptured, releasing an enormous volume of water into the hotel and surrounding area. Most of the aquarium’s fish were killed, and the incident caused extensive property damage. After more than two years of repairs and renovation, the hotel reopened in February 2025 as the Radisson Collection Hotel, Berlin. The former aquarium space has been replaced by a 24-meter-tall installation called the Living Tree, featuring thousands of plants. The Atrium Bar remains open, but guests now enjoy cocktails beneath a towering indoor garden rather than an aquarium. The original AquaDom remains an extraordinary piece of Berlin’s hospitality history, although anyone looking for the underwater view shown in older photographs will be disappointed to learn that it’s gone.

Subsix – Maldives

By this point, it’s probably safe to say that the Maldives has underwater dining figured out. Subsix, located at Niyama Private Islands, offers a slightly different experience from the more traditional fine-dining restaurants found elsewhere in the country. Guests reach the venue by speedboat before descending a staircase into a dining and entertainment space approximately 20 feet beneath the ocean’s surface. The interior features marine-inspired furnishings, elaborate lighting, and large windows overlooking the surrounding reef. It’s the sort of setting that makes you wonder whether you’ve entered a restaurant or wandered onto the set of an unusually expensive science-fiction movie.

Subsix specializes in Nikkei cuisine, combining Japanese and Peruvian culinary influences. The venue offers dining experiences that may include lunch, private celebrations, and special events, with occasional adults-only parties adding a more energetic atmosphere. Unlike a conventional restaurant operating on a predictable daily schedule, Subsix is influenced by weather conditions, seasonal demand, and the resort’s event calendar. The official resort website lists lunch service while noting that opening days and times are subject to change. Guests should therefore confirm availability and book in advance rather than assuming they can simply arrive whenever they’re hungry. What makes Subsix particularly memorable is the combination of an actual underwater location and an atmosphere that feels more playful than many luxury tasting-menu establishments. Dinner beneath the ocean is already unusual enough; adding music and elaborate marine-inspired interiors makes the experience even more distinctive.

The Cargo Hold – Durban, South Africa

Most restaurants don’t try to make diners feel as though they’re eating inside a shipwreck, but The Cargo Hold at Durban’s uShaka Marine World embraces the idea completely. Located within the attraction’s Phantom Ship, the restaurant combines nautical decor with views of a large shark aquarium. Guests can enjoy their meals while watching sharks and other marine animals move through the water beyond the dining room windows. Although the restaurant isn’t beneath the ocean, the combination of its shipwreck-inspired interior and aquarium surroundings creates a convincing underwater atmosphere.

The menu includes seafood, meat dishes, and other selections featuring ingredients and flavors associated with South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal region. One of the main attractions is the opportunity to reserve a table directly beside the shark tank, although those seats are understandably popular. According to the restaurant’s official reservation guidance, tank-side tables may need to be booked several weeks in advance, and specific seating preferences cannot always be guaranteed. The Cargo Hold generally serves lunch daily and dinner on selected evenings, with operating hours subject to seasonal changes. Visitors can also combine a meal with a broader day exploring uShaka Marine World, which offers additional aquarium exhibits and family attractions. For anyone who enjoys the idea of dining beside sharks but doesn’t necessarily want to spend luxury-resort prices, The Cargo Hold offers a memorable alternative.

Aquarium Restaurant – Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville isn’t exactly known for its oceanfront dining, which makes Aquarium Restaurant an especially unusual attraction. Located inside Opry Mills, rather than in downtown Nashville as sometimes reported, the restaurant features a massive 200,000-gallon aquarium surrounding much of the dining area. Guests can watch fish, sharks, and stingrays swim through the enormous tank while enjoying a meal. The experience is designed with families in mind, offering the atmosphere of an aquarium visit without requiring everyone to spend the afternoon wandering from exhibit to exhibit.

The menu includes seafood, steaks, chicken, desserts, and other familiar American restaurant selections, making it a practical option for groups with different tastes. The location also hosts special events, educational activities, and scheduled mermaid appearances that add another layer of entertainment for children. As with other aquarium restaurants, the fish are housed in a controlled exhibit rather than swimming in the open ocean, but that distinction probably won’t matter much to a child watching a shark pass the table during lunch. Nashville’s restaurant is part of a broader collection of aquarium-themed dining locations, including properties in Texas and Colorado. For visitors already exploring Opry Mills or nearby attractions, it offers an entertaining alternative to the usual shopping-center restaurant experience. Just don’t expect the photograph of seafood on your plate to be nearly as interesting as the animals swimming nearby.

Red Sea Star – Eilat, Israel (Permanently Closed)

Long before underwater restaurants became fashionable destinations in the Maldives, the Red Sea Star in Eilat, Israel, was demonstrating just how unusual the dining experience could be. Built during the 1990s near the Gulf of Aqaba, the restaurant featured a submerged dining room approximately 20 feet beneath the surface. Its distinctive star-shaped design included numerous windows that allowed guests to observe marine life surrounding the structure. The complex also included facilities above the water, connected to the shoreline by a walkway. At the time, it was one of the most ambitious attempts to combine restaurant dining with an actual underwater environment.

The Red Sea Star was especially notable for its unusual interior, which featured marine-inspired furnishings, curved architectural elements, and viewing windows positioned near individual tables. The surrounding reef environment was also part of the attraction, with efforts made to encourage coral growth in the area. Unfortunately, the restaurant’s story didn’t have a particularly successful ending. After operating for several years, the property underwent changes in use before eventually closing around 2012. It remains permanently closed and is not accessible as a dining destination today. Although visitors can no longer enjoy dinner beneath the Red Sea inside the structure, its design remains an interesting chapter in the history of underwater architecture. The Red Sea Star helped demonstrate what was possible long before the concept became associated with exclusive island resorts and elaborate luxury experiences.