From tranquil riverside bistros to mind-stilling underwater havens, these restaurants have transformed their watery surroundings into the ultimate dining stages
Picture tucking into a perfectly crisped sea bass while waves lap the shore just inches from your table. Or maybe you’re savouring a silky glass of red as schools of kaleidoscopic fish flit overhead, turning your meal into a subaquatic theatre. Around the world, a glut of world-class restaurants have taken ‘dinner with a view’ to new heights, harnessing the nearby waters to enhance every guest’s experience. 50 Best has scoured the world’s coastlines, lakes and rivers to find the most awe-inspiring waterside and underwater dining spots.
Ithaa, Rangalifinolhu, Maldives
@conrad_maldives
Part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Ithaa is a pioneer in the aquatic restaurant scene. Widely considered the world’s first underwater eatery, diners can eat, drink and gawp through sweeping curved glasses at oceanic wildlife while sitting five metres below the water’s surface. The menus are as impressive as the views – we’re talking saffron champagne risotto and Clos Sainte Hune – while its mid-morning cocktail list has become a favourite with guests.
Iris, Rosendal
@iristherestaurant
Part restaurant, part art installation, Iris opened in 2023 and has quickly become one of Norway’s most iconic destinations. Housed in a silver floating orb in Hardangerfjord, access is by electric boat, giving diners the opportunity to eat underwater, with a rooftop terrace that dishes up soul-stirring views of the surrounding mountains and placid waters. Nordic flavours dominate the menu, using local, oft-overlooked ingredients, such a lumpsucker fish, birch sap and reindeer tongue.
The Rock, Zanzibar
@ therockzanzibar
Perched on the shores of Zanzibar's Michamvi Pingwe Beach, The Rock is a dining destination straight out of a Daniel Defoe novel. At low tide, you can stroll right up to it; at high tide, a quick boat ride whisks you over the waves. The menu is a colourful blend of the region’s food traditions plus a splash of Italian flair, courtesy of co-founders Andrea Brunetti and Claudio Moras. Highlights include zesty fish carpaccio with coconut milk, lime, and fresh chili, and stewed rock lobster paired with couscous, greens, marinaded in locally grown ginger and lime.
Arctic Bath, Harads
@arcticbath_sweden
If you don’t mind a touch of cold, Arctic Bath is a magical place to lose track of time. Arctic Bath is far more than just a restaurant – it’s combines a spa, hotel and sauna, all designed to uplift and inspire guests in the frost-coated surroundings. From fresh honey and fish to hearty vegetables, artisanal breads, wild herbs, and berries plucked from the surrounding forest, the restaurant celebrates sustainable sourcing, with each dish a tribute to the flavours of the North.
Rem-Eiland, Amsterdam
@remeilandrestaurant
As far as origin stories go, it’s difficult to top the 80-foot-tall Rem-Eiland, which resembles a small-scale oil rig. Originally the home of TV North Sea – an offshore pirate radio and TV station that gave Dutch viewers their first ever taste of commercial television – this first iteration of Rem-Eiland was ultimately raided and shut down by the Netherlands Armed Forces in the 1960s. For a time, the structure was used by the Dutch government to measure sea temperature and salt concentration, but since being relocated to Amsterdam's harbour in 2011, it’s become one of Northern Europe’s most impressive, distinctive, and photographed restaurants, serving everything from bao buns and burrata to watermelon sashimi.
Ossiano, Dubai
@ossianodubai
Ossiano, found in Dubai’s iconic Atlantis The Palm and ranked No.3 on the Middle East & North Africa 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, offers a fine dining experience inspired not only by the ocean, but also by the culinary – and childhood – journeys of chef Gregoire Berger. The menu is, as expected, somewhat grand, with dishes such as Loch Fyne salmon with basil and asparagus, grilled tiger prawns, and ‘Atlantis’ beef tenderloin. Your table is set in the heart of a massive aquarium, home to around 65,000 marine animals, from sharks and stingrays to vividly coloured schools of fish: it’s part fine dining, part enthralling marine theatre.
Restaurant Meripaviljonki, Helsinki
@meripaviljonki
A floating restaurant in Helsinki, Meripaviljonki is deeply connected to the sea in both location and menu. Set on the serene waterfront area known locally as Säästöpankinranta, it dishes up sweeping, panoramic ocean views, as well a menu crafted to celebrate each season. Specialising in seafood, Meripaviljonki serves everything from Finnish pikeperch, shellfish, and lobster from its own tank, alongside select meat and, where at all possible, locally sourced vegetables. The restaurant was 10 years in the planning, and its jaw-dropping design is testament to the maxim that good things take time.
River Exe Café, Exmouth
@riverexe.cafe
The River Exe Café is seasonal, family and dog-friendly, open each year from April to the end of September. Housed atop a custom-built barge, the restaurant floats offshore in the Exe Estuary, giving guests brilliant views, as well as a diverse menu made up of locally sourced food and drink. The restaurant enjoys permissions from the UK’s federal environmental body Defra to have freshly caught fish delivered direct from local fishermen, meaning the catch never has to touch land. Committed to showcasing Devon’s very best produce, including hake, sirloin, shellfish, the River Exe Café proves that locally sourced, fresh food can enhance an already remarkable dining experience.
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