15 Dining Experiences So Unique, They Belong on Your 2025 Bucket List
Culinary tourism is booming! It was valued at $11.5 billion in 2023, and experts project a 20% annual growth through to 2030. When planning trips, travelers now factor in unforgettable sights in addition to unforgettable meals.
The dining experiences on our bucket list are designed to engage all five senses and make 2025 the year you eat like no one else.
Underwater Dining at S.E.A. Aquarium, Singapore
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At Resorts World Sentosa, you can savor sustainably sourced seafood while schools of fish glide by in surrounding acrylic pods. This immersive experience has earned raves for combining marine conservation with haute cuisine. In 2024, it topped Condé Nast Traveler’s list of best aquarium restaurants.
Dinner In The Sky, Global
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True to its name, this restaurant allows you to dine 150 feet above the ground in a crane-lifted table. The concept has been operating in over 60 countries for over a decade and reached its 200,000th guest in 2023. The experience is packed with adrenaline because you’re literally on edge.
Grotta Palazzese, Puglia (Italy)
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Dining inside an 18th-century sea cave carved out of limestone with waves crashing nearly at your feet? That’s Grotta Palazzese. It was awarded Italy’s Best Coastal Restaurant in 2022, and combines historic ambiance with seafood delicacies. The natural acoustics make yacht horns and tide murmur part of your soundtrack.
Ultraviolet, Shanghai (China)
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Ultraviolet by chef Paul Pairet offers dinner and a show. It has projected visuals, bespoke aromas, curated music, and 20 artfully plated courses for just ten guests per night. It claimed its third Michelin star in 2020. Food critics hail it as the first true multi-sensory restaurant experience on a global stage.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Maldives
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Ithaa Undersea Restaurant descends five meters beneath the Indian Ocean, so you can dine surrounded by coral and clear-water fish in glass-walled comfort. Ithaa, launched in 2005 at Conrad Rangali, was the world’s first undersea eatery. As of 2023, the BBC highlighted it as one of the world’s most Instagrammed ocean-side dining spots.
Labassin Waterfall Restaurant, Philippines
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The tables at Labassin are placed beneath a lush waterfall in an old estate just outside Manila. Established in the 2010s, it’s become a wedding photo favorite. In 2024, Tripadvisor ranked it #1 for dining with a unique setting in the Philippines. Check the waist-deep water before putting on your shoes.
Supperclub.Tube, London (UK)
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This former 1967 Tube car has Latin American tasting menus and cocktails in one compact retro space. They were featured by Time Out in 2023 as the top immersive dining concept in London, which sits inside Shoreditch’s immersive art scene.
Chillout Ice Lounge, Dubai (UAE)
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At –21 °C, this sculpted ice venue in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates offers daily reservations to sip cocktails from frozen glasses beneath dazzling LED-lit sculptures. It celebrates its 13th year in 2025 and remains a rare taste of Arctic ambiance in the desert.
Koral Restaurant, Bali (Indonesia)
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Apurva Kempinski is inside a transparent dome. You’ll dine with coral reefs and colorful fish as your backdrop. After opening in 2022, it quickly caught attention for its ocean-aware design and zero-plastic utensils. The seafood here is sourced directly from local Balinese fishermen.
Giraffe Manor Breakfast, Kenya
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This boutique hotel just outside Nairobi lets wild giraffes poke their long necks through windows during morning meals. It celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2023 and remains a refined spot where elegant breakfasts meet gentle giants.
Blackout Dining in the Dark (Multiple Cities)
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What makes this restaurant unique is the concept. In pitch black darkness, blind servers guide you through a surprise multi-course tasting. It was first launched in Europe, and the concept gained popularity in the U.S. around 2022 and entered five new markets, like Atlanta and Austin, by 2024. The sensory deprivation sharpens taste buds and sparks conversation.
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, San Francisco
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Open since 1945 inside the Fairmont Hotel, this tiki bar features an indoor lagoon, floating raft stage, periodic storms and thunder, and a menu of tropical drinks and Polynesian dishes. Celebrities like Anthony Bourdain praised it in 2017 as a rare surviving slice of immersive kitsch in U.S. hospitality.
Solo Per Due, Vacone (Italy)
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The name of this restaurant literally means “Only for Two,” and the concept revolves around the same. It’s cozy 400-square-foot dining room offers candlelit dining for couples with no strangers allowed. Reservations can be booked up to six months in advance. In 2024, Travel + Leisure named it Europe’s most romantic restaurant.
Lunch with Humpback Whales, Dominican Republic
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At the cliffside Amanera resort, seasonal whale migration (January–April) is part of the show. The raised restaurant overlooks whale breeding grounds, where 2,000–3,000 humpbacks pass during peak months. It was introduced in 2021, and the pairing of gastronomy and wildlife has made it a Wildlife Conservation Society–endorsed experience.
Treepod Dining at Soneva Kiri, Thailand
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In Thailand’s Koh Kood jungle, floating pods between trees offer a unique dining experience. Soneva Kiri’s Treepod dining, launched in 2023, features personalized service and Michelin-style tasting snacks. Lantern-lit paths guide you to your pod, where you can enjoy quiet, intimate meals with beautiful forest views.