The Weird Restaurants of the World

Forget comfort eating- for your next holiday visit one of the strangest restaurants in the world…

These days, more and more people are being drawn to unusual or alternative getaways. This is quite understandable. After all, why stay in a house when you can stay in a castle? Similarly, people may wish to find a more exciting dining experience…and luckily all around the world there are bizarre and wondrous establishments offering that very thing. Here are five examples…

The Ice Bar, Snow Village, Ylläsjärvi, Finland- the snow village in Finland is rebuilt every year in late November. Created in a slightly different shape from the year before it, the ‘village’ always includes a bar, hotel rooms and suites, impressive sculptures, and two restaurants; the Log Restaurant and the Ice Bar. For the purposes of this particular blog, the Ice Bar is one to visit. Furnished completely in ice, beautifully illuminated with colourful lights and candles and with a delicious menu of local cuisine, the Ice Bar is your chance to eat in an igloo; and how often do you get to say you’ve done that?

Yellow Treehouse Restaurant, Auckland, New Zealand– holding thirty guests, the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant in Auckland is a magical woodland dining retreat. Imagine taking an illuminate walk across a bridge in the midst of a forest, leading to a golden pod like wooden structure where you can enjoy a meal…finding it a bit tricky? If it strikes you as the stuff of dreams, perhaps you should visit this beautiful country and experience the magic for yourself.

Opaque, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, California. Opaque provides you with your chance to do something you’ve always wanted to do; that’s right- eat in the dark. With images of prodding the person next to you with a fork in a desperate attempt to find your risotto, this may sound strange…but give it a chance. Arguably, if you can’t see what you’re eating, all your other senses are open to a greater experience. With a delicious set menu and well trained blind staff, you will not be left in the dark- well, you will, but you know what I mean.

‘S Baggers, Nuremberg, Germany– S’ Baggers provides the diner with an odd automated restaurants system. You put your order in on a computer and wait for it to be delivered a few minutes later by strange rail and conveyer belt system. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, but a bit of fun, and you can pretend you live in the ‘future’ or ‘outer space’ for an hour or two- great for small and big kids alike.

Alux Caverna Restaurant Lounge, mexico- Perhaps the opposite of the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant, the Alux Lounge in Mexico takes you for a dining expedition underground. Explore the beautiful, cavernous interior of Alux, built into a naturally made cavern. Allowing you to explore nature unlike before, Alux offers a wide menu of both Mexican and international cuisine. So, if you’re planning to visit Mexico, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a meal amongst the stalactites.

All of these restaurants promise to provide you with more than a meal- they promise an unforgettable experience. So for your next holiday getaway, consider a once in a lifetime experience and have dinner in a cave, or a tree, or be fed by robots…the opportunities are endless.