Nestled 18 feet beneath the icy North Sea, Under is Europe’s first and the world’s largest underwater restaurant. Housed in a striking, half-sunken structure that seems to have slipped off the rocky shore, it’s clear this is no ordinary dining experience. Inside, a 36-foot panoramic window offers a living, marine-themed view. Unsurprisingly, seafood leads the way on the One MICHELIN Starred menu.

To call Alchemist simply a restaurant doesn’t do it justice. It’s an immersive journey where Chef Rasmus Munk’s cuisine becomes a medium for art, science, and social reflection. Dinner unfolds like a performance, with masterful dishes served in acts across settings — from a dome to an operating room. Expect a thought-provoking experience exploring climate change, ethics, and human fragility. It’s a feast for all the senses — and the intellect.

There are many ways to describe the concept behind Eatrenalin, but “futuristic” might be the most fitting. Join the two-hour Eatrenalin Experience and float through themed worlds on moving chairs. In each room, guests sample aperitifs and inventive dishes featuring ingredients like aniseed, Kampot pepper, or moon shoots. The journey begins in the lounge and ends in style at the bar, with DJ music, Champagne, and cocktails.

Ibla — the picturesque historic center of Ragusa — is often photographed from above, but dining at the One MICHELIN Starred Locanda Don Serafino offers a fresh perspective on this storied Sicilian city: The restaurant is carved into a cave at the foot of the hillside on which the old town rests. Yet despite the dramatic setting, there’s nothing rustic about the experience. The service and tableware are refined, the atmosphere romantic, and the cuisine among the most exciting on the island.

Train travel was once synonymous with chic dining wagons. At El Vagón de Beni — a restaurant in two restored vintage carriages and a station platform near Madrid — it still is. The setting honors the golden age of locomotives, while the cuisine blends local and international recipes with modern flair. The intentionally short menu allows the kitchen to experiment with an ever-changing lineup of flavors.

Perched on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, Le Jules Verne is a feat of technical ingenuity. You experience the engineering marvel of Paris’ iconic tower up close, with stunning views from 380 feet above. Then comes the challenge of crafting One MICHELIN Starred fare in a compact kitchen. The result is an ever-evolving menu by Chef Frédéric Anton, showcasing creativity and seasonality at their finest.

Dining in a New York City subway station might sound unlikely, but Nōksu, a seafood-focused Koreatown restaurant by Chef Dae Kim, makes it thrilling. Hidden behind a code-locked door under Herald Square, it features a sleek black marble counter with front-row views of the chefs. Don’t miss the signature dry-aged squab, prepared table-side in a dramatic, Peking duck-style ritual — all set to the nostalgic sound of 1980s music.

In a city famed for its anything-is-possible spirit, Ossiano fits right in. At this Dubai hot spot, guests enjoy MICHELIN Starred cuisine while immersed in an extraordinary aquarium teeming with 65,000 marine animals — from sharks to stingrays — gliding by. The restaurant is housed within the aptly named Atlantis The Palm Hotel, and each dish on the 10-course tasting menu is inspired by a renowned ocean explorer.

It’s not every day you dine in a restaurant celebrated for both its menus and architecture. Jiwan, in Doha’s National Museum of Qatar, was named one of the World’s Most Beautiful Restaurants by UNESCO’s Prix Versailles. Designed by Koichi Takada Architects, the space draws inspiration from Qatar’s position between sea and desert, with over 4 million Swarovski crystals suspended from the ceiling in a shimmering, wave-like pattern.

At first glance, little suggests that Hajime Yoneda, chef-owner of the Three MICHELIN Starred HAJIME, was once a system engineer. Look closer, and his past reveals itself in the meticulous journey he crafts. Centered on “a dialogue with the Earth,” he interprets the seasons through story-like dishes. The house specialty, Chikyu — meaning “the Earth” — tells the tale of nature’s bounty shaped by the cycles of mountain and ocean, all on a single plate.

Shigetsu is as close as you can get to dining like a Buddhist monk in a World Heritage site. Located in Kyoto’s Tenryu-ji temple, it serves shojin ryori, a vegetarian cuisine rooted in Buddhist traditions. Diners kneel or sit cross-legged on tatami mats, with food presented on low tables. The serene setting reflects the meal’s deeper purpose: shojin ryori is believed to quiet worldly desires, cleanse the soul, and inspire spiritual awakening.

As you might expect from a restaurant in a heritage building in Guangzhou’s historic Dongshankou, Yong features a museum-worthy collection of ancient Chinese porcelain and utensils by local artisans. Enter through a stone archway and wooden door to find a gallery of artifacts. The dining room upstairs specializes in Sichuan cuisine, like handmade golden noodles in a rich broth of aged chicken, old duck, and ham — intensely flavored and truly classic.