Looking for the dining experience of a lifetime? Feast your eyes on these unique restaurants.
Unique restaurants are defined by distinct characteristics that cannot be replicated. Some of the prestigious restaurants on our list offer unmatched cuisine, atmosphere, and service, and many of them excel at all aspects. Some hold coveted awards, but all offer a one of a kind dining experience. These restaurants have a strict farm-to-table approach that rivals vertical supply chain integration and lean processes one would find in a Fortune 500 company. This list is a collection of unique restaurants that are equipped to offer the dining experience of a lifetime.
Tongabezi Lodge
Livingstone, Zambia
What makes Tongabezi Lodge so unique is its proximity to the Zambezi River. Guests have the option of dining at three locations, each offering a different ambiance from romantic to festive. Tongabezi Lodge is known for rejuvenating guests and reconnecting them with nature. Visitors can dig their toes into the rich soil of an onsite vegetable and herb garden or take a stroll through its fruit orchard. The onsite produce is used to create native inspired dishes that give visitors a taste of real Zambian cuisine.
Napa Valley Wine Train
Napa Valley, California
One feature that stands out, even among this list of unique restaurants, is this restaurant’s mobility. The Napa Valley Wine Train is not a stationary restaurant, but an actual moving train adorned with rich mahogany and glistening brass. Be prepared for a stimulating night. This unique restaurant offers a diverse range of dining experiences, from murder-mystery role playing to romantic private dinners. The train offers vantages of Napa’s rolling hills lined with grape vines as you enjoy a multi-course gourmet meal. The Pan Seared Pacific Halibut is especially succulent.
Zauo
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Teach a man to fish and he might be eating at Zauo. Customers are incentivized to catch their meal with a price discount. The floor plan for this Japanese restaurant includes a gigantic tank equipped for fishing. Guests rent a fishing pole and are given fishing bait to hook themselves a bite to eat. Zauo sets the bar high when it comes to fresh fish. After catching a flounder or red snapper, the fish is immediately brought to the kitchen for preparation. The fish can be grilled, fried, or turned into sushi at the customer’s request.
Namale Fiji
Savusavu, Fiji
Namale made the list of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2012 and earned a Reader’s Choice award from Conde Nast Traveler in 2017. This Fijian travel destination provides a five-star dining experience with an emphasis on ocean-to-table. Fresh-caught seafood is accompanied by produce straight from Namale’s private organic garden. And if that’s not enough, the scenery is breathtaking. The archipelagos of Fiji offer an unrivaled view of the crystal blue Pacific Ocean.
CAFÉ PUSHKIN
Moscow, Russia
When renowned chef Andrei Makhov joined Cafe Pushkin in 1991, he had one goal—create a legacy restaurant. The team is showing signs of long-lasting greatness after being in business for over two decades. The restaurant looks like a scene from a 19th century mystery novel. Dim lights, antique artifacts, and doddering bookshelves transport guests back in time for an aristocratic dining experience. Dishes of elk, quail, and wild boar all carry the essence of nobility and give guests a taste of upper-class gastronomy.
Redwoods Treehouse
Warkworth, New Zealand
If you fantasize of an enchanted treetop gathering, Redwoods Treehouse is your place. This makes the list of unique restaurants because of its one-of-a-kind design and marvelous location. Located in the forests north of Auckland, New Zealand, this pod shaped structure hangs 30 plus feet above the ground with nothing more than treetop walkway. An exemplary serving staff will cater to your every need, creating a fine dining experience or a casual hors d’oeuvres-and-drinks setting.
“We’ve had some fantastic events here, including launches for luxury cars, corporate dinners and events and numerous film crews for TV productions and advertisements. We’re so proud to have such a unique structure—it truly is one of a kind,” said Julie Harris, Manager of the Redwoods Treehouse.
De Kas
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Unique restaurants must have something to write home about and De Kas certainly does. Totally driven by the production of its organic garden and local suppliers, this Amsterdam-based restaurant focuses on simplistic individual courses. Led by a Michelin Star caliber chef Gert Jan, De Kas takes the farm-to-table mantra seriously—it serves guests in a 26-foot-tall greenhouse. If you are looking for an unbridled connection with the food you eat, De Kas is your place.
Arpège
Paris, France
Arpège is a restaurant with a rich story. Esteemed chef Alain Passard is the head chef and brain child behind this Paris-based restaurant, which earned its Michelin three-star status in 1996. Like other purists, Passard has a proprietary garden in order to control quality from seed to plate. To preserve an organic equilibrium, chickens, cows, and other farm animals roam the garden. Inspired by Bacchanalia, the decor was selected to visually represent some of Passard’s favorite music.
Piazza Duomo
Alba, Italy
Another one of our unique restaurants to reach Michelin three-star status is Piazza Duomo. Located in northern Italy, this restaurant creates a personalized dining experience for each guest, delivering on each individual preference. Owned by the Ceretto family and driven by head chef Enrico Crippa, Piazza Duomo encapsulates high-class Italian dining. What makes this restaurant so unique are its dishes—which have been designed to cause longing by giving the guest just a little less than would satisfy them—making the experience painfully good. Piazza Duomo is located in one of the only areas on earth to produce white truffles, an ingredient that can cost $10,000 per pound. This allows the restaurant to serve some of the world’s most in-demand dished with unmatched freshness.
Amber
Hong Kong, China
Run by Culinary Director Richard Ekkebus, Amber in Hong Kong offers sprawling ambiance. Floor-to-ceiling windows open up the floor to a panoramic view that showcases one of the world’s largest cities. Amber has been winning awards since 2009—most notably earning two Michelin stars and five stars from Forbes. Its pedigree is championed by a menu that’s refreshed every three weeks to take advantage of seasonal offerings from the north and south hemisphere. The menu includes delectable items like kristal schrenki caviar, ebisu oysters, and wagyu beef, and accompanied by a wine list that’s nothing short of cosmopolitan.
