A holiday to The Maldives is an exotic experience in itself. What makes this vacation even more unique is the activities you plan here and the resorts you choose to stay in. When it comes to dining, the underwater restaurants in Maldives are your answer to the ultimate opulence you are looking for.
Restaurants that Sit Underwater in The Maldives
Underwater restaurants are available only on some of the private islands in The Maldives. While new names come up on the travel map of this archipelago every few years, the undersea restaurants you can visit in the present times include the following:
Minus Six Meters
Also known as M6m, Minus Six Meters is a super-specialty restaurant at Ozen Life Maadhoo that is built 6 meters underwater. Open only during lunch and dinner, this underwater restaurant only allows guests who are 12 years of age and older for dinners while everyone is allowed for lunches. Marketed as an adults-only romantic restaurant, Minus Six Meters lets children in only on certain special days.
However, parents need not worry about leaving their little ones alone while they relish their “us” time. The kids can be sent off to the resort’s kids’ club for some age-appropriate snacks. Before you enter the underwater restaurant, you can begin your dining experience at the M6m Lounge which is located upstairs. Pop open a bottle of champagne to pair with some exquisite caviar to work up your appetite before descending underwater for the dinner.
Known for its seafood and wine pairings, Minus Six Meters will dazzle your eyes with its aquarium-like walls which look out to the infinite ocean. Gaze at colonies of corals that peek out of the endless turquoise as you take your time to read through the curated menu.
For appetizers, choose from scallops served with fregola pasta and tomatoes along with smoked aioli and squid ink coral tuile or cured Scottish salmon cannelloni with green asparagus served with melba and egg yolk. Eat your butternut and ginger soup with Alaskan crab and bonito flakes topped with micro herbs.
For mains, you may choose between toothfish and rainbow cauliflower served with babaganoush and black sesame and miso sponge saffron emulsion or lobster and purple potato mash with rainbow carrot and basil volute topped with squid ink sago cracker. End your meal with your choice of dessert from chocolate raspberry dome with passion fruit cremeux, brown sugar streusel and toasted hazelnut or coconut mango dacquoise with raspberry jelly, blueberry cremeux and strawberry.
Only BLU
A 15-minute speedboat ride away from Malé – the capital city of The Maldives, Only BLU is an under-ocean restaurant by the Oblu Select group of resorts. If you are staying at Oblu Select Lobigili, do not miss the chance to see the largest underwater restaurant in this country!
Only BLU is built 6.8 meters below sea level and offers a chance to see the native marine life while dining at your table. This specialty restaurant is only open for dinners between 7 PM and 10 PM. One of the few undersea restaurants that offer an option for vegetarians also, this restaurant specializes in seafood, poultry, meat and fish. Red and white wine pairings are also suggested.
You will be served canapés and sparkling wine as soon as you enter Only BLU. You will have the option to savor dishes such as guinea fowl ballotine with foie gras and wild mushroom emulsion along with spinach, potato pave and young root vegetables tossed in butter.
Also on the menu is panko and sesame crusted tofu with enoki mushroom, tossed greens and scallion. Fish lovers can look forward to the Maldivian yellow fin tuna poke with Peruvian avocado, edamame, Spanish onion and mango. Thanks to the discreet service policy, you will not be disturbed by the wait staff. Your meal will be served as a food tower on wooden stands (rantangs).
H2O
20 minutes away from Malé – the world’s smallest capital, H2O by Chef Andrea Berton is the underwater restaurant at You & Me – an all-inclusive resort in Raa Atoll. This fully-submerged restaurant offers a 360-degree view of a part of the Indian Ocean right from your dining table. Dining at this premium restaurant comes at a steep price of USD 225 per person without drinks.
H2O has a vegetarian selection alongside their regular menu. Vegetarians can dine on green papaya honeyed Thai edamame for starters and grilled tofu with platano and parsley Greek yogurt for mains. If you are a lover of seafood, dig into their appetizers such as chickpea potage simmered in king prawn bouillon or plateau royal de fruits de mer plancton flavored with lemongrass. Mains consist of sea bass with smoked green pea foam and truffle carnaroli risotto with Maldivian lobster tartare. There is a lot more that you can select from the a la carte menu of this restaurant in the Cocoon Collection resort.
The restaurant is designed in such a way that you always face the ocean, having your partner by your side. Perfect for dates, H2O only has tables for two.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Located 5 meters below sea level, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant is a part of Conrad Rangali – one of the 5-star resorts in The Maldives. Notable for being the first undersea restaurant on the planet, Ithaa has a semi-cylindrical shape with seamless windows and roof. This magical restaurant is designed for couples who like to look at coral gardens while they eat.
At Ithaa, you can have mid-morning cocktails, lunches and dinners. The set menus boast of fusion cuisine that can be paired with fine wines. If you have a group event in mind, you can also pre-book the entire restaurant for special occasions such as weddings or just private dining. The décor flaunts minimalism with a table lamp to illuminate the food before you.
If you reserve a table here for dinner, you must follow the dress code of ‘island chic’. While people of all ages are welcome for lunches, dinners are exclusive to adults only. Ithaa can be visited from 11 AM to 12 noon for cocktails, but lunch and dinner slots are at 12:30 PM and 6:30 PM or 8 PM only.
Expect to have an aperitif of oscietra caviar with dill sour cream and lemongrass blinis. Cleanse your palate with an amuse bouche of foie gras and truffle dumpling with cucumber and green grape consommé. Appetizers have blackened scallops with beetroot, green peas, plantain chips and egg gravlax.
For entrée, expect reef lobster stuffed calamarata pasta with burrata and lemongrass veloute. A palate cleanser of green apple and ginger sorbet later, enjoy the mains – coconut crusted tagine with curry bisque, steamed sea beans and spicy sea snails or sous vide wagyu beef tenderloin with prawn ragout, squid ink and celery root puree, charcoaled shallots and black garlic. Finally, end your meal with a dessert of Bolivian cru sauvage chocolate and kaffir lime panna cotta with coconut sorbet and aerated chocolate.
Sea
The underwater restaurant of Anantara Kihavah, Sea has its own first to show off. This is the first restaurant in The Maldives to have an underwater wine cellar. When you sit at this restaurant, you have the chance to watch tropical fish, turtles and even sharks swim past.
Sea is open from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM for breakfast, but upon request only. Lunch time is from 12 noon to 2 PM while dinner is served between 7 PM and 10 PM. One of the highlights of their menu is a lobster salad of soft poached Maldivian lobster with water lily roots, young coconut, pomelo, citrus fruit and coriander lime dressing.
If you like fish, watch out for their sea bass and Scottish salmon specialities. Dessert options include chocolate bomb explosion. Their impressive wine collection includes reds, whites, champagnes, sparkling wines, rose wines, dessert wines and even fortified wines.
If you are a teetotaller, look into their non-alcoholic wine selection. Some of their drinks are also halal. There are several limited edition bottles, vintage ones and even those with 24-carat gold. You will not miss the wine regions of France, Italy, USA, Germany, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa or Spain when you sit down to sip on some bubbly at Sea.
Swirl, sniff and sip on chardonnays, merlots, bruts, proseccos, moscatos, malbecs, cabernet sauvignons, pinot noirs and more. If you cannot tolerate bold flavors or acidic notes, go for one of their port wines which are better suited to newer palates. For those following Jewish traditions, even kosher wines are available here from France, Spain and South Africa.
5.8 Undersea Restaurant
Whether you stay at the Hurawalhi Maldives or not, you must certainly visit their 5.8 Undersea Restaurant. Constructed 5.8 meters below sea level, this underwater restaurant claims to be the largest all-glass undersea restaurant in the world. This award-winning restaurant offers a multi-course tasting menu and has an intimate setting that can accommodate only 10 couples at a time.
There are only two sittings for lunch here at 12 noon and 2 PM and only one for dinner at 6 PM. You may request for a private champagne breakfast though. This is a barefoot restaurant and you will be asked to take off any footwear before entering 5.8. Do remember to follow the smart casual dress code though. Only those with a reservation may enter the restaurant, so you cannot just casually stroll in to have a look unless you will be dining here by appointment.
Their lunch and dinner menus include options for vegans and those who would prefer to avoid seafood. For those who wish to experience the classic flavors, there is a 5-course lunch and a 7-course dinner. The vegan lunch menu includes raw king brown and Paris mushrooms, green apple cannelloni, raw celeriac ribbons and fermented aubergine or truffle roasted butternut risotto. You will get a caramelized burnt poached peach for dessert. The dinner menu has an additional item – mushroom tortellini.
The seafood-free lunch menu offers foie gras terrine, Miyazaki wagyu cannelloni, raw celeriac ribbons and quail or margra lamb saddle. The dessert is a golden gem. The classic seafood lunch has steamed Alaska king crab, Maldivian yellow fin tuna tartar, Glacier 51 Patagonian toothfish and Canadian lobster or wagyu beef tenderloin and wagyu cheek along with dessert. The 7-course classic seafood dinner additionally has a Hokkaido scallop.
Subsix
You will need a speedboat ride just to get to this restaurant. Niyama’s Subsix is an underwater restaurant in Maldives that not only offers breakfasts, lunches and dinners but also organizes adults-only glow parties. Entry to this exclusive restaurant is weather-dependent as it cannot always be operational in rough weather conditions.
Subsix offers some of the most dramatic decors with its capiz shells hanging from the ceiling, a clam-inspired bar, coral-like abstract shaped chandeliers and anemone-style chairs. You can enter this restaurant after walking down a three-tiered staircase.
If you are arriving with your children, their kids’ menu offers Vitaveggie soup, vegetable crudités with cream cheese dip and chicken and avocado and honey glaze ham with tomato and burrata cheese for starters. Mains have options that range from mac and cheese to churros, rigatoni Bolognese to scampi and chips and aquarello risotto to oats chicken. Round out the meal with a frozen virgin margherita and a sundae.
If you attend the glow party, be sure to try the special cocktails such as blood orange mimosa, Paloma, coral sour and white sand sangria. Subsix’s signature cocktails include deepwater daiquiri, bloody cosmo, Akira, kerb crawler and sounds of savory. Please note that some of the drinks contain raw eggs. You can also taste flaming cocktails here such as blazing saddle, threesome, Route 66, flaming hot stuff and the black stripe.
If these underwater restaurants in Maldives are not reason enough to entice you to visit this Asian island country, there are a multitude of other reasons that will convince you to book your tickets to this earthly paradise. Get in touch with Samudra Maldives to plan your annual getaway to these gorgeous islands and discover a whole new world.
