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Would you pay US$400 to eat under the sea? Inside Under, the world’s largest underwater restaurant, now open in Norway
Watch fish swim by through an 11-metre panoramic window while you dine – on seafood, naturally – at Under, the subaquatic eatery designed by architects Snøhetta and newly named one of the ‘World's Greatest Places’
Under, the world's largest underwater restaurant, opened this year in Norway – and just earned a spot on Time magazine’s top 100 World’s Greatest Places 2019 list.
The world’s largest underwater restaurant, in Norway, just earned a spot on Time magazine’s top 100 World’s Greatest Places 2019 list.
Under, which opened in March, is Europe's first underwater eatery. Designed by architects Snøhetta, the restaurant sits half-submerged in the sea and has 1-metre (3.28-feet) thick walls designed to withstand the area’s rugged climate.
Guests at Under can gaze at marine life through an 11-metre wide, 4-metre tall panoramic window in the dining room, which seats between 35 and 40 guests each night. Muted lighting was installed on the seabed so that guests can see the marine life in any weather.
The cuisine is, naturally, seafood. Danish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen creates locally sourced dishes that include cod, lobster, mussels and truffle kelp, which is a local type of seaweed that apparently tastes like truffles.
The restaurant recommends that guests allot more than three hours ‘to fully escape into our immersion menu’ … according to Forbes, a meal at Under can cost upwards of US$400
Take a look inside Under, the world's largest underwater restaurant. Photo: Ivar Kvaal
According to Arne Marthinsen, the project manager for Submar Group, which is responsible for the project's marine operations, Under is unique among other underwater structures.
“What makes it so complicated and unique is the fact that it isn't going to be a simple, concrete storage tank, but rather an amazing, unique experience for people due to the location, the architecture, the interior, the underwater view and of course the delicious cuisine,” Marthinsen said in a news release.
The restaurant is located at the southernmost tip of Norway, in the coastal village of Båly, in the Lindesnes region.
The 33.5-metre-long structure resembles a concrete tube that sits half-in and half-out of the sea. It rests on the seabed about 5 metres below the surface.
An aerial view of Under. Photo: André Martinsen
“In this building, you may find yourself underwater, over the seabed, between land and sea,” said architect Kjetil Trædal Thorsen in a press release. “This will offer you new perspectives and ways of seeing the world, both beyond and beneath the waterline.”
Under sits half-above, and half-below, the water’s surface. Photo: Inger Marie Grini/Bo Bedre Norge
Under has three levels that together span 495 square meters (5,300 square feet) – more than any other underwater restaurant in the world.
First guests encounter the entrance and wardrobe area.
Guests slowly descend below sea level. Photo: Ivar Kvaal
From there, guests descend to a champagne bar, which serves as the transition between the shore and the sea.
The champagne bar sits at the submarine threshold. Photo: Inger Marie Grini/Bo Bedre Norge
The lowest level is the dining room.
But meals are taken below water. Photo: Inger Marie Grini/Bo Bedre Norge
Guests will be able to watch sea life go by while they eat, through the 11-metre wide panoramic acrylic window.
Under’s USP is an 11-metre wide, panoramic underwater window. Photo: Ivar Kvaal
Muted lights installed in the seabed illuminate the water, and 380 LED lamps are installed on the ceiling panels to subtly light the dining room.
Subtle lighting illuminates the seabed and dining area alike. Photo: Ivar Kvaal
The restaurant recommends that guests allot more than three hours “to fully escape into our immersion menu”, according to its website. According to Forbes, a meal at Under can cost upwards of US$400.
Under serves locally sourced seafood, with meals costing upwards of US$400, according to Forbes.
Under was built above ground on a barge over a period of about six months. The structure was designed to be able to weather harsh conditions.
Under’s resilient structure was constructed above water, before being partially submerged. Photo: MIR and Snøhetta
“The first problem is water pressure, as we're five metres below the surface, but the biggest challenge is the waves,” Rune Grasdal, a senior architect at Snøhetta, told CNN.
“Wind and waves are extreme here,” Grasdal added. “To withstand all these forces, the building is slightly curved, so it can better take to the waves, and it's thick: 50cm for the concrete and about 30cm for the acrylic windows.”
After construction was completed on the barge, the structure was towed into position about 180 metres, lowered into the sea, and attached to a foundation on the ocean floor in July 2018.
The restaurant was purposefully placed in an area known to have harsh weather. Under’s walls were designed to withstand pressure and shock from the rugged sea conditions.
Stormy seas in Lindesnes, Norway. Photo: Shutterstock/sergioboccardo
“The most exciting experience will be visiting the restaurant during rough weather,” Grasdal told Forbes. “It will be fantastic to see the sea surface broken up by the big waves and the rain, making for a very dramatic view.”
Rough weather will offer the ‘most exciting’ time to visit, according to Under’s architects. Photo: Ivar Kvaal
Under will also function as a marine research centre, studying marine biology and fish behaviour through cameras and other tools installed on the restaurant's facade.
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This article originally appeared on Business Insider .