Europe’s first underwater restaurant — and the world’s largest— just opened in Norway.
Designed by Snøhetta, “Under” sits half-submerged into the sea and has three-foot thick walls designed to withstand the area’s rugged seas.
Guests at Under can gaze at marine life through a 36- x 13-foot 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 conditions.
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 cuisine is, of course, seafood. Danish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen will create locally sourced dishes that include cod, lobster, mussels, and truffle kelp, which is a local type of seaweed that apparently tastes like truffles.
