17-05-2025
5 Quirky Dining Experiences Luxury Travelers Are Booking In 2025
At Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, guests dine beneath circling sea creatures.
Culinary tourism is the leading driver of luxury travel for 2025, The Marriott International's Luxe Landscapes Report found. Similarly, Hilton revealed that half of global travelers book restaurant reservations before their flights, while nearly 1 in 5 will travel specifically to seek out new restaurants or culinary experiences.
This trend is something that luxury travel ecosystem, ASMALLWORLD, is witnessing firsthand across its portfolio. The company's partner business, The World's Finest Clubs, which provides priority access to a selection of premier international dining and nightlife venues, is seeing restaurant bookings overtake club bookings for the very first time, with 4 in 5 bookings being made outside the member's home city, while traveling.
Additionally, ASMALLWORLD Events, which hosts over 800 global gatherings for members each year, has recorded a 30% increase in culinary-themed event reservations in the past 3 years from members while traveling abroad—a further sign of growing demand for culinary experiences away from home.
But it's not just viral restaurants or typical fine dining that foodie travelers are seeking in 2025, but immersive, one-of-a-kind culinary adventures. Intrepid supper clubs are set to be one of the biggest travel trends of 2025, according to Conde Nast Traveller.
These dining experiences are centered around adventurous eating, bringing people together to explore bold, unusual or global cuisines, in quirky settings.
'While elegant dining still has its place, today's luxury travelers are building itineraries around unique, story-rich experiences that offer a sense of surprise and discovery,' says Zain Richardson, CEO of ASMALLWORLD. 'Whether it's dining beneath Arctic auroras or spearfishing their own dinner alongside conservationists, these travellers are in search of meaning and memories that linger long after the trip has ended.
'The most fascinating aspect is how these experiences are reshaping the geography of luxury foodie travel,' Richardson adds. 'A decade ago, a luxury hotel needed multiple world-class restaurants to compete. Today, one extraordinary dining concept can put an entire region on the map for our clientele."
For anyone looking for immersive, adventurous dining experiences this year, ASMALLWORLD has lined up 5 of the most intrepid for 2025.
Richardson says: 'Ithaa Undersea Restaurant offers an unforgettable dining experience five meters below the ocean's surface, where guests enjoy gourmet tasting menus surrounded by panoramic views of vibrant coral reefs and marine life.'
This intimate underwater venue creates a sensation of dining inside an aquarium, with schools of tropical fish and rays gliding overhead as you savor European cuisine with Maldivian influences.
'Giraffe Manor in Kenya is unique for its historic charm and the extraordinary opportunity to share breakfast with a resident herd of wild giraffes that poke their heads through the windows for treats,' says Richardson.
Gentle giants help guests finish their breakfast at Giraffe Manor.
Set in a 1930s manor house, guests can enjoy their morning coffee and pastries while these gentle giants participate in the experience.
'Kamatha Restaurant at Uga Ulagalla in Sri Lanka immerses diners in authentic royal recipes and traditional Sri Lankan cuisine, served in a pavilion set in the middle of a working rice paddy, with ingredients sourced from the estate's organic farm and local producers,' according to Richardson.
Kamatha Restaurant at Uga Ulagalla in Sri Lanka immerses diners in authentic royal recipes and traditional Sri Lankan cuisine.
This dining experience connects guests directly with Sri Lanka's agricultural heritage, allowing them to enjoy the rhythms of rural life while sampling dishes prepared according to centuries-old recipes from the island's royal courts.
'The Cruise Train Seven Stars in Kyushu, Japan, is one of the most unique dining journeys in the world,' Richardson says. 'Travelers move through scenic landscapes aboard an exclusive sleeper train, where Japanese and Western culinary traditions are served in exquisitely designed suites for just a handful of guests.'
The Cruise Train Seven Stars in Kyushu, Japan, is one of the most unique dining journeys in the world.
The train's dining car showcases seasonal ingredients from each region it passes through, prepared by master chefs in a tiny onboard kitchen. The experience is so coveted that guests need to enter a ballot just to try and secure a ticket.
'At Secret Bay in Dominica, the Lionfish catch & cook experience invites guests to sustainably spearfish invasive lionfish with local fishermen and then learn to prepare their fresh catch into a delicious meal, combining adventure, conservation, and culinary discovery,' Richardson says.
Guests enjoy an environmentally responsible dinner at Secret Bay.
This hands-on experience helps combat an environmental threat while teaching participants about sustainable fishing practices and Caribbean cooking techniques.
