The story
Sea Underwater Restaurant delivers international cuisine twenty feet beneath the Indian Ocean near Naifaru, where the kitchen prepares dishes centered on sustainable seafood and premium roe. Guests encounter fresh lobster ceviche dressed with mango and yuzu pearls, then finished with a precise spoonful of Royal caviar. The grill station handles Australian Wagyu sirloin, which arrives alongside green asparagus and a classic red wine reduction before receiving Imperial caviar. Even the sweet course follows this disciplined approach, pairing a bright mango crème brûlée with white chocolate sauce and a light dusting of Royal caviar.
Dining here means sitting nearly twenty feet below the surface with floor to ceiling glass panels framing every table. The space holds only a handful of seats so visitors maintain uninterrupted sightlines toward parrotfish, moray eels, and passing turtles. Natural ocean currents regulate the temperature and humidity around the room, keeping the climate steady without heavy mechanical systems. Forbes Travel Guide recognized the venue for 2026 precisely because this quiet immersion transforms standard international cooking into focused observations of marine life.
Visitors walk through one of the few underwater wine cellars before reaching the main dining area, where more than four hundred fifty labels age in naturally cooled conditions. A dedicated sommelier guides selections from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Napa vineyards, often matching bottles to the savory courses in ways that highlight specific tasting notes. The venue opens for adults only during most dinner services, though Monday and Thursday evenings welcome families alongside children. Private sunrise breakfasts also run here, allowing guests to watch reef fish feed while sipping coffee above the dark water line.
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An evening at Sea is like dining inside a private aquarium. Anantara Kihavah Maldives’ signature restaurant is nearly 20 feet below the ocean’s surface, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls that offer uninterrupted views of parrotfish, moray eels and even the occasional turtle drifting by.With just a handful of tables, the Maldives restaurant offers an intimate setting where every seat has a panoramic view of the reef. It’s quiet, serene and designed to make you feel immersed in the marine environment.Home to one of the world’s only underwater wine collections, Sea houses more than 450 labels, including rare vintages from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Napa. The temperature and humidity are naturally regulated by the surrounding ocean. Dishes aren’t just matched with wines, they’re enhanced by them, with a sommelier on hand to explain the aging process of bottles stored just inches from your table. The pairings often feature unexpected combinations that surprise and impress.For a special experience, you can book a private sunrise breakfast as reef fish begin their morning swim, or a candlelit dinner when the marine life glows in the filtered moonlight. Each time of day offers a different underwater ambiance.Sea touts itself as the first specialty caviar restaurant in the Maldives. Sustainably sourced caviar like Oscietra and Sevruga takes center stage in multi-course lunch and dinner menus, and there are à la carte options as well. Dishes include caviar-topped scallop tartare, roe-accented lobster with champagne mousse and even a mango crème brûlée with Royal caviar for dessert.
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