Sipping cocktails inside a grotto cave is some travelers' definition of an experience, while some tourists prefer exploring small towns. The truth is, everyone's definition of travel and vacation is different, so the travel itinerary of one traveler may not fulfill another tourist. Specifically, there are no doubt travelers who love hopping on a plane to enjoy new food and outlandishly unique vibes.
In response, restaurant owners worldwide created unique dining concepts with a bit of ingenuity, using the natural environment to craft an incredible culinary experience. Some of these restaurants incorporate the activity of nearby volcanoes, whether it's for preparing food or using their dramatic landscape as a beautiful backdrop!
8 Pizza Pacaya (San Vincente Pacaya, Guatemala)
- Address: Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala (contact restaurant for details)
Dining in an underwater restaurant in the Maldives is excellent, but Pizza Pacaya is pretty neat too! Pizza Pacaya's owner Mario David García Mansilla, takes tourists to the Pacaya Volcano, bringing with him ingredients for making pizza. Tourists can watch as the pizza cooks on top of the active volcano where temperatures can reach 1800 °F or 1000°C! Then, visitors can devour the fresh hot pie! There are no walls in this restaurant per se because Mario only offers this experience to those who book it in advance. He can be contacted on Pizza Pacaya's Facebook page or through Whatsapp.
7 El Diablo Restaurant (Teguise, Spain)
- Address: Montaña del Fuego, Carretera general Yaiza-Tinajo s/n, 35570, Las Palmas, Spain
El Diablo Restaurant is a favorite establishment amongst tourists, and for a good reason. Cooking food is done using nature's oven: an active volcano! Stacks of basalt rocks are layered to create a makeshift oven over an entrance to the volcano (dormant, of course). This oven generates heat that is hot enough to grill kabobs of meat. Located on Spain's Lanzarote Island, this restaurant also offers incredible views of the Timanfaya National Park.
6 Azores Essentials (Furnas, Azores, Portugal)
- Address: Rua das Caldeiras s/n, 9675-045 Furnas, Portugal
Self-proclaimed tea experts should travel to the Violet Volcanic Tea House in the Azores. Located in Furnas, this unique tea house sells a range of rare Azorean teas, including a variety made from local thermal waters! Less than 50kg of these specialty teas are produced every year, attracting the most ultimate gourmets. Visitors can savor and sip some Azorean tea and admire a view of the Caldeiras das Furnas.
5 Caldeiras e Vulcões (Furnas, Azores, Portugal)
- Address: R. Das Caldeiras nº 36, 9675-045 Furnas, Portugal
Caldeiras e Vulcões serves up an Azorean delight that any foodie tourist will appreciate: cozido da Furnas. Using steam from the nearby volcanic hot springs, cooks prepare rich stew with meat and vegetables. The stew is cooked over a long period inside a hole dug in the hot springs area. The result? A flavorful and comforting stew! Otherwise, non-meat eaters can enjoy their vegan or vegetarian rendition of the stew, using vegetables and beans. Caldeiras e Vulcões is also a great restaurant to try local ingredients, like local Furnas yam, blood sausage, or sweet bread!
4 Thrihnukagigur Volcano (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland)
- Address: Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
Lovers of fine dining and luxury travel can enjoy an elegant meal inside the Thrihnukagigur Volcano, offered by the Y.CO Yacht Charter Team. Guests will descend down an elevator, bringing 200 meters to the volcano. A local Icelandic chef will prepare an exquisite meal decorated with white table cloth and crystal glassware. While meals won't be cooked using a volcano, lucky diners can enjoy dining in the ambiance inside a dormant volcano. Otherwise, touring the Thrihnukagigur Volcano in Iceland with 3-H Travel's Inside The Volcano is an alternative option! While travelers may not necessarily eat food cooked using a volcano's heat, guests can indulge in traditional Icelandic meat (or vegetarian) soup after the excursion.
3 Restaurante Canto da Doca (Horta, Portugal)
- Address: Rua Nova, 9900-038 Horta, Portugal
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Restaurant Canta da Doca in Horta is not immediately nearby a volcano. However, guests who dine at the restaurant will prepare their own food using a lava stone slab. Choose from a variety of meat, seafood, and vegetables and enjoy cooking them on a hot piece of lava stone, complete with bread, butter, and an array of sauces!
2 Sirocco Milos (Milos, Greece)
- Address: Palaiohori, Milos, ZIP: 84801, Cyclades, Greece
Situated on the Paleohori beach lies Sirocco Milos. This restaurant serves an array of traditional Greek cuisine cooked in a wood-fired oven. The atmosphere is also excellent, as guests can dine while enjoying a stunning view of the coast. This restaurant also cooks various dishes using sand from the nearby beach. Due to the volcanic activity in Paliochori, the sands at the beach can reach 102°C! Therefore, the food is slow-cooked occasionally (like fish), for hours, sometimes overnight!
1 Blue Lagoon's LAVA Restaurant (Grindavík, Iceland)
- Address: Norðurljósavegur 9 240 Grindavík Iceland
Blue Lagoon is Iceland's most popular tourist attraction. Though its hot spring is manmade, the facility's volcanic area is not! When visiting the Blue Lagoon, travelers can treat themselves to fine dining at the Lava Restaurant. Volcanoes aren't used for cooking food here! Instead, diners can enjoy a menu of dishes with traditional Icelandic flare while admiring the dramatic hues of the surrounding lava cliff, which is over 800 years old!