Cave Dining

It wasn’t long ago the most coveted dinner reservation came with a distinct vantage point and sky-high features. High altitude and rooftop restaurants once towered over the dining scene around the world, but the trend rising to new heights today is actually sinking to new lows as diners head underground for their gastronomic experiences.

Cave dining has been around for centuries, but only recently has the trend really begun to sink in with travelers. In fact, one of the world’s top cave restaurants, Peklo in Prague, dates back to the early 12^th century when the underground cavern was used to store wine for King Charles IV, but only recently has the restaurant attracted big names like Timothy Dalton, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, all of whom opted for their wine served cellar-side.

Here are a few of the hottest cave restaurants around the world:

Grotta Palazzese

This iconic restaurant has taken over social media sites as one of the top places to dine in your lifetime, but make sure to make reservations as the Grotta is only open during the summer months while the vaulted limestone is in its prime for letting in the warm sea breeze in this southern Italian spot.

Peklo

Located in a former 12^th-century wine cellar deep beneath layers of dense earth and directly below the original site of King Charles IV’s Paradise vineyards, Peklo (which translates to “Inferno”) has become one of the most sought after dinner reservations in Prague. Don’t miss their amazing selection of Morovian wines.

The Cave Restaurant and Resort

Richland, Mo., may be the last place you’d think to search beneath ground for your meal, but that’s exactly the attraction to the Cave Restaurant. A shuttle brings guests to this remote location where a feast of American and Italian food awaits. Up for a challenge? Consume the restaurant’s famous Stalegmite meal in less than 30 minutes and it’s free.