Small Restaurant: 7 of the World's Most Intimate Eateries

Looking for that intimate venue to cosy on up to that special person over an exclusive dinner?

Forget large impersonal eateries and try going bijoux with a small restaurant for that intimate dining experience to remember.

Check out our carefully curated list of venues below that'll take you around the globe, from Tokyo to Thailand, where you can dine at a snug sushi bar or even up a tree, as well as many other small and beautiful locations where food is king.

1) Solo per Due, Vacone, Italy (Main image)

It seems only fitting to begin with SOLO PER DUE - or "Just for Two" - claiming to be the smallest restaurant in the world there's only one table and only two diners can be seated at a time. Intimate dining at its finest. There are no queues, no turns, and no waiting as the only two people dining you'll have all the attention on you.

Solo Per Due
Via Villa di Orazio 02040 Vacone Rieti Tel: 0746 676873
website

2) The Araki, London

Two Michelin starred dining is promised in this intimate 9 seater sushi restaurant where diners can watch the Japanese sushi master Mitsuhiro Araki up close. The going rate for omakase is £300, or about $470 US.

The Araki
Unit 4, 12 New Burlington Street London W1S 3BH 020 7287 2481
Website

3) Four Seasons, Budapest, Hungary

Fancy hogging the limelight on your special night? Why not take your date to The Hungarian State Opera theatre where you can dine to the dulcet tones of a live orchestra in an empty 1,200 seater theatre. Prices start at approximately £60,000.

Four Seasons Hotel
Gresham Palace Budapest, Széchenyi István tér 5-6, 1051 Budapest
Website

4) e by Jose Andres, Las Vegas, USA

Experience exclusive dining at this intimate eight seater bar where a team of chefs will craft a bespoke menu which can exceed twenty courses. Esteemed chef and restaurateur José Andrés is behind the magic.

e by Jose Andres
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Website

5) Soneva Kiri,Tree top dining pod, Thailand

This restaurant also appeared in our unique restaurants guide for its exquisite bird's eye view of the coastline as you dine amongst the tree tops cocooned in your dining nest with acrobatic servers arriving by zipwire. Each cocoon takes a maximum of four diners so you're guaranteed a peaceful and unique dining experience.

Soneva Kiri
110 Moo 4, Koh Kood Sub-District, Koh Kood District, Trat 23000, Thailand
Website

6) Tsuta, Tokyo

This nine-seat neighborhood ramen joint is long considered one of the most exclusive reservations in Tokyo, and one of the first ramen restaurants to be awarded the coveted Michelin star. Be prepared for a wait, the queue is legendary.

Tsuta
1-14-1 Sugamo, Toshima-ku Tokyo
website

7) Faviken, Sweden

Set within a 20,000-acre hunting estate in Are in northern Sweden this intimate and isolated restaurant is currently #25 in the World's Best 50 Restaurants. Chef Magnus Nilsson serves rustic Scandanavian fare by candleight to 12 diners in a simplistic restaurant that resembles a wood cutter's shack. Diner's also stay the night as leaving at night isn't really an option.