The world's smallest bucket-list restaurants for unforgettable meals

Dinky dining

Bigger doesn't always mean better, and these tiny restaurants definitely prove that point. From a petite eatery wedged into an alleyway to high-end joints that only serve a handful of diners at a time, these spots are small in size but pack a mighty punch when it comes to food. Here, we take a look at some of the world's most terrific tiny restaurants, counting down to the smallest one of all.

Read on to discover the best tiny restaurants around the world.

We've based our ranking on the size and reputation of each restaurant, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

21. El Papagayo, Córdoba, Argentina

One of the biggest on our list, El Papagayo can host as many as 36 diners. However, it's still just eight-feet (2.5m) wide and 105-feet (32m) long, with a concrete wall on one side and exposed brick on the other. It's basically wedged into an alley between two buildings. The restaurant focuses on Mediterranean fare with Argentinian flare, and the compact kitchen sends out some spectacular dishes cooked on a charcoal grill and in wood-fired ovens. It's consistently rated among Córdoba's best restaurants.

20. Restaurant AM, Marseille, France

A relatively large group of 24 can indulge themselves at Alexandre Mazzia’s Restaurant AM, nestled unobtrusively on a residential street. The table everybody wants is the two-seater spot at the bar where you can see the magic happening in the kitchen. And it really is magic: Restaurant AM holds three Michelin stars for its exquisite cuisine and exceptional service.

19. Talula’s Table, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA

Market by day, restaurant by night, Talula's Table can squeeze in a maximum of 20 guests around its two tables. The Farm Table hosts between eight and 12 diners, while the Nook Table is aimed at groups between four and eight. The only way to dine is to enjoy Talula's seasonal eight-course taster menu, complete with cheese, coffee and dessert. You can choose to bring your own drink or go for a pairing.

18. Upstairs Pancake House, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Upstairs Pancake House takes cosy dining to the next level. The four-table restaurant is crammed into the first floor of a traditional Dutch rowhouse in Amsterdam. Head up a steep, narrow staircase and you'll find the most peculiar room decorated with a hundred hanging teapots and old paintings of Amsterdam. The food here is just as cosy as the interior – think sweet pancakes with apple, cinnamon and sugar or savoury ones topped with chicken ragout. Only 18 diners can enjoy their pancakes at a time.

17. Mr. Pollo, San Francisco, California, USA

Set up in an old chicken shack, Mr. Pollo is a restaurant like no other. With space for only about 12 diners, the spot is run by two chefs, serving a four-course tasting menu for $45 (£35). And while the space might be small, with the kitchen and dining room crammed together, the food is outstanding, especially the chicken-stuffed arepas. These crispy South America flatbreads are a regular fixture on the menu, which also includes dishes such as peach salad, seared tuna or scallops and big scoops of ice cream for dessert.

16. Sublimotion, Ibiza, Spain

Part restaurant, part visual experience, this restaurant entertains only a dozen guests per night. Part of Ibiza's Hard Rock Hotel, Sublimotion combines trippy projections with an exquisite 20-course dinner. Guests are transported to underwater worlds, deep space or even the circus while enjoying chef Paco Roncero's dishes, which have included deconstructed shrimp scampi and a vegetable garden with edible soil. The three-hour dinner experience normally gets booked out several months in advance.

15. Le Comptoir, Los Angeles, California, USA

Just a 10-seat counter awaits diners at the sleek Le Comptoir in Los Angeles. Michelin-starred chef Gary Menes prepares an exquisite eight-course tasting menu that focuses on vegetables, using seasonal ingredients sourced from the restaurant's own kitchen garden. And, while it might be a fine-dining restaurant, the chef insists on no white tablecloths or multiple sets of silverware – dining here is an intimate, up-close-and-personal affair.

14. Texas Tavern, Roanoke, Virginia, USA

A Roanoke landmark since the 1930s, this compact 10-seater diner attracts plenty of people with its burgers, hot dogs and egg sandwiches. This is despite the long lines of hungry people that often form due to the Texas Tavern's modest size. The diner even pokes fun at itself with the help of a sign that says it seats '1,000 people... 10 at a time'. Some people visit so often they can order in the lingo used by the short-order cooks.

13. Mesa 1, Punta de Mita, Mexico

There’s only one table at Mesa 1 in Mexico and one sitting per evening. The restaurant is located within the exclusive W Punta de Mita resort, and guests can book the table for up to 10 people to enjoy a customisable seven-course tasting menu. Those lucky enough to bag the exclusive table will enjoy a magical dinner under the stars. Situated at the centre of a lake, the table can only be accessed via stepping stones that disappear in the water, leaving an impression that the platform is floating.

12. Ultraviolet, Shanghai, China

At a secret location in China's biggest city, you'll find this concept restaurant serving just 10 guests a night. Ultraviolet in Shanghai combines its 20-course tasting menu with an impressive light show and projections, transporting diners between worlds and promising to tell a story across its dishes. The immersive and multi-sensory meal by chef Paul Pairet has been awarded three Michelin stars.

11. é by José Andrés, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

A tiny and exclusive restaurant-within-a-restaurant, é by José Andrés is like a fine-dining version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In fact, you'll only be admitted if you're in possession of a golden ticket. The nine-seat chef's table, serving avant-garde Spanish cuisine, is even located behind a secret door. Two nightly sittings are available – that is, if you can get a booking in the first place.

10. Hiden, Miami, Florida, USA

Quite literally hidden behind a secret door in a taco joint, Hiden serves up a high-end omakase menu, meaning that diners get whatever the chef is cooking. With space for just eight, the intimate restaurant flies in fresh fish from Japan twice a week and diners can watch as their meal is prepared right in front of their eyes.

9. Raita Noda, Sydney, Australia

Just eight seats fill this little restaurant in Sydney's Surry Hills. As is often the case with pint-size restaurants, there is no menu here, just the chef's omakase selection featuring 10 courses. All diners sit on bar stools along a countertop, perfect for observing the master at work. In the past, menus have included the likes of soft-shell crab tacos, Blue Mountain wagyu and scampi ceviche.

8. Robata Dining An, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Once a storage space, this Japanese restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City is notable not only for its food but also its setting. The ground floor of the spot features a traditional izakaya counter, where guests sit and watch the chefs prepare food. However, the first-floor dining space is no bigger than 39.8 square feet (3.7sqm). The room (pictured) features a single table facing a glass façade looking directly onto the street. There are bigger private function rooms available to book, but it's this snug dining space that makes it one of the littlest on our list.

7. Sushi Tetsu, London, England, UK

Tipped as one of London's hardest restaurant bookings to get, tiny Sushi Tetsu's seven seats hide behind an unassuming door along a passageway in central London. Easily among London's smallest restaurants, this sushi bar has no website, no Facebook page and typically bookings can only be made over the phone. But the effort is worth it, with happy diners raving about the food and the experience.

6. The Squeeze-In, Sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA

Though it's arguably more a fast-food joint than a restaurant, this Pennsylvania icon cannot be left ignored. Aptly named, The Squeeze-In serves some of the best hot dogs in the state in such a tiny place that diners literally have to squeeze in. Once you do manage to get a seat, there's a generous selection of dogs, from the Cubano and Reuben to the signature Squeeze Dog with relish, onion, sweet and hot chilli, sauerkraut and baked beans. Normally, only five customers at a time are let in, but takeout is available, too.

5. Holzknechthütte, Almdorf Seinerzeit, Austria

Hidden away in a former lumberjack hut in the Nock Mountains in Austria, Holzknechthütte (the Lumberjack Cottage) only has one table that can accommodate up to four diners. The hut offers panoramic views over the valley below, while the chef prepares a traditional Carinthian menu of several courses. Dishes range from meat roasted on a wood fire to fluffy Austrian pancakes for dessert.

4. Pegelhäuschen, Hamburg, Germany

This restaurant claims to be the smallest in the world... but so do quite a few others! This one is in a reconstructed water gauge house right above the river Elbe in Hamburg. Offering a private dinner setting for two to four people, the Pegelhäuschen serves a four-course set menu, including aperitif, wine, and coffee, with wonderful views of the river. The restaurant is part of a historic hotel with three other restaurants.

3. Solo Per Due, Vacone, Italy

As its name ('just for two') suggests, this restaurant only serves one table for two people. It's housed in a 19th-century building, and guests arrive via a candlelit driveway before sipping an aperitif in the garden. The cuisine is Italian and season-dependent, and the dinner takes place in an uber-romantic dining room right by a fireplace. Such an exclusive affair isn't easy on the wallet, though. The price for dinner is around €250 (£210/$270) per person, though guests can customise the menu, the music and even the flowers.

2. Warung Selasa, New York City, New York, USA

You'd be forgiven for thinking Indo Java is just an Indonesian grocery store on a busy street in Queens. But come here on a Tuesday and you might be among the lucky people to bag the only table for two at its storied Warung Selasa pop-up. The bright yellow table and black metal folding chairs are squeezed in between a freezer and a wall of instant noodles and only one dish is available on the day. The tiny pop-up restaurant has earned high praise from The New York Times.

1. Kuappi, Iisalmi, Finland

The square footage at this unusual spot – dubbed the world's smallest restaurant – might be minuscule, but those lucky to book it are treated to traditional and timeless Finnish fare. The menu could include dishes such as grilled local fish or hunter's bread, which is fried bread with a mushroom sauce topping. The charming lakeside restaurant is in Iisalmi, Finland, and is an extension of the neighbouring restaurant Olutmestari. Kuappi, meaning the closet, has just enough space for a table for two and one staff member.

Now discover the oldest photographs of diners that exist

Last updated by Luke Paton.