The Self-Proclaimed World's Smallest Restaurant Is Tinier Than Most Bathrooms

When it comes to restaurants, bigger isn't always better. You can eat a perfectly nice meal at one of those extravagantly decorated Cheesecake Factory locations the size of airplane hangars, but it may feel unpleasantly impersonal. By the same token, a smaller restaurant can be quite cozy and welcoming even if there isn't quite so much elbow room. Consider Al's Breakfast, the Minnesota restaurant that's only 10 feet wide. But even that doesn't beat Kuappi, a Finnish restaurant which would make the most cramped bistro in Paris feel positively roomy.

The building that now houses Kuappi (Finnish for "closet") started life as a small cabin for people working on the Finnish railway. It was built in 1907 before being repurposed after the tracks it was constructed near were moved. Today, it serves as a restaurant even though it's a mere 26 square feet. The limited size means there's only enough room to fit a party of two along with a single waiter, but there is a patio with room for two more when the weather is nice. Because the restaurant is so small, it doesn't have its own kitchen; it gets its food from another, larger restaurant on the same property called Olutmestari. If you visit, you'll be able to enjoy an assortment of burgers and soups along with some seafood options, like pikeperch, thrown in.

Although Kuappi claims it's the smallest restaurant in the world on its website, it has some serious competition. (Surprisingly, the Guinness Book of World Records hasn't weighed in on the matter.) There's Solo Per Due, a restaurant in Vacone, Italy which is (as its name suggests) only for two. In a tiny yet lavishly appointed dining room, you and your dining partner can enjoy a four-course meal personalized to your culinary preferences with a full waitstaff ready to be summoned whenever you need them. (As you can imagine, this restaurant is not cheap.)

There's also the Pegelhäuschen (aka the Gauge House) in Hamburg, Germany. Originally built in 1880, the building now serves as a restaurant that seats a mere four diners who are treated to a four-course menu which is kept a surprise till you arrive (this one slightly more modestly priced compared to Solo Per Due, though Kuappi is the most affordable of the three). Of course, if you'd prefer more reasonably priced German food, you can always make sauerbraten with ginger snaps at home.