As the number of high-rise buildings around the world grows, so too do the number of rooftop restaurants. And while they nearly all charge top rates to go with their sky-high views, if you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion, nothing beats a bird’s eye view.
Torre d’Alta Mar
Located 75 metres above ground at the top of a cable-car tower in Barcelona’s old port, this restaurant has been a tourist hot-spot since 2002. And though the funicular may be old (dating back to 1931), the restaurant is entirely modern, with a fresh monochrome décor that allows the backdrop to be your colourful focal point. To that end the 360-degree windows provide glorious views with a wide expanse of the Med on one side and a cityscape that stretches all the way to the Montserrat mountains on the other. Even the menu seems to indicate customers care more about the views than the food but there’s still still top-quality seafood here. Expect to pay in excess of 200 EUR per couple.
Port Vell, Barcelona (Spain)
Le Jules Verne
Named after the French poet, novelist and playwright, Le Jules Verne is a place that presidents, celebrities and an endless line of well-heeled tourists and locals have flocked to since 1983. Of course, it’s location 125 metres above Paris, on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, has been an important part of its attraction over these 37 years but with a new chef, Frédéric Anton, at the helm, the food is once again the primary draw. “I want Le Jules Verne to become a gastronomic destination before being considered a tourist destination,” he said at the restaurant’s re-opening in July, which revealed a sparkling new pared back interior by the Lebanese architect Aline Asmar d’Amman. A five-course dinner for two will set you back 450 EUR.
Eiffel Tower, Paris (France)
The Globe
Ignoring the fact its décor is on the heavy side, and probably in need of a refresh that replaces those swirly red carpets and rather corporate looking black leather chairs, The Globe is located in the spectacular golden sphere that tops the Norman Foster-designed Al Faisaliah Tower and therefore offers a unique perspective to take in the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula.The restaurant is open for lunch, tea and dinner every day but it’s the 200 USD-per-person, seven-course tasting menu that’ll have you coming back for more. Unusually, The Globe also has a cigar lounge to which you can retire after your meal should you want to forge an even more memorable experience high above the Kingdom’s capital.
Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
Skyrestaurant 634
Skyrestaurant 634 (or Musashi, for the Japanese reading of the number) is located in Skytree, a 634-metre high broadcasting and observation tower that ranks as the second tallest structure in the world, after the Burj Khalifa. But the restaurant is located in the first observatory, which means it’s more or less midway up the building, at 345 metres above ground, but that’s still more than high enough to make this the highest restaurant in Tokyo. The kitchen is run by the Michellin-starred chef Naoya Makimura who creates creative and exciting dishes with French and Japanese influences. A four-course Ike meal costs 110 USD per person, and a Miyabi (with an additional starter and a second dessert) another 60 USD more than that.
Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo (Japan)
WP24
Located on the 24th floor of the sleek, black, Ritz Carlton Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, WP24 is a quintessential Wolfgang Puck restaurant mixing a dramatic design, adaptive cooking, and a reliance on local chefs: Lee Hefter and David McIntyre. The food is mostly Chinese, though a Thai or Malaysian dish pops up now and again. And if you go with either a three- or a four-course prix fixe dinner (with several choices for each course and some optional side dishes), you’d better be prepared to part with around 220 USD per person. That’s a lot for Chinese food, we know, so if you don’t want to splurge then go with the à la carte menu, and that’ll also allow you to spend a little more on the delicious 16 USD-a-pop cocktails.
The Ritz-Carlton, Downtown LA (USA)
Hutong
This restaurant occupies the 33rd floor of the Shard, Europe’s tallest building, and is actually the London outpost of a revered restaurant of the same name in Hong Kong. With a décor that’s apparently reminiscent of the original, it features some dark-wood panelling lit with red lanterns, a quirky wishing tree festooned with desires hung up by punters and some smart-looking but remarkably uncomfortable chairs. It’s huge, with a bar on the east side of the building and a separate dining room, seating 130, on the west side, and expensive (expect to pay at least 150 USD a head) but their excellent food (a hybrid of Shandong seafood and Sichuan flavours) as well as top-notch service make it all worthwhile.
The Shard, Southwark, London (England)
At.Mosphere
Set 142 metres above the ground on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, At.Mosphere is the world’s highest restaurant. You get there by entering through the Armani Hotel, then taking two ear popping lifts up to the 123rd floor observation deck and finally descending a helical staircase. The restaurant was apparently designed to recall the Art Deco luxury of the S.S. Normandie – which explains the abundance of silk, velvet and leather, as well as highly polished mahogany covering the walls and ceilings – but we find the décor rather uninspiring. The food on the other hand is far better than you’d expect. Updated by the innovative British chef Christopher Graham, the seven-course tasting menu is delicious but costs 260 USD a head.
Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai (UAE)
