A cocktail lounge that’s as opulent as they come: floor-to-ceiling windows, buttery leather booths and a dramatic circular bar that positively twinkles after nightfall. Located in New York’s Meatpacking District inside The Standard, High Line hotel, the Top of the Standard restaurant bar sits on the 18th floor of the 57-foot (17m) tall building, with magical views over the city. Expect jazz music, a small-plate menu and speciality cocktails served to a sophisticated crowd.
Area 31 is on floor 16, not 31 of the Kimpton Epic hotel. It’s named after Fishing Area 31, the massive expanse of Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean waters from which the restaurant’s sustainable seafood is caught. Executive chef Wolfgang Birk's menu gets great reviews and includes ceviche to fresh catch of the day and Cuban mojo ribeye. Located on the edge of Miami’s trendy Brickell neighbourhood overlooking the Biscayne Bay, the hotel is 601 feet (183m) high.
This swanky open-air lounge bar is a favourite hangout among the Bollywood collective, and such a high-profile clientele only confirms the high-flying vibe of this Mumbai hotspot. But there’s no reason to feel intimidated. You’ll find AER on the 34th floor of the 492 foot (150m) Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai with its spectacular city views and white space-age furniture. The menu offers small plates and some delicious-sounding cocktails.
This infamous building called The Kehlsteinhaus (AKA The Eagle’s Nest) sits 6,017 feet (1,834m) high in the Bavarian Alps and was originally constructed as a 50th birthday present for Adolf Hitler. It was given back to the German government in 1960, and is now a cosy restaurant and beer garden. You access it by bus up an incredibly steep road, then an ornate lift whisks you the final 407 feet (124m) up the mountain.
Dinner inside the Eiffel Tower? How chic. Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse ran the kitchen here for over a decade before losing the tender in 2018. The restaurant reopened in 2019 with three-star chef Frédéric Anton at the helm. This is an unforgettable dining experience, boasting both a gourmet menu and stunning views across the city of light at 410 feet (125m) high. The tasting menu includes langoustine ravioli with truffle cream and sole fish with a Comté cheese crumb.
The Seventies-style glamour of New York’s only revolving rooftop restaurant is quite special. The View makes a 360-degree turn every hour, giving unrivalled views of the Big Apple. You’ll find it 48 stories high at the top of Midtown Manhattan’s New York Marriott Marquis hotel that stands at 574 feet (175m) high in Times Square. The menu is contemporary American cuisine made with fresh seasonal produce.
Open since 2012, this restaurant sits 40 stories above London's Liverpool Street at the top of the 755-foot (230m) Heron Tower. The signature dish is a confit duck leg sandwiched between a fresh waffle and a fried duck egg, drizzled with mustard maple syrup. Other menu delights include grilled octopus with chorizo, scallops with apple and puy lentils with miso. It's open 24/7, but don't miss the weekend brunch if you can get in.
This sophisticated cocktail bar and restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt is famous for its cameo in Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film Lost In Translation. Located in the high rise Shinjuku Park tower, which is Tokyo's second tallest building at 771 feet (235m), the bar plays live jazz every night to a sparkling view. Hungry? Treat yourself to a 1.6kg tomahawk steak or lobster mac 'n' cheese.
On level 57 of Marina Bay Sands hotel you’ll find Ce La Vi, an upscale restaurant serving contemporary twists on Asian cuisine. Order the signature dish to start: Hokkaido scallop and oyster ceviche, get some large plates to share, and you must try the mango passion bomb for dessert. With outposts in Dubai and Tokyo, expect a glam dinner crowd.
There’s no doubt Marina Bay Sands is one of the most striking buildings in the world, with a 115-foot (35m) long overhang suspended 649 feet (198m) above the ground. The hotel terrace SkyPark is the longest cantilevered observation deck in the world. At Lavo, an Italian-American restaurant on level 57, order dishes such as charred octopus and the signature meatball, and share the famous 20 layer chocolate cake as the city twinkles below.
For futuristic high-rise dining, head to downtown San Antonio, Texas and up the 750 foot (229m) Tower of the Americas. At the top there’s the Tower cafe and Bar 601, but the revolving Chart House Restaurant is the real draw. Enjoy delicious dishes such as slow roasted prime rib, coconut crunchy shrimp and black and blue mahi. The famous hot chocolate lava cake is also next level.
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An iconic restaurant offering Mediterranean-inspired dining way up high on the 63rd floor of the Lebua at State Tower hotel, which stands at 800 feet (244m) tall. It’s the world's highest al fresco restaurant and a hot spot in the city that attracts a stylish crowd. Enjoy stunning views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river at sunset with a glass of Lebua's own label wine from Italy and a caprese salad.
Elevate your dinner plans while down under at Melbourne's Eureka 89 – the southern hemisphere’s highest restaurant and bar. Located in the city’s 975 feet (297m) tall Eureka tower and perched on the bank of Melbourne’s Yarra River, it offers fine dining with fine 360-degree views of the city. The kitchen is led by award-winning executive chef, Renee Martillano, who has curated a menu focused on regional produce.
Sydney’s hottest restaurant at Sydney Tower (1,013 feet/309m) sits in the clouds at floor 81. The tower was the tallest building in Australia for more than 20 years, until the Q1 in the Gold Coast, Queensland overtook it in 2005. Here dining embodies quintessential Australian cuisine with a European edge. Head Chef Guillaume Gritteret's menu includes Pinnacle grass fed ribeye, roasted miso aubergine and knock out cheese boards. To infinity and beyond!
Book lunch at Sky Restaurant to really take in the views of Tokyo, 1,131 feet (345m) in the sky. The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in Japan and on a clear day you can see all the way to Mount Fuji. The kitchen serves up dishes using fresh, local, seasonal ingredients and at lunchtime you can look forward to dishes such as sea lettuce risotto truffle scent and Rotir Iwanaka pork with apple mousse.
The name, Ting, comes from the Chinese word for living room. It’s located on level 35 of the 1,017 feet (310m) tall The Shard, and inside London's Shangri-La hotel. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with menus inspired by various Asian cultures. But the Alpine afternoon tea is a real highlight. Enjoy baked scones, lobster rolls and pastries and cakes including Black Forest gâteau.
The novelty factor here is strong. Dine at 1,450 feet (442m) above ground on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building standing at a cool 2,717 feet high (828m) in downtown Dubai. But this fine-dining restaurant’s menu – international with a French riff – delivers on quality and innovation. Don’t expect a mediocre meal with this jaw-dropping view. Start with fresh oysters, follow with Canadian lobster or Australian T-bone steak and finish with the classic soufflé.
The Heavenly Jin, which sits on the 120th floor of the J Hotel Shanghai Tower, has been officially named the highest restaurant in a building, by Guinness World Records. It comes in at 1,825 feet (556m) above the ground. The restaurant features an open kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a 30m Italian mosaic tile mural depicting the Silk Road.
The CN Tower is Toronto’s most iconic landmark. Standing at 1,815 feet (553m), it was the tallest freestanding structure in the world from 1976 to 2007. The tower’s 335-foot (102m) antenna is used to broadcast television, radio, and mobile phone signals, but it’s also the most popular tourist attraction in the city thanks to the glass-floor observation deck and the thrilling Edge Walk that lets visitors walk outside the concrete structure. The restaurant has the highest wine cellar in the world at 1,151 feet (351m) and a magnificent revolving view of Toronto. The award-winning wine selection includes over 550 international and Canadian wines from its "cellar in the sky".
Walking into this upscale restaurant on the 95th floor of 875 Michigan Avenue, the elevator doors open to reveal the spectacular Chicago skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows and where the Windy City meets Lake Michigan, a thousand feet below. The building itself is 1,499 feet (457m) tall to its tip and the observation deck costs £18 ($24) just for entry. You’re much better off here, two floors above, enjoying cocktails and delicious seafood from the in-house raw bar or the mole braised short ribs and New York strip steak. The white and dark chocolate mousse cake is a must.
Expect high ceilings, opulent fountains, sparkling chandeliers and of course sweeping views of Hong Kong below. Tosca di Angelo restaurant sits on the 102nd floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel at 1,378 feet (420m) from the ground, making it one of the world's highest restaurants. The dinner tasting menu includes dishes like monkfish fillet with artichoke ragoût and blackberries, and pigeon and foie gras ballotine. The standards are just as high when it comes to desserts too: try the chestnut cake with mandarin coulis, honey and cardamon ice cream. The Ritz-Carlton also boasts one of the world's highest bars, Ozone, located on the 118th floor.
One World Trade Center, also known as Freedom Tower, is a focal point of Lower Manhattan and soars 102 stories into the sky – now the highest point in the city. Enjoy stunning 360-degree views from the 101st floor at One Dine while tucking into classics such as Atlantic salmon, lamb osso bucco and buttermilk fried calamari, all made with seasonal ingredients. The tower itself is 1,791 feet (546m) tall and the SkyPod elevators climb 102 stories in just 47 seconds.
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This high-altitude wood-decked restaurant is accessed by a funicular railway. At 9,948 feet (3,032m) above sea level, it promises incredible views and mountain fresh air. The menu comes courtesy of chef Jean-Michel Bouvier who uses local produce in his dishes typical of the Savoie region and cooked over a wood fire. Enjoy cheese boards, hearty fondue Savoyarde and la tartiflette with magnificent mountain views.
This location at the top of Mount Hua’s most remote southern peak, part of the Qinling mountain range just outside of Xi’an, China, takes high tea to the next level. Built inside a 1,000-year-old Taoist temple, this suspended tea house sits 7,087 feet (2,160m) above sea level and is accessed by a path known as the Heavenly Stairs. Be careful – it’s a steep and treacherous climb. At one point the steps vanish entirely leaving only narrow strips of wood to navigate, which then reduce to a couple of foot pegs and a chain. That doesn't stop one million people visiting every year. Look out for the porters carrying food and water up.
Allow us to introduce the highest revolving restaurant in the world at 11,482 feet (3,500m) above sea level. Allalin seats 200 people and is open from July until April each year. As mountain restaurants go, this is definitely in must-visit territory for the elevated views of mountain peaks alone. In one hour, the restaurant revolves a full 360-degrees. The food served is tasty and hearty: think burgers, meatballs, cheesy pasta dishes and thick potato-based soups. The special truffle mousse beef carpaccio is a real treat.
Take the eight minute gondola to the top of Sulphur mountain and enjoy a delicious meal 7,486 feet (2,281m) up surrounded by the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Sky Bistro offers a 360-degree view of six majestic mountain ranges and the Bow Valley. The menu is created in collaboration with local farmers, food suppliers and artisans in Western Canada. For something different try the herb gnocchi or foraged porridge as a main. Head out to the observation deck where you can walk to the highest point for stargazing after dinner.
The Alps offer an array of jaw-dropping dining options, but the impact achieved by architect Mario Botta’s Fiore di Pietra (Flower of Stone) is hard to beat. The landmark building’s octagonal concrete and glass structure is positioned near the 5,590-foot (1,704m) apex of Mount Generoso with panoramic views over Lake Lugano and mountain peaks. Chef Luca Bassan’s menu takes inspiration from the Alpine landscapes. Be sure to order the house-cured meats and mountain cheeses served alongside local honey and mustard.
This cosy European-inspired restaurant sits at 11,966 feet (3,647m) above sea level and is accessed by skiing in or via the heated custom built snowcoach, which runs after nightfall. It claims to be the highest elevation fine-dining restaurant in the US and is found tucked away in the Rocky Mountains. The food and wine is described as upscale Italian comfort food – just what you want on a ski holiday. Inside, expect stone floors, rustic furniture and a wood burning fireplace. The outdoor bar area is a lovely spot to bask in sunshine above sweeping views of Mount Wilson and the San Miguel mountain range.
Claiming the title of Europe’s highest mountain restaurant, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise sits at 12,740 feet (3,883m) above sea level with wraparound windows to ensure you won’t miss any of the stunning views of the Swiss Alps as you dine. It’s located next to the highest cable car station in Europe and you’ll be able to spot 14 glaciers and 38 different 4,000-metre peaks, including Mont Blanc, the Eiger, the Breithorn and Gran Paradiso. The nearby Glacier Palace ice cave, at 15 metres underground, is also well worth a visit once you're up there.
Can we twist your arm with a delicious lobster thermidor, fresh oysters and king prawns at the world's highest revolving restaurant in a building? Thought so. Dine at 1,387 feet (423m) on the 106th floor of the Canton building, the world's second tallest tower and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure. And it’s not just seafood on the menu. Tuck into a variety of Mediterranean and Chinese dishes with an incredible view of the city.