High Tea at At.mosphere : Pinkies Up Y’all

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When you think of Dubai, getting high tea may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But maybe it should be. There are a ton of great places, but today I’m talking specifically about the high tea at At.mosphere, housed at the top of the Burj Khalifa which makes it the most tallest restaurant IN THE WORLD. 

So, technically, the HIGHEST high tea you can ever achieve. 

I see what you did there Dubai. 

I mean, what’s the point of having anything at all if it isn’t the biggest, tallest, longest, or most expensive? You have a point there. I love tea, and I love tiny sandwiches. So, by default, I’m in. But as with a lot of things in the UAE – is it worth it? 

WELL LUCKY FOR YOU I SPENT MY COINS TO FIND OUT FOR YOU! 

What is high tea?

But like, first of all, what even is high tea?? If you’re not a huge tea nerd, you might just be envisioning a bunch of people…drinking tea. That’s…essentially the gist of it.

But if you want to know a bit of the background, the concept of high tea (or rather AFTERNOON tea, but I’ll get to that later), dates all the way back to England in the 1840s. No surprise. 

The Duchess of Bedford, like most logical people in the world, wanted a small bite between lunch and dinner. Classy Americans would just call that linner and stuff a bag of hot Cheetos in their mouths, but the Duchess had another idea. 

She began inviting over other high-class friends and royals to socialize over an afternoon tea and snack session. And by snacks, they were like fancy crustless sandwiches and light desserts. Unfortunately, not Cheetos. Soon, that grew into a popular time for the wealthy class to gather and gossip. Back then, it was actually called “low tea,” since they drove around in low riders as they sipped on tea sizzurp. 

Kidding. It was because they were seated on comfortable sofas in the lounge parlor with low coffee tables or something. 

The term high tea was actually used for the working and lower class. Whenever they would get off work, between 5 pm and 7 pm, they would have tea and a hearty supper of potatoes and meat. And they sat at the high dining tables so…boom, the named seemed fitting at the time.

Then why is everyone running around calling it high tea??

BECAUSE IT SOUNDS FANCIER. 

That’s literally the reason. 

The Basics

I visited the UAE in early November, which I believeeee is the shoulder season and not yet the busy tourist months. During my timeslot, only about half of the tables were occupied in the restaurant. Still, I would recommend booking a reservation in advance. 

Making reservations!

Since the restaurant is in the Burj Khalifa, it’s convenient to make your reservations for a day when you plan on visiting the Dubai Mall! They’re right next to each other.

That said, your high tea reservation DOES NOT grant you access to the Burj Khalifa observation deck. And vise versa, if you have a ticket to the observation deck, you cannot pop over to the restaurant to check it out. You actually have to take an entirely different elevator!

Timeslots!

The restaurant is divided into two sections: the more formal restaurant, and the lounge. High Tea at At.mosphere is seated in the lounge part, and the hours are between 12 pm and 4:30 pm. The timeslots are in 30 minute increments, 12:30; 13:00; 13:30; 14:00 and 14.30.

To make a reservation, it’s as simple as filling out the little reservation form on At.mosphere website. Or if you are so inclined, you can also make reservations over the phone. I just did it online in like 5 seconds. There are even options to select a special occasion so that the staff can make your experience as personalized as possible!

Once you make the reservation, they’ll send you an email confirmation and everything!

For high tea, there are no toddlers allowed! The minimum age requirement for the lounge is 6 years old between 12 pm and 5 pm.

Costs!

It ain’t cheap.

The cheapest table starts at AED 430 (~ $117 USD) per person. That is for a non-window table. The bill can climb with add-ons from the a la carte menu, or with additional alcohol orders (there was 1 complimentary glass of either wine or champagne per person). If you want a window table, prices start at AED 503 (~ $137 USD).

RECOMMENDATION: Be sure to request a window seat! It’s a little more expensive, but trust me – it’s sooo worth it! I mean, you came for the view, right??

Dress Code!

I know I said there’s no official dress code for Dubai in general, but there IS one for High Tea at At.mosphere. In fact, for the entire establishment, the dress code is smart casual (for the lounge) to elegant (for the restaurant). If you have doubts, aim up just to be sure. No sneakers, T-Shirts, shorts, open toed shoes (for men) or flip flops, baseball caps, or sports wear.

How to find it

I know, it’s in the Burj Khalifa. It SHOULD be pretty easy to find. Right? 

A Note: There is NO direct access to At.mosphere from the Dubai Mall. You must enter and exit through the Armani Hotel Dubai main entrance.

When I visited, there was a lot of construction happening on the ground facing the Dubai Mall (where I spent the morning), so I didn’t have a clear path into the Armani Hotel Dubai. I think there might usually be a walkway just to the right. BUT, it was blocked.

So I ended up having to walk ALL THE WAY AROUND THE ENTIRE FREAKING BUILDING, to get to the front entrance of the hotel. All the potential routes were LOCKED. And the long steep driveway leading up to the hotel entrance did not have a sidewalk. 

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This is a good time to note that it was 90 degrees and I had 7 minutes until my timeslot. I was STRESSEDDDD. It might be easier just to exit the Dubai Mall and catch an Uber or taxi to the Hotel entrance.

Once you get inside the Armani Hotel Dubai, it’s smooth sailings from there. You just walk over to reception and tell them you have restaurant reservations and they’ll send someone to take you to the elevator.

First Impressions of High Tea at At.mosphere

The elevator itself was a roller coaster. I swear my ears popped at least 27 times. I was sweating, my heels weren’t broken in yet, and I’m pretty sure my panty lines were showing through my skirt. But I was PUMPED.

The elevator person led us to the host, who then led us to a table. In….the back of the lounge. It was pretty weird because there was literally no one around. But then they explained that they just needed to quickly get our table ready, and they left us with some cold towels on our temporary table.

Me, being the classy American I am, I wiped my sweaty face with it. Apparently, it was meant for my hands, but I was 2 seconds away from overheating and sacrifices in dignity needed to be made.

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Table is ready!

After about 3 minutes, the host came back to get us. Our table was in the corner, but it was still a window table! And thankfully, they didn’t sit us in the sun.

The host took our super touristy backpacks for us as we were led to our new table.

The seats, in proper afternoon tea fashion, were very comfortable and super low. My legs were…a bit long for the seating arrangement, especially with 5 inch heels, but that is the price I just have to pay. Plus, I have a notoriously short torso, so my chin was basically at table height. But, again, being the classy American I am, I just folded my legs under my butt and sat on them.

This is why I don’t get invited to fancy places.

Da Food

The waiter was very attentive, and thorough in explaining the menu and tea options. As you all know, I am not a food blogger and I immediately forgot everything he said. BUT, lemme just say everything was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Literally, if I had dropped one of those lil snacks on the ground, I would have leaped after it.

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The HIGHEST of HIGH compliments to the chef and kitchen staff. No pun intended.

There was never an extended pause between courses, and it seemed like each was better than the last! The desserts, however, I didn’t get to fully enjoy because I don’t like chocolate and there weren’t many non-chocolate options. Tsk. Oh well, I loved everything else so I’m sure those were phenomenal as well.

Some of the a la carte items are seafood platters, fresh shucked-to-order oysters, caviar, and Japanese Wagyu! I didn’t try any of them, but I’m droolinggg just thinking about it. NEXT TIME.

Spill the tea girlfriend!

That said….I should talk about the main event. THE TEA. Or rather, what SHOULD have been the main event. I’d only had high tea once before, but at the world renown Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC. The Fairmont Empress has sat literal ROYALTY, and proved it rightfully earned its title.

So, safe to say I had high standards.

High Tea at At.mosphere…mm, didn’t feel centered on the tea. It was the first thing I ordered, but the tea actually didn’t arrive until after the champagne and first course! Don’t get me wrong, their tea selection was incredible and I was more than happy with my selection, but…I never got a tea refill. Or asked if I wanted to try a different pot. So I just got to try one tea, which was a bit sad since I was looking forward to trying a few.

But again, it was only my second high tea experience. Maybe the Fairmont Empress just did things differently? Or maybe all I had to do was ask?

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a negative or a con, but just something to keep in mind.

Poop with a view

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Okay, this may not be the right place to bring this up, BUT LIKE THE CLASSY AMERICAN I AM, I just want to say the bathroom is TO DIE FOR. Literally, I had never felt so regal in a restroom before.

I had a ball in there.

Exit Stage Left

Wrapping up, our waiter was very polite in cleaning up the table. They made us feel very comfortable and encourage our lingering to take pictures and even offered to take some for us! They KNOW people come for the view, and they want you to enjoy it!

That was such a nice touch. So also a big big thanks to all the staff. And especially the host that kindly looked away when I tripped up the stairs to the elevator.

Leaving High Tea at At.mosphere, you should exit the way you came in. But since I’m…well, me, I got lost. Somehow, I ended up…I don’t even know where, but I think there was some kind of graduation or kid event happening? And then suddenly I was outside, in the middle of the construction.

How does this happen to me???

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Final Thoughts on High Tea at At.mosphere

It was fantastic. Pricey, yes, but the food made my entire day. It was a fun unique experience in Dubai, and I would definitely visit At.mosphere again! If you are a big tea person, take note of what I said above, but I still think it is well worth going!

Should you still visit the observation deck?

So, for my first visit to Dubai, I didn’t go to the At The Top Burj Khalifa (the observation deck). My reasoning was that if I was going to pay that much money, I might as well get some food out of it. And while there were outstanding views (and even better food!), I still felt like I was missing out because I didn’t visit the absolute top floor possible.

The restaurant is on the 122nd floor, At the Top is 148th.

Is that silly?? I mean, it’s basically the same thing. But tbh, the next time I’m in Dubai….I’ll probably go to the observation deck haha. If you don’t suffer from chronic FOMO though, High Tea at At.mosphere should quench your Burj Khalifa thirst plenty!

Pinkies Up! Save it for your next trip!

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Are you headed to High Tea at At.mosphere?

Do you think you would shell out for this experience? Where else have you had high tea? I’d love to hear in the comments!

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