AT.MOSPHERE: IS THIS DUBAI LOUNGE ON THE 122 FLOOR OF THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD WORTH THE PRICE?
The Cost -$95 per person with a window seat
The Atmosphere – Located in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, At.Mosphere is divided into two sections – the lounge and the restaurant. Located on the 122nd floor of the 163-floor building, the views that the restaurant and lounge offer are unparalleled, allowing patrons to see all of Dubai and the surrounding desert. Reservations are required in advance and there is a dress code – essentially no athletic or casual wear. At.Mosphere Lounge, which is set on one side of the floor has comfortable lounge chairs and small round tables, is a great place for a work or celebratory event and offers a truly unique Dubai dining experience. However, that view doesn’t come cheap – the minimum spend per person at the At.Mosphere Lounge for a non-window seat is 250 AED (about $68) per person and the minimum spend for a window seat is 350 AED per person (about $95), while the minimum spends for dinner are about twice that. And with a menu featuring cocktails that range from about $25 all the way to $75, there is no shortage of ways to meet that spend.
There are many fine dining options in Dubai. However, only one of those options sets you about 441 meters (1,447 feet) off of the ground with panoramic views of the city: At.Mosphere Restaurant and Lounge. At the lounge, the cocktail menu features a mix of classic and creative cocktails while the food menu heavily features wagyu beef and seafood at hefty price tags.
The Order – Black Winter Highball, Classic Old Fashioned, Dragonfly, Edamame, Roasted Micro Parsnip, and Wild Sea Bass Ceviche.
The Great – The Dragonfly was my favorite cocktail of the evening. A mix of vodka, crème de mure (blackberry liqueur), crème de violette, fresh blueberries, and ginger and garnished with mint, the cocktail was served in a margarita-style glass and has a pretty, deep purple hue. Aside from the nice presentation, the cocktail was lovely to drink and was luckily not as sweet as I expected it to be. It’s not an easy cocktail to enjoy with food but it was nice solo. The other cocktail I really enjoyed was the Classic Old Fashioned. Made with bourbon, house-made citrus, and aromatic bitters, it was a very nice take on the classic drink.
On the food side, the Wild Sea Bass Ceviche was the best dish though it wasn’t exactly tough competition as we ordered a side of parsnips and edamame as our other two dishes. Served in a very nice shell, the portion was small but the sea bass was good and the flavors of the yuzu and vermouth dressing were nice. At a pricey $42 though, the dish would have been outrageously expensive if served in a regular fine dining establishment and can only be justified because of the atmosphere; pun intended.
The Good – The Black Winter Highball was one of the more intriguing cocktails on the menu based on its description: Dewar’s White Label, St. Germain, yuzu, manuka honey, truffle, and soda water. While I thought it was nice, the St. Germain really took over this cocktail and left you without the ability to taste much of the yuzu and truffle. I would choose something else next time around. The Edamame, which can be either salted or spicy, consisted of an average-sized bowl of edamame with some truffle flavor and kimchi. I got the spicy version which added a bit of heat and I enjoyed the dish overall, but like the ceviche, the $18 edamame would have been extremely overpriced if not for the setting.
For something a bit more substantial than the edamame and ceviche, I ordered a side of the Roasted Micro Parsnip which turned out to be a nice, though admittedly random, addition to the meal. The parsnips were cooked well and though not extremely flavorful, provided a more filling option for the reasonable (for At.Mosphere) price of $15.
The Verdict – If you take the prices of the individual dishes and drinks and compare them to the food at other restaurants in Dubai, or frankly other restaurants in any other part of the world, you would be appalled at what you pay for the food and drinks at At.Mosphere. However, the experience of dining 122 floors above the ground and having panoramic views of Dubai is truly spectacular, and that alone makes up for the high prices and, at times, mediocre quality of some of the food and drinks. Spend the extra money to get a window seat and be prepared for views that will truly blow you away.
At.mosphere
Burj Khalifa - 122nd Floor - Downtown Dubai - Dubai - United Arab Emirates