Photo: CNN
There is now officially a new “world’s highest restaurant in a building.”
In February, officials from the Guinness World Records awarded the title to Heavenly Jin, a restaurant inside the J Hotel Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China.
The restaurant is found on the 120th floor of the Shanghai Tower and sits at 556.36 meters (1,825 feet) above ground. The J Hotel occupies the top floors of the Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world at 632 meters (about 2,000 feet).
Heavenly Jin offers incredible panoramic views of the Shanghai skyline and boasts of a menu that includes new takes on traditional cuisine from Europe, Japan, and, of course, China.
It also serves high tea, giving a new meaning to the afternoon tradition.
As guests enter, they are met with a 30-meter-long mural inlaid with Italian mosaic tiles that depict a scene from the ancient Silk Road. Tables are set beneath a ribbon-like wave of crystal lights. Overall, the restaurant can seat 256 diners with five private dining rooms.
Guests are also privy to the cooking process with an open kitchen. Guests would be hard-pressed to choose between the view outside the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows and the open kitchen.
Dubai’s At.mosphere is unseated from the “highest restaurant” title as Heavenly Jin comes into the spotlight. Opened in 2011, the restaurant stands at 441.3 meters and is located on Level 122 of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
According to Guinness, the “highest revolving restaurant in a building” aptly named Twist is also found in China and is at a height of 422.8 meters. It is on the 106th floor of the Canton Tower in Guangzhou.
The “in a building” qualifier is necessary for Guinness’s categorization as the world’s highest restaurant is Chacaltaya in Bolivia’s Chacaltaya ski resort, which sits at a height of 5,340 meters.
The J Hotel Shanghai Tower, which opened in mid-2021, claims to be the world’s highest hotel in a building. It is owned by Jin Jiang International, one of China’s largest state-owned hotel and tourism companies. The hotel features 165 rooms, 34 suites, and 24/7 personal butler service.
But because the J Hotel occupies an upper section of the Shanghai Tower and not the entire building, the Guinness still hasn’t recognized J Hotel’s “world’s highest” claim as it only considers buildings used wholly as hotels.
So where is the world’s highest hotel?
The real world’s highest hotel is the 356-meter (1,168 feet) Gevora Hotel, officially recognized in 2018, the same year it opened. The Dubai property features 528 rooms and 75 floors and is famous for its striking golden exterior.
