A view in Abu Dhabi is rarely free, and it is worth knowing the tariff before you go up. The highest vantage point in the city sits on the 74th floor and charges AED 95 to stand on it, of which AED 50 comes back to you as food and drink. That is the deal, and by the standards of observation decks anywhere it is a fair one.
One correction to the old version of this list. Cipriani on Yas Island, for years the name every concierge in the emirate reached for, closed for good in March 2025; the group now trades in the city as Cipriani Dolci at Marina Mall. What follows is five rooms that are open, with the floor, the hours and the number to ring.
Observation Deck at 300
The 74th floor of the Conrad, and a 360-degree view of the whole shape of the city at once. The honest way to think about the entry charge is a coffee with a very large window, since half of it comes back to you across the counter. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, midday until eight in the evening.
Go for the afternoon tea instead. It runs daily from two until six at AED 275 a head, and the card is a stranger and more charming list than the address suggests: truffle brie roulade, herb-infused chicken, Battenberg, sticky toffee pudding. Book in advance; they will not seat you otherwise.
LUXOS Recommends: the afternoon tea, and the sticky toffee pudding on it
Observation Deck at 300: Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, Etihad Towers, West Corniche, Abu Dhabi, Tel. +971 2 811 5555, hilton.com
Related: Top business lunches in Abu Dhabi
Byblos Sur Mer
The marina rather than the skyline, and the better meal of the two. Byblos has been recognised by the Michelin Guide four years running for Lebanese cooking of the generous kind: mezze, bread out of the oven, charcoal-grilled meat and fish, all of it built to be passed around. The dress code is casual and the room means it.
It runs late. Sunday to Thursday from half past twelve until one in the morning, Friday and Saturday until two. Upstairs, Byblos Lounge does shisha and discounted pours from three until seven, and that hour on the water is the one we would take.
Byblos Sur Mer: InterContinental Abu Dhabi, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street, Abu Dhabi, Tel. +971 2 693 0900, abudhabi.intercontinental.com
Stratos
Level 26 of Le Royal Méridien, and the only revolving lounge, bar and grill in Abu Dhabi. The floor turns, the view comes round, and the kitchen keeps to grilled steaks and cocktails rather than trying to be clever at altitude. That restraint is why it has outlasted most of the rooms it opened alongside.
Stratos: Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi, 113 Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, Tel. +971 2 674 2020, marriott.com
Related: A local’s guide to Arabic food in Abu Dhabi
Li Jiang
The Ritz-Carlton’s Asian restaurant looks straight at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and there is no better thing to have in front of you at dusk in this city. Inside, the kitchen is open, so the second view is the wok. Every day from five in the afternoon until half past eleven.
Li Jiang: The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Abu Dhabi, Tel. +971 2 818 8203, ritzcarlton.com
Mijana
Same resort, same mosque, different proposition. Mijana is Middle Eastern and selected by the Michelin Guide, served outdoors with shisha, tea and live music. That makes it an evening rather than a dinner. Monday to Saturday it runs from one in the afternoon until one in the morning; on Sunday it opens at four.
If you are choosing between the two, take Li Jiang when you want to eat well and Mijana when you want to sit for three hours and let the call to prayer carry across the water.
Mijana: The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Abu Dhabi, Tel. +971 2 818 8203, ritzcarlton.com
Related: 10 things you need to know about Abu Dhabi
Two of the addresses on the old version of this list could not be confirmed as still trading, and we have taken them out rather than send you across town on a nine-year-old recommendation. If you want the daytime answer to the same question, the business lunches are the place to start.