Guinness names Shanghai eatery as world’s highest restaurant in a building

(CNN) — It’s official, there’s a new “world’s highest restaurant in a building.”

Located on the 120th floor of Shanghai Tower, the restaurant sits 556.36 meters (1,825 feet) above ground. The J Hotel occupies the top floors of the Shanghai Tower — which at 632 meters (about 2,000 feet) is the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world.

J Hotel Shanghai Tower occupies the upper section of China’s tallest building.

J Hotel Shanghai Tower

As one would expect from the world’s highest restaurant in a building, Heavenly Jin offers incredible views of the Shanghai skyline. The menu reportedly includes new takes on traditional classics that fuse elements of European, Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

Suitably, it also serves high tea, giving a more literal meaning to the afternoon tradition.

As for the décor, guests entering are met with an intricate 30-meter-long mural inlaid with Italian mosaic tiles depicting a scene from the ancient Silk Road, while tables are set beneath a ribbon-like wave of crystal lights. It seats 256 diners and has five private dining rooms.

An open kitchen allows guests to witness the cooking process — if they can manage to take their eyes off the view outside the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

Dubai loses the crown

Guests take in the panoramic views from the Heavenly Jin restaurant.

HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images

Why does Guinness need to include the words “in a building” in the title? Because mother nature has far loftier platforms to offer. The highest restaurant in the world is Chacaltaya, located at Bolivia’s Chacaltaya ski resort. According to Guinness, it sits at a height of 5,340 meters.

General manager of the J Hotel Shanghai Tower, Jenny Zhang (left) receives the Guinness World Record certificate for highest restaurant in a building.

HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images

As for the J Hotel Shanghai Tower, it opened in mid-2021 and claims to be the world’s highest hotel in a building. Owned by Jin Jiang International, one of China’s largest state-owned hotel and tourism companies, it has 165 rooms including 34 suites and offers 24/7 personal butler service.

However, Guinness hasn’t recognized J Hotel’s “world’s highest” claim as it reportedly only considers buildings used wholly as hotels. (The J Hotel occupies an upper section of the Shanghai Tower, not the entire building.)

So where is the world’s highest hotel?