The Best High Tea and Afternoon Tea in Dubai

In this guide.

1. 01High tea or afternoon tea? The same table, two names.
2. 02What makes a great high tea
3. 03Burj Al Arab: Sahn Eddar
4. 04At.mosphere, Burj Khalifa: the view from level 122
5. 05Palazzo Versace Dubai: High Tea at Mosaico
6. 06Queen Elizabeth 2: a royal afternoon tea on the water
7. 07Anantara The Palm and Fairmont's Mashrabiya Lounge
8. 08How to choose between them
9. 09The private option: high tea at your address
10. 10Booking, timing and what to wear
11. 11Hosting a high tea for an occasion

High tea or afternoon tea? The same table, two names.

In Dubai the two names are used for the same thing: tea poured at the table, with finger sandwiches, warm scones and pastries arranged on a three-tier stand, served through the afternoon. Hotels print "afternoon tea" on one menu and "high tea" on the next, and guests search for both.

Historically they were different meals. Afternoon tea was the light, mid-afternoon ritual of the English drawing room. High tea was the heartier evening meal of the working household, eaten at the high dining table. The luxury version you will find across the city today is the first one, and it has taken the second one's name.

So if you are searching for the best high tea in Dubai, you are looking for the best afternoon tea too. This guide treats them as one.

What makes a great high tea

A view does not make a high tea. These are the things we look for, as people who have poured one for a living since 2016.

The scones arrive warm, with clotted cream and a preserve that tastes of fruit rather than sugar. The sandwiches are cut that morning and the bread has not dried at the edges. The pastries are small enough to finish in two bites and different enough from each other to be worth trying.

The tea list is real: a few classic blacks, a green, something floral, poured from a pot rather than a bag in a cup, and refilled before you ask. The pace is unhurried. A good service lets a table stay for two hours without anyone glancing at the clock.

And the room suits the occasion. A birthday wants a little theatre, a business afternoon wants quiet, a proposal wants privacy. The best choice depends on which of those you are planning.

Burj Al Arab: Sahn Eddar

The original destination tea. Sahn Eddar is the lounge at the foot of Burj Al Arab's soaring atrium, and for many visitors an afternoon tea here is the way to see the inside of the city's most famous silhouette.

It suits first visits, guests from abroad and milestone birthdays: the occasions where the setting is the point. Book well ahead, especially in the cooler months and over holidays, and check the hotel's current dress code before you go.

At.mosphere, Burj Khalifa: the view from level 122

At.mosphere sits on the 122nd floor of Burj Khalifa, and its lounge serves afternoon tea with the city laid out below. On a clear day the view runs from Downtown to the sea.

Choose it when the skyline is the occasion: an anniversary, a celebration for someone who has never been up the tower, or an afternoon that ends at sunset. Window tables are the prize, so ask about seating when you book.

Palazzo Versace Dubai: High Tea at Mosaico

On the Creek at Culture Village, Palazzo Versace serves its high tea in Mosaico, a lounge dressed in the brand's mosaics, marble and gilt. It is the most fashion-led tea on this list.

It suits bridal parties and friends who enjoy a setting that photographs well, and it sits away from the busiest tourist districts, which makes for a calmer afternoon.

Queen Elizabeth 2: a royal afternoon tea on the water

The QE2, the retired Cunard liner now moored as a hotel at Mina Rashid, serves a royal afternoon tea that leans into its seafaring history. Brass, wood panelling and the memory of transatlantic crossings do the work a skyline does elsewhere.

It is the choice for a guest who prefers heritage to height, and for anyone curious to see the ship itself.

Anantara The Palm and Fairmont's Mashrabiya Lounge

Two calmer alternatives. Anantara The Palm, a resort on the Palm's East Crescent, serves afternoon tea in a setting that feels more beach than city, which suits a slow weekend afternoon.

Fairmont's Golden Afternoon Tea in the Mashrabiya Lounge takes its cue from Arabian design, named for the carved wooden screens of traditional houses. Both are easier to book at short notice than the landmark towers, and both suit conversation over spectacle.

How to choose between them

Start with the occasion, not the hotel. For a first visit or a guest from abroad, Burj Al Arab gives the most famous setting. For a view and a sunset, At.mosphere. For a bridal party or a group that loves design, Palazzo Versace. For heritage, the QE2. For a quiet catch-up, Anantara or the Mashrabiya Lounge.

Then check the practical points. Menus, prices and timings change with the seasons, and several lounges ask for a minimum age, a deposit or smart dress. Confirm all of it with the venue when you book. This guide is our own view of where we would take guests; it is not a paid ranking.

The private option: high tea at your address

Every hotel above hosts you in their room, at their hours, alongside other tables. There is another way. High tea in Dubai is where High Tea Events began, and we bring the whole ritual to you: the three tiers, the bone china, the brass teapots, the florals and the staff, to your villa, office, terrace or yacht. We set the table, pour for the afternoon and clear everything away.

The menu follows the classic shape. Finger sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and house preserves, gold-leafed petit fours and macarons, with signature blends from Earl Grey and Darjeeling to Moroccan mint, oud and saffron-rose. Our kitchens are halal-certified, and dietary needs are planned in from the first call.

It suits the occasions a hotel lounge cannot: a guest list of family who want privacy, an office celebrating a quarter, a proposal that needs nobody else in the room. Most services run 90 to 120 minutes. For an intimate table at home, see private high tea catering; for a larger daytime gathering, our afternoon tea events.

Booking, timing and what to wear

Afternoon tea in Dubai is usually served from early afternoon into the evening, and weekend and holiday slots fill first. Book a week or more ahead for the landmark lounges, and earlier still for groups or window tables.

Dress codes vary. Smart casual is the common baseline, and some venues ask for more, so check before you go. During Ramadan, service hours often change around iftar, and some lounges pause afternoon tea altogether. If anyone in your party has an allergy or a dietary need, tell the venue when you book rather than on arrival.

Hosting a high tea for an occasion

High tea is a natural fit for the gatherings that sit between a dinner and a party. We pour for baby showers, bridal showers, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries and quiet corporate afternoons.

If you are weighing a hotel against hosting at home, the catering cost guide explains what sits inside a per-person price. When you are ready, send us your brief: tell us the date, the venue and the guest count, and we will send back a menu within the day.