Top dollar: The most expensive places to spend New Year’s Eve in Dubai

Come in, New Year’s Eve.

But all the fanfare has led Dubai’s restaurants with front row seating for the festivities to ramp up their offerings like nowhere else in the world – with upscale restaurants offering multi-course menus for over Dh4,500 ($ 1,207) and even fast food outlets like Tim Hortons and Five Guys asking customers to pay Dh1,500 + for a meal.

So whether you want to spend $ 1,000 rubbing shoulders (but not literally, because of Covid-19) with the city’s elite at a fancy bar, or you’re willing to spend Dh2,500 ($ 670) on a few Tim Hortons’ Timbits, New Years Eve in Dubai has seemingly covered every experience.

Here are the best places to say goodbye to 2020 emphatically if you are in Dubai and have money to burn.

Unlimited Burgers: Five Guys

All-you-can eat Five Guys is a dream come true for some, but on December 31st in Dubai it really is a reality. For Dh1500 ($ 402) you can check out unlimited burgers, fries and non-alcoholic drinks on January 1st from 8pm to 1am at one of the best spots on the Dubai Mall ground floor to catch the fountains. It is slightly cheaper (Dh1100) if you want a seat further back on the terrace. Children 12 and under receive a 50% discount and under three are free.

The donut-centric: Tim Hortons

If you love filtered coffee and Canadian donuts, and you’re willing to shell out Dh2,500 for a good chunk of them, Tim Hortons is the place to settle down on New Year’s Eve. For the price of 1,786 Timbits you get a five-course dinner and a premium seat right on the water. The price drops to Dh 1,500 for patio seating and Dh1,000 for an indoor seat.

The chic: Cé La Vi

This famous international importer (perhaps best known for its Singaporean location atop Marina Bay Sands, also known as the setting for the final scene in “Crazy Rich Asians”) has arguably the best view of the Burj Khalifa in town – the only one caveat is that you are looking at the back instead of the front, where the light show and fountains are.

Perched atop the soaring 260-foot Address Sky View, a seat to ring in the New Year requires a minimum spend of Dh2,500 ($ 680).

Fun fact: Sky View’s address is actually modeled after Marina Bay Sands, complete with three-level Sky Bridge on floor 51, connecting the two towers.

The splurge: 99 sushi

When you hear “sushi,” you tend not to think about $ 1,000 dinner-for-one, but that’s exactly what you’re paying at 99 Sushi for a New Year’s Eve meal.

Located in the Address Downtown, a seat at this high-end Japanese sushi restaurant and Spanish export will set you back to Dh4,500 on the terrace at the Burj on December 31, and to Dh4,000 in the outdoor lounge area and Dh3 500 elsewhere .

While it may seem like a high asking price for a few plates of sushi, your entrance fee includes a whopping 14-course dinner, free-flowing alcohol, and an after-party.

The highest: atmosphere

This is not the best vantage point to see the fireworks as you are actually in it a bit, but maybe that’s just as cool.

Homegrown event brand Secret Parties throws a bash at the world’s tallest restaurant, Atmosphere, on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, meaning an all-night (Covid-friendly) party for Dh3,000 ($ 800) .

From 6 pm to 1 am there is unlimited champagne, a nine-course menu and a choice of seating in the restaurant (relaxed) or the lounge (DJ and music).

The best panorama: Weslodge Saloon

This North American themed restaurant, a Dubai institution, on the 68th floor of the JW Marriott Marquis, offers a serious celebration for anyone looking to see the end of 2020 from above.

And given the view, which overlooks the Burj Khalifa and most of Downtown Dubai with a 360-degree panorama, it’s a relative bargain at Dh799 ($ ​​213) for a multi-course meal and free-flowing drinks.

On a boat: Lotus Yacht

The largest yacht in the UAE will host a night on the water on December 31, where you can enjoy the fireworks over the Dubai skyline from the sea.

The package costs Dh1,990 for food and an open bar, but it goes up to Dh3,490 for a reserved section with bottle service.

Lotus is a staple on the yacht party scene in Dubai. The three-story boat has enough space for 600 guests, a swimming pool, a hot tub, a club for 150 people and a cinema with 70 seats.

Notable mentions:

Want to splash some cash, but missed a booking with the above? Don’t worry, there are many more where that came from.