The Review
Ling Ling is the rooftop statement piece of Atlantis The Royal — the 22nd- and 23rd-floor crown of what is already the loudest new hotel in the Arabian peninsula. Two private elevators lift guests from the resort lobby to a marble-heavy bar, a main dining room dressed in lush greenery, an expansive terrace with 180-degree views across the Palm and the Arabian Gulf, and a discreet Ultra Lounge tucked behind the dining room for when the evening insists on lasting a few hours longer than planned. Parisian designers Gilles & Boissier — the firm behind Baccarat Hotel New York and countless Moncler boutiques — handled the interiors, and the restraint shows. Nothing shouts here; everything is calibrated.
The food is the next evolution of the Hakkasan lineage, now under Tao Group Hospitality. Chief Culinary Officer Ralph Scamardella and Chef de Cuisine Steven Nguyen have built a menu that runs across Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and Cantonese China, prioritising sharing and rhythm over formal courses. The signatures — Australian lobster pad Thai, tea-smoked duck kueh pie tee, 24-karat gold A5 wagyu and lobster maki — are the kind of dishes social media invented a language for. The Coconut in Paradise dessert, carved open tableside, sends more phones skyward per evening than a Burj Khalifa fountain show.
Service is polished and relentlessly attentive; the sommelier team is sharper than the brief of a lounge-forward room would suggest, with a smart by-the-glass programme and a deep selection of sake for those who commit. The soundtrack rises across the evening — conversational at seven, set-list by ten, full tempo by midnight — which tells you exactly who this room is for and exactly when to book. Thursday through Saturday, doors stay open until three in the morning.
Expect to spend AED 800–1,400 per person with cocktails and shared plates. It is not the cheapest Palm address, but it is comfortably the most theatrical, and the only one that collapses dinner, drinks and dance floor into a single elevator ride.
Best for Birthday
Ling Ling is engineered for occasions that want to be photographed. The view from the terrace at sunset, the gold-leaf sushi roll, the dessert theatre, the Ultra Lounge that opens as the plates are cleared — each element slots into the evening with almost cynical precision. Book a round table near the terrace windows for a party of eight to ten, order the full signatures, and allow the room to do the work. The kitchen accommodates candle-lit dessert presentations without turning the moment into a floor show; the bar team can engineer a single custom cocktail to land as the clock turns. For a milestone birthday that wants to be remembered, this is the hardest room in Dubai to beat on atmosphere alone. See more Birthday occasion picks across the site.
Signature Dishes
The Australian lobster pad Thai is the dish people order first and argue about later — lobster tail butterflied over wok-blistered rice noodles, the sauce balanced between sweet and sour without tilting to either. Tea-smoked duck kueh pie tee delivers a more elegant bite than its presentation suggests: crisp pastry cup, shredded smoked duck, hoisin drizzle, micro-coriander. The 24k gold A5 wagyu and lobster maki exists to be photographed, but the wagyu rewards the price tag on taste alone. Among the larger plates, the Peking duck served with all the traditional accompaniments and the miso black cod are both as sharply executed as anywhere in Dubai. For dessert, ignore the menu and order the Coconut in Paradise.
What to Know Before You Go
Entry is via dedicated elevators at Atlantis The Royal — present your reservation at the resort concourse; the hosts will direct you. Valet parking is complimentary for diners. Dress code is sharp smart casual, trending towards elevated glamour after 10pm; most guests dress as if for a lounge, because that is precisely what the room becomes. Book at least ten days in advance for Thursday through Saturday service; weeknights are more forgiving but still require a week for a terrace table. The private dining room seats twelve and is the power table in this part of town — enquire directly with the restaurant for availability. The kitchen accommodates most dietary requirements with notice; full vegetarian iterations of the signatures are available. For Impress Clients occasions when you want the city itself on display, this is the power play.
Also at Atlantis The Royal, see Dinner by Heston Blumenthal for one-star British historical cuisine and Estiatorio Milos for Costas Spiliadis’ Greek seafood room. For Atlantis the Palm’s other Asian pillar, book Hakkasan Dubai one Michelin star. Explore more in our Dubai dining editorial or browse all Dubai restaurants.