Top 10 Revolving Restaurants of the World

OK, this article is a little self-indulgent. I am a fan of the revolving restaurant. One of the first things I do in a city is to seek out the revolving restaurant situation. Tacky to some, but a great way to see the city. A revolving restaurant is one that sits upon a platform, usually at the top of a tall tower or hotel, and rotates gently while the building itself stays in place. The first revolving restaurants were implemented in Germany in the 1950s, and the concept has since spread to tall towers the world over. Most revolving restaurants rotate at the nearly imperceptible rate of one to three times per hour, giving patrons a gentle 360° view of the surroundings below. Although many rotating restaurants are noted more for their views than their menus, here we’ve compiled a list of some of the best rotating restaurants for both excellent cuisine and stunning panoramas.

1. Top of the World Restaurant, Las Vegas, Nevada Who wouldn’t want to check out the lights of the Las Vegas Strip from on high? The Top of the World Restaurant is located in the top of the Stratosphere Tower at the eastern end of the Strip, some 240 metres above Las Vegas. Bright lights and great food in one of America’s top 10 gourmet restaurants.

2. The View, New York City,  New York is a city to see from above, and The View at the New York Marriott Marquis is the only revolving restaurant in Manhattan. Sitting between West 45th and 46th Streets, the hotel’s central location gives The View a prime pre-dinner theatre spot, with excellent vantages of Times Square, Broadway and downtown, all while enjoying the contemporary American stylings of Chef de Cuisine Ron Camillo.  I love this one!

3. Skylon Tower, Niagara Falls,  Enjoy a perfectly cooked salmon fillet or Surf ‘N’ Turf while the roaring cascades of Niagara Falls plummet below you. Wow, what a great location for a revolving restaurant! The food is tasty, the atmosphere is family-friendly, and the view is totally exceptional.

4. Summit Restaurant, Australia Square Sydney  This restaurant is owned by celebrity chef, Michael Moore, who designed the menu around the harbourscape. The food is drawn from a range of local Australian products, such as beef, wine and cheese, making it one of the best places to see and taste Sydney. I am a regular at this one.  You can also just go for cocktails.  A great sunset treat.

5. R66 Hong Kong  Talk about a stunning vista: the millions of twinkling lights that line Victoria Harbour cannot be missed from above. While most people head to Victoria Peak for views of Hong Kong, why not opt for climate-controlled comfort and international cuisine at the only revolving restaurant in Hong Kong, R66, which was named for the fact that it rotates every 66 minutes.

6. Grand Hyatt, Cairo  The Revolving Restaurant at the top of the Grand Hyatt Cairo is the highest restaurant in the Middle East. With French-inspired cuisine and outstanding views of the Great Pyramids at Giza and the Nile River, this is one revolving restaurant that has definitely got it right.

7. Olympiaturm, Munich  This somewhat pricey restaurant is located at the top of the Olympic Tower in Munich, with amazing views of the city and Olympic Hill and the Olympic Village. Reservations are highly recommended here, but the food and service are excellent, to match the high price tag.

8. Perlan, Iceland  This is perhaps one of the oddest-placed rotating restaurants on earth. Perlan, which means ‘pearl’ in Icelandic, sits atop a series of old water storage tanks, which have now been converted into a uniquely domed shopping mall. Overlooking Reykjavík, this spherical structure makes for a truly unusual dining experience.

9. The Sky, New Otani, Tokyo  The urban jungle of Tokyo is another vista that begs to be seen from on high. The Sky at the New Otani Hotel has received rave reviews for both its food and its 360° views of the skyscrapers that fill the Japanese capital. A concept kitchen, The Sky offers design-your-own meals, where you choose from a range of ingredients and pick your favourite cooking style for a perfect meal.

10. Top of Waikiki, Hawaii  Top of Waikiki is Hawaii’s only revolving restaurant and offers delightfully prepared Pacific fusion cuisine while overlooking Honolulu and Oahu. From Top of Waikiki, you can see three extinct volcanoes as the restaurant makes its once-an-hour rotation.