5 Top Revolving Restaurants in The World

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When you’re dining at a revolving restaurant 250 feet above Cape Town, you expect the views to be fantastic. The real surprise is when the food appears—and it’s excellent.

What better way to savor a beautiful city than from this vantage point: a window seat at a revolving restaurant where the shifting views complement the gourmet courses. At Cape Town’s Top of the Ritz, that means pairings of just-caught mussels with a view of iconic Table Mountain, spicy curry-butternut soup with the sandstone Twelve Apostle peaks, rack of lamb with beaches, and dessert with the sunset dipping below the Atlantic.

Over the past 50 years, revolving restaurants have opened in more than 50 countries on six continents, from Colombia to Nepal to Canada. Along the way, the concept has gone from futuristic novelty to often-tacky tourist traps. But set aside that skepticism: we’ve pinpointed select revolving restaurants that are worth the price of admission.

Top of the World: Las Vegas

Every glittering light of the Las Vegas Strip can be seen from this 844-foot-high restaurant—the crown of the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower. The extravagant four-course tasting menu mixes classics such as lobster bisque and filet mignon with more inventive dishes like roasted miso Mediterranean loup de mer with shoyu ginger glaze, followed by crème brûlée and cheesecake lollipops.

Heads Up: Don't be alarmed if you see a person propel past your window—the new SkyJump thrill ride leaves from right above the restaurant.

 

Summit Restaurant: Sydney

Red carpets, pink-tinged lighting, and sleek lounge furniture create a sultry vibe within this dining room, which revolves past the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Olympic Park. Australian TV chef-lebrity Michael Moore put local reef snapper and pan-fried quail breasts on the two-course dinner menu ($89). For a more low-key meal, head to the Orbit Lounge Bar and pair an Aussie craft beer like Lord Nelson Old Admiral Strong Ale ($10) with small bites such as deep-fried whitebait—small and savory herring-like fish ($16).

Heads Up: On a clear day, you can see the lush Blue Mountains surrounding the city.

Drehrestaurant Allalin: Saas-Fee, Switzerland

The world's highest revolving restaurant is on top of a glacier 11,000 feet above sea level, reached by a remarkable alpine subway. A dozen of the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps slowly swirl by as diners warm up with hearty Swiss-German fare like kalbsbratwurst (veal sausage) with hash-brown-like rösti ($32), and Älplermakkaroni: macaroni in a creamy cheese sauce with ham, bacon, potatoes, and stewed apples ($32). If you're still frostbitten, a glass of mulled glühwein wine ($9) should do the trick.

Heads Up: Look southeast toward Italy; if visibility is good, you can see as far as Milan.

Restaurant 181: Munich

Chef Otto Koch's acclaimed restaurant inside the Olympic Tower was recently awarded its first Michelin star. Named for its placement 181 meters above ground, the restaurant has three airplane-esque options. In 181 First, the opulent eight-course tasting menu ($209) starts with langoustine tartare on a bed of sevruga caviar; 181 Business offers à la carte dishes like morel-crusted veal ($43); while the best value is 181 Economy's Sunset Menu, serving a three-course prix fixe ($52) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Heads Up: Don't get lost in the long view of the Bavarian Alps; one of the city's architectural triumphs, the canopied Olympic Stadium inspired by Alpine peaks, is directly below. 

Top of the Ritz: Cape Town

Wedged in between the Atlantic Ocean and towering Table Mountain—with the new World Cup Stadium to the north and posh Camps Bay beaches to the south—this dining room showcases Cape Town's main attractions in one gradual revolution. The menu, meanwhile, covers traditional South Africa fare, dishes like ostrich carpaccio ($7) and a salad of biltong (beef jerky) and goat cheese ($7), plus plenty of wine from the vineyards of nearby Stellenbosch.

Heads Up: Robben Island, the offshore prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years, is immediately to the north.