Vancouver’s Revolving Eateries Are The Top

Does Vancouver have more revolving restaurants than anywhere outside of Asia?

TRAVEL ADVISORY | While the market for revolving restaurants is hot in the Middle East and Asia, no one is making new ones in North America, and the multitude of revolving restaurants here, most of which were built in the 1960s and 1970s, are shutting down.

What was once the chicest place in town to take your sweetie to eat is now—at least in North America—considered a tourist destination or the spot to dine with old aunties in taste-bud decline.

Too bad about these closures because revolving restaurants offer an unrepeatable experience, a one-of-a-kind way to see a city. In Vancouver we remain lucky: we still have three revolvers open for business.

It’s Circle Time

Okay, I cheated a bit. We do have three fully operational revolving restaurants in Vancouver, though one of them, Vistas 360 at the Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel, is available for groups only so if you want to experience it, you will need to book the space for a party or trade show. Of Vancouver’s three revolving restaurants, I love this one best because it’s located on the 20th floor, and the views of the city and harbour are intense and immediate.

Top of Vancouver restaurant is located some 44 storeys up, at top of the iconic Harbour Centre Tower, 555 West Hastings Street. Billed as “fine continental dining at 553 feet,” the restaurant has an unobstructed view of Vancouver, the coastal mountains and the Strait of Georgia. The windows are specifically angled for maximum viewing of the city below.

Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant is on the 42nd floor of the Empire Landmark Vancouver Hotel, 1400 Robson Street. It too has an unobstructed view (but different from the one at Harbour Centre) of city and setting. “The 360-degree view beats Grouse Mountain’s and will save you 40 bucks,” says my pro photographer friend Martin Tessler. “This is a great place to take friends from out of town.” —C. Rule