Skylon Tower Revolving Dining Room
On the Niagara Canadian side, there is a lot more tourist attractions, views, and restaurants. My partner really wanted to check this revolving dining room out, so I made a reservation for 2 for 4:30 PM a few days in advance fairly easy. When you arrive into the bottom floor, the bottom floor of the tower has a seemingly outdated game mall with super old games. It felt like a blast in the past. Then you take the escalators up to the elevators that bring you up to this revolving tower. The elevator went up to the dining room floor pretty quickly, and you get a nice view of Niagara Falls.
Ambiance & Service
When you arrive on the floor, the host will seat you. We were seated next in a table meant for 4 right next to the window. It took roughly an hour and some change to do a full 360 revolution. The atmosphere as a whole felt a little dated, and the service was super fast. After our meal, they said we could visit the observatory for free if we wanted. We went up there, but the views weren’t as amazing compared to other cities.
Here’s the view from our table taken at 0.5x wide lens from an iPhone:
Food
Served optionally at the 4:30 PM or 5:00 PM seating, their “early dinner menu” is a CA$55 prix fixe menu with an appetizer, entree, and dessert. There is also a 3% attractions & promotions fee tacked onto the bill. We did end up ordering the early dinner menu.
The Mixed Green Salad tasted pretty simple and straight forward. The vegetables were crispy and fresh.
The Roast Prime Rib of Beef au jus was ordered medium. The seasoning on the meat was OK. The prime rib definitely gave me some memories of when I would eat this at Carrows/Cocos-type family restaurants in suburbias. They served some horseradish on the side, and it was a little watery for me. I wished they added some sour cream to make the consistency more thick. The steak itself tasted OK.
The Tender Breast of Chicken Cordon Bleu came with chicken breast stuffed with ham and swiss and served with cheese roasted red pepper cream sauce. The chicken breast was pretty juicy, though the overall flavors were average. My partner mentioned it was slightly oversalted, and they normally like salty foods.
The dessert was a Chocolate Mousse Chantilly. My partner didn’t eat theirs, but I ate mine. This was very mediocre at best. The mousse tasted artificial and left a slight unwanted aftertaste where the sugar just sticks around in the back of your mouth.
Final Verdict
If I had to rate only on food alone, this restaurant isn’t worth the visit. The price is reasonable, but I think the taste is underwhelming and close to diner-prepared food. However if you’re into views, you’ll definitely get that touristy nice view of Niagara at least once during your dinner. If you’re fortunate to go early enough, you’ll be able to see the falls with good lighting.
Yelp Jabs
We heard many people talk about how amazing the experience and food is however, we did not experience the same. It honestly was the worst experience we have had. I made a reservation a week and a half in advance but we were sat at a table specifically for 4, which there were only two of us so it was extremely uncomfortable from the start.
I suppose it depends if this Yelper is someone who prefers to be have a more intimate seating arrangement. We were seated in a table for 4, but they cleared away 2 dining sets. This allowed us to have more room in general, and it’s always nice to have more room. It definitely wasn’t uncomfortably distant. This place is a tourism at its best, so definitely expect the experience and food to match that.
Thing is, we came for really was the view. We called twice and asked to be near a window. We were told that they couldn’t promise but that they would try to accommodate. Then as soon as we arrive, a woman with long blond hair tells us parties of 5 can’t be seated by a window. We explained that it would have been nice to be told that of the phone - at least to manage expectations. But later that night, we saw tables of 5 seated by windows! This kind of thing can ruin evenings, even entire trips. We will not be back.
I’m sure these these tourist restaurants would love for Yelpers to come back, but word’s going to get out that this place has views and a prime rib dinner reasonably priced. They certainly aren’t banking on return guests. I was talking to an older gentleman who absolutely love the prime rib. It’s these types of tourists that will attract by word of mouth.
Revisions
- Nov 2, 2024 - Initial revision.