CN tower Revolving restaurant, Toronto

1 more image

This is a fantastic way to visit the CN Tower. Instead of paying the price of admission, treat yourself to dinner and your visit up the tower is at no charge. The food is excellent and they have some dishes using uniquely Canadian ingredients.

Check out the link for the menu, pricing, etc.

I had heard a lot about this restaurant, good and bad and did not really know what to expect. One thing everyone seemed to agree about was the great view.

Our experience was rather good. This is a quite expensive restaurant, so I was expecting good service and hoping for appropriate food. You can go for a fixed-price menu or "a la carte", we went for the second option

We started with a very nice rare seared tuna salad, served with beans, tomatoes and olives. We both love tuna and we were not dissapointed with this.
I had the roast pork tenderloin with prunes and sage mashed potatoes. It was a bit to dry for my taste, but still good. I would not recommend it though as my girlfriend's dish was MUCH better.
She had the "fish strak frites"... I know the name does not sound all that great, but it is actually "grilled swordfish with a cherry tomato, arugula, red onion salad, Yukon gold frites, Ni?oise olive aioli" and it was very good.

To finish it off, we had the exquisite "Dark chocolate tower", you must try it if you like chocolate.

This restaurant is renowned for having one of the best wine cellars (at over 300m height) in Canda, so if that is what you like, you will definetly find something here that will please you. There was one bottle priced at 15000 CAD... it was 8 liters though.

A main course at the restaurant will entitle you to the free ride up to the observation deck (usually 19 CAD).

Obviously and as the name indicates, it is a rotating restaurant, meaning that the view will change over the course of the meal. I was told it takes 72 minutes for a complete rotation. It is funny to see that you will loose your orientation if you are distracted. The washrooms that were just around the corner are suddenly on the other side... funny.

Prices are what you could expect in this kind of "luxury" restaurant. We paid 150 CAD (2 people) including tip, but if you think that we saved 38 CAD on the ride (you can easily combine a sightseeing session with a meal), it was not too bad.

3 more images

The CN Tower Restaurant provides a great dining experience with good food and incredible views (weather permitting) of the Toronto city below. Menu selections include chicken, pork, and streak. During my visit, they had a $48 (CDN) 3-course meal (appetizer, entree, and dessert) which included the entrance fee to the CN Tower observation deck.

The meal I had included spinach-stuffed chicken and a salmon appetizer. Portions were moderate but not too small. Dessert included a slice of walnut-tart pie with a generous scoop of cranberry ice-cream. Food was very good and tasty, although the chicken skin was a bit hard to cut with the knife. Overall, the meal was very satifying.

Service was good and the atmosphere was pleasant with clean floors and well-maintained furnishings.

My visit was during a non-rainy day for lunch, so the city views were great. Only the floor rotates, so you may want to ensure that no personal belongings are placed near the windows. Full 360-degree rotation of the restaurant takes roughly about 45 minutes, more or less. While looking out you can see downtown Toronto, the urban sprawl on the northside of the city and Lake Ontario (with a small airport nearby) on the southside.

4 more images

PRETTY SPECTACULAR VIEW from this restaurant. Toronto on one side, Lake Ontario on the other.

Favorite Dish: Its all good.

It costs $23 to visit the observation levels, or if you eat in the restaurant you must spend at least $30 for your meal. Thats not hard to do, since the minimum entree that I could find was $35. (These are costs as of May 2009)

1 more image

This was an excellent night out, the restaurant was well set out with tiered tables allowing most diners to obtain a good view from their table. Most tables were broken up into smaller sizes, 2, 4, 6 or 8 persons which I thought was a good idea to prevent large group bookings controlling the venue.

We arrived at 6:30pm and I now understand why so early, we obtained a good daylight view from the tower and then enjoyed the city lights whilst enjoying the final section of our dinner.

Service and food were excellent and we had a most enjoyable evening. We were in a group of 37 people and had a special menu. I chose the Ceasar Salad for starter, Rib Beef with baked Spud & Vegetables and finished with cheesecake and coffee. All up cost US $68 included transport to and from the restaurant and an after dinner visit to the top of the tower and the Observation Balcony.

4 more images

As I merely had an overnight layover between flights in the city, I had decided to go to this famous restaurant, and I thought it was nice!!! Lovely view, nice waiters, and pretty good food!! The only thing I didn't like is that I felt like I had to go through a maze leaving. There are no signs displaying a way out.

Favorite Dish: I had a Caesar's salad to start and it was very good, though I had jet-lag and could not eat much. For the main course, I had butternut squash filled ravioli in a sage cream sauce with asparagus in sauce bernaise on the side. The sauce bernaise was very good, it was like a mousse. The ravioli was good, but the sage cream sauce needed to have more substance, and more of a sage flavour...it just tasted like cream with some sage leaves.....I didn't have any room for dessert and just had a coffee while completing the hour view of the city....

We booked four months in advance from England and expected to be seated next to the window. On arrival we were placed in the middle of three rows in what felt like a corridor as we were jostled constantly by people arriving and departing. We politely asked for a move but were told it was impossible unless we waited another hour in the bar. At their prices!! How long in advance do you have to book as we booked a specific time and yet were told it was a first come first served basis. What a let down. Toronto was the friendliest place we have been to yet the CN Tower which should have been a highlight of our trip was a disaster. We left without having a meal due to the uncaring treatment we received. We had been prepared to spend at least $200 dollars to enjoy our last night in Toronto.

Favorite Dish: Wish we could have tried one.

4 more images

It's always a smart bet to follow the locals when you dine on vacation, and the 360 Restaurant comes highly recommended: it's been voted by Toronto residents within the top eight venues for romantic atmosphere, best views, and decor.360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower, one of Toronto's finest, Situated on top of the CN Tower, the 360 is the largest revolving restaurant in the world. It features unforgettable food combined with a magnificent revolving view of Toronto more than 351 metres (1,151 ft) below. 360 offers market-fresh cuisine, featuring regional ingredients to ensure an incomparable culinary experience. 360 also features an award-winning wine selection of over 550 international and Canadian wines from its "cellar in the sky". 360 is the recipient of several awards and wonderful place to celebrate any special occasion.

If the measure of a view is height above the ground, then you can't top the truly astonishing panorama here. Gently revolving about two thirds of the way up the 550-meter CN Tower, you can enjoy breathtaking views and award-winning cuisine. Add flawless service and you can understand why this restaurant is booked weeks in advance. Canadian influences dominate the menu with choices such as Roast Rack of Lamb with Braised Leeks and Pork Chops in Smoked Barbecue Sauce. You can also choose from over 400 varieties of wine plus your entrance to skypod and other tower attractions are free if you eat here!

Favorite Dish: Since It costs $21.50 for a ride to up the main level, if you go you may as well eat at the 360 Restaurant because even though it's rather pricey there is no charge to ride up and the food is excellent. among the choices are:

boneless roast of half chicken rubbed with fresh herbs on seasonal vegetables (at 34 CAD), grilled filet of Atlantic salmon on new potatoes with tomato and caper beurre blanc (at 34 CAD), or pasta primavera with extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil.Canadian AAA Prime Rib of Beef with baked Prince Edward Island potato and natural juice (on my picture at 57 CAD). Trio of Atlantic Cocktail ( 48 CAD) also a good. (I'm a Glutton hehehe!)