The Sun Dial Restaurant

My boyfirend and I had a wonderful time at the Sundail. The food was great. My boyfriend had the eggs over Altanta and I had the lime gilled shrimp. The view was breath taking and the New york cheese cake was great. So anyone that goes to the Sundail must try the New York cheese cake. Believe us you if you want a breath taking view and wonderful food. The Sundail is were you need to go. GO NOW!!

Posted 07/11/09

My wife and I took her parents visiting from St.Louis there on a thursday night and it was great. We had to wait a minute to be seated even though we had a reservation but the food and the view made up for it. Me and my father in law had the pork chop covered in fried oysters and a bacon hollandaise sauce with collard greens and it was freakin awesome. The salmon and halibut the ladies ate were great too.The server seemed confused at times but we had a great time and the view was outstanding. My in laws were very impressed.

Pros: Outstanding view, Great Food

Cons: The wait for a table

Posted 04/08/09

Many of the reviews state that the staff was unfriendly or rude, but I have never experienced that. My husband and I have been to the Sundial twice, and have enjoyed it both times. Of course the fact that it rotates is awesome. You make a full rotation in one hour, and Atlanta is such a beautiful city, the view is amazing. The dinner plates are small, smaller than most we've been to. The price is expensive, but not as expensive as some. Expect about $100 for 2 people.

Pros: Wonderful view, romantic atmosphere, drinks

Cons: small dinner plates

Posted 10/11/08

We arrived for our dinner slightly early (30 min). We were told we could go to the bar and wait and have a drink. We had 2 drinks (ok in price 22 dollars in total). I asked the server if she could notify us when our table was ready, to which she replied, no it would be better if we were there when our time was up. I kinda didn?t like that but hey, it?s their rules I thought. Anyway, the food was good and the service from an Asian gentleman named Peter was good. Hopefully you will get him. He stated he has been there awhile and he really knew his stuff. He even managed to take pictures of us and told us what picture shot would work best. All is all a fair restaurant at a decent price (100 bucks in total). The only thing that turned me off was the whole bar experience and the comments that the server made. If you want to have a 5 star restaurant... you need total 5 star service from top to bottom. Because of this, I rate them as average.

Pros: Valet parking paid when you dine in

Cons: bar staff not very pleasant

Posted 01/27/08

I can not say enough about how great the service we recieved while dining at the Sundial. The service along with amazing food (don't miss the mushroom ravioli if available) and the view on a clear night made this an incredible experience. I would recommend going here at least once.

Pros: the food , the view , and service

Cons: price

Posted 01/03/08

My girlfriend and I were spending a wonderful evening out on the town. We had a great ride up from Milledgeville. We were on our way to another restaurant, which will remain nameless. They didn't treat us well at all, even though we had reservations. It was horrible experience. So we decided not to eat there. We took a carriage ride around downtown and the attendant spoke highly of the Sun Dial restaurant. We were intrigued so we decided to eat there. The elevator ride was fantastic. It was great to look out on this great city. Our wait time to be seating was about 2-3 minutes. We were seated. Our host was well mannered, funny, and on point. Our night was fantastic. The food, especially the rib eye steak, was "oh my gosh, mouth watering". The view atop was beautiful. My girl was looking so lovely in the romantic setting of the Sun Dial as it turned. We had a great conversation. The atmosphere was perfect and its moments like those that should be treasured. If you ever get to go, it is worth the time and money.

Posted 10/15/07

The reason I decided to try Sun Dial, because I used to visit places like this (revolving restaurants) in Moscow and St. Petersburg! We were in Sun Dial a few times by now! The first thing, you get into Westin Hotel, and elevator takes you to the highest floor! The restaurant itself does not spin, only the bar, which is upstairs.. We spend on our dinner over 200$ and food wasnt that great, not even close to be the same quality as it in Nicolai?s roof, or Eugene restaurant. I mean, it was OK! Bar upstairs was much more fun and of course crowded. The same jazz band always playing such an EXCELLENT music!!! The minimum cost of a drink no less than 12$. The night Atlanta view from bar is so Romantic. I recommended go to that place at the night time only! No day! Service was so-so.. but our waitress was very beautiful looking girl. So, no complains from our side about slow and poor bar service.

Posted 05/27/07

My husband and I had dinner there while we were dating (1994) and it was wonderful... food, service, view, atmosphere... all spectacular. We returned in 2005 hoping for a similar experience and were very disappointed. We had good service from our waiter, and the view was, of course, wonderful, but the food left much to be desired. For entrees, my husband ordered a filet, and I ordered the petite filet. His was pretty good, but mine was very tough. I took a couple of bites to be sure it wasn't just a corner of the steak that was bad, and my husband tried it too and thought the same... not worth eating. The waiter asked how the food was, so I was honest. He said he'd get the manager. She came and asked the problem, I told her, and she said, "Well, you've eaten, what, half of it? So maybe I could give you a free dessert or something, but I can't give you the steak." I think she thought I had ordered the regular (non-petite) filet, but I had not asked her to give me the steak or anything else, and was too offended at her implication to even answer back. We just said nothing else was needed, and left shortly afterward. I am an easy-to-please person when it comes to food, and can't remember the last time I sent something back anywhere, but to have such a horrible experience with a manager when paying the price we were paying for the food was so upsetting that I am certain I will never go back. I also had the asparagus, which were not good, but thank goodness I kept my mouth shut about those... she probably would've thrown me out! In other words, go just for drinks or something so you can enjoy the view, but skip the pricey, tasteless food so you won't have any run-ins with the management. ATL has MUCH better food to offer elsewhere.

Pros: view

Cons: food, management

Posted 04/24/07

I dined at the Sun Dial for the first time last night, and I can say with absolute conviction that this is the most overrated restaurant in the city. The restaurant lives off the gimmick of being situated 723 feet above ground level and offering a spectacular panoramic view of Atlanta. Certainly, the view is great, but everything else was average or worse.

Firstly, the atmosphere, other than the view, leaves a lot to be desired. There is a lounge above the restaurant, and it is filled with loud, obnoxious tourists. From boisterous conversation to nearly unending flash photography, the presence of other people did little to provide the kind of intimate environment I think of when I imagine a romantic dinner. Additionally, the decor and design of the place feels incredibly sterile, like you?re in a really fancy lobby at an airport.

Secondly, the food was mediocre. I spent $9 on a Caesar salad that I could have gotten at a diner in terms of its quality of dressing, cheese, and lettuce, $36 on a New York Strip steak that was bland and uninspired in its preparation, $8 on a cheesecake that was eminently forgettable, and $98 on a bottle of wine that was good, but not $98 good. Factor in my fiancee?s meal and tip, and I walked out of the Sun Dial having spent $268 on a decent meal. I expect a large bill at a good restaurant, but I also expect to be impressed by the creativity and caliber of the cooking. I was not at all impressed by the Sun Dial.

Finally, the service was okay, but not very polished. My suspicion is that Sun Dial assumes they don?t have to be polished because of the view and its clientele base of unsophisticated tourists and nouveau riche Atlantans who can?t tell the difference between fine dining and refined service and pomp and circumstance belying mediocrity?which the Sun Dial ultimately is.

If you fancy yourself a connoisseur of fine dining, avoid the Sun Dial like the plague.

Pros: The View

Cons: Everything Else

Posted 02/17/07

Last Saturday night, was our first trip back to The SunDial Dial(View To Some), atop the Peachtree Plaza Hotel, seventy-floors up, since the 1996 Olympics. Lots of tourists, yes, and locals, businessmen and convention goers. Who cares. This is the only place in the ATL, for the most awesome overall view of the city. We had dinner reservations later at the little intimate Fleurs de Les French Bistro, a few blocks away, but wanted drinks at this most unique romantic bar in the city. The drinks are pricey, but very good, and the views in early evening after five, are more than inspiring. We had two martini's each, which is equal to one full rotation of the bar/restaurant. From Stone Mountain, to Buckhead towers, to Hartsfield-Jackson, you see it all with this outstanding view. It's a place for romance, for good friends, or just to unwind from a busy day at the office. The dinner menu looked fine, but we were here just for that ultimate view, and martini's.

Pros: The Ultimate Atlanta View For Cocktails! An ATL Landmark!

Cons: Pricey Drinks, but Well Worth It!

Posted 01/10/07

We did not have dinner here, only drinks. It took about 30 minutes for the waitress to take our drink order, and they were pretty expensive...I guess you're paying for the view. Although the drinks were tasty, the whole experience was not up to par. There was only 1 bartender and 1 server for about 50 people. No one was friendly.

The decor looks like it hasn't been changed since the 1970's, and could use a good cleaning. The view is obviously great, and the signs indicating what you're looking at are helpful. I actually thought the bar spun too quickly--I started to get dizzy after awhile. The room is decorated with information about Atlanta and its history. The displays look very outdated--is this the Cyclorama? This is definitely a spot for tourists, and locals new to Atlanta should go once, but never again.

TOURIST TIP 1: For a better experience and equally amazing view, go to Nikolai's Roof at the Hilton instead.

TOURIST TIP 2: If you do try the Sundial, wait until after sunset--the sun coming through the windows is blinding and hot. Since the bar rotates, you can't get away from it.

Pros: The view

Cons: Service, value, atmosphere--yuck!

Posted 12/28/06

Overall, my dining companion and I were pleased. He liked both red wines he tried, including the house Merlot. My appetizer of sweet potato tortellini was the food highlight of the night. It was simply fabulous. My companion said his grits cake was good. The entree portions were generous, but for the price they should have been. I'd rate the entrees average for taste for "fine dining." I had the organic chicken in chicken au jus with mashed potatos and white beans. The au jus went really well with the chicken and beans, but the mashed potatos tasted a little funny. My dining companion said his seafood dish was average. The service was friendly, attentive, and timely. The view was spectacular! Still, we thought the restaurant was overpriced. I suppose you pay for the view and ambiance. I don't know if we'd go back again for a meal, but we will be back for appetizers and drinks in their lounge.

Pros: Ambiance, Good Service, Incredible View

Cons: Average Food, Overpriced

Posted 12/27/06

A tad too expensive in my opinion, and the food wasn't fabulous either. Great service though, they were very nice and the service was prompt. It was very neat to have such a great view of the city! Cool restaraunt, but, like the other reviewer, not that great of food!

Pros: great service, short line

Cons: expensive, food not worth the money

Posted 12/15/06

Nice Views of the City, Definantly a place to propose to a woman at. Dining room spins. Great staff, Clean. Everything is great. Its just the food. Its expensive and its bad its not good. Fancy expensive foods, should taste good, but this place I didnt like. Just me personally. Maybe other ppl like them fancy food places that give you a little amount of food that dont taste good.

Pros: Romantic as Heck and Nice Views of the City

Cons: The Food $ucks

Posted 11/27/06

What a great place for a marriage proposal and the food is good too! Make sure the Sun Dial is on your outta town guest visit list. Catch a glimpse of the infamous Stone Mountain, sprawling Midtown area, a stunning view of the ATL. At 723 feet, a revolving restaurant and bar, sure to impress a business associate or outta town guests. You won't forget this incredible experience, it's also a great place for a first date. Come prepared to spend a few bucks, live jazz completes the romantic ambience.

Pros: Perfect View! Great ambience!

Cons: n/a

Posted 10/01/06

Going round and round never felt so fun. Eating a very fine meal while getting to enjoy the skyline and aerial view of Atlanta. Brunch is delicious here, as the food is fantastic and presented well. Service was nice here, aside from the snooty hostess, our waiter cracked jokes while being helpful to point out the famous buildings of Atlanta. It may get old dining here constantly, but as a tourist I have to say I enjoyed this particular touristy spot. Best recommended for a daytime viewing / eating.

Pros: View, Decor, Theme

Cons: Spendy, Not Good For People Afraid Of Heights

Posted 08/05/06

Lunch here is great. The service and food are very good. I always take my foreign guests here for lunch as this is the most "American" thing one can do in Atlanta in addition to a visit to Stone Mountain. Lunch here never fails to impress my guests and makes for a lifetime memorable occasion. Dinner is also good but a little pricy. This restaurant gets a lot of "we are in the big city now" convention people with expense accounts but the view overcomes the sometimes less than upscale clients on vacation.

Pros: An awesome view and also good food.

Cons: The sometimes tourist atmosphere from convention attendees.

Posted 07/20/06

Well, this is strange. I posted this review on 6/26 originally, and somehow it is magically missing from the reviews. Let's see if it happens again. My fiance arranged a surprise celebration of our engagement for 8:30 on a Saturday night. The restaurant called my fiance to confirm our reservations at 4pm that afternoon. We arrived at 8pm, and were told the valet was full and had to self park. Not a great start. Once inside, we were informed the air was not working in the restaurant - and it's the top floor of the Westin!! We were told we could go up and check it out. We went up and the elevator doors opened and, of course, it was a sauna. My fiance was angry and I was upset because this was for our engagement (which they also confirmed and were aware of) . We asked if they could call another restaurant to get us in and they asked me if I had the numbers??!! I told them I don't normally carry around spare numbers to other restaurants. No one apologized or tried to help us. What I don't understand is since they obviously had our number to call us to confirm our reservation, then why didn't they call to tell us the restaurant's air-conditioning was broken. We would have post-poned our special evening or went somewhere else. Just a warning to others who plan a special night at the Sundial - if something goes wrong - they won't even pretend to care.

Posted 07/09/06

This is a very memorable place that everyone should try once. Twice I have been here, once for my suprise engagment ,and had dinner there on my wedding night. Both times the servers made the evening even sweeter by giving free desserts.
The food is really good, and the menu changes seasonally to provide the freshest ingredients for the dishes. Good drinks, awesome view of Atlanta. Good service, Great Location. Make it an all romatic evening by staying in the Westin Hotel that the restaurant is on top of.

Pros: View, food, ambience

Cons: a little pricy, but worth it.

Posted 06/29/06

You should definitely add this to your list of places to try. The view of Atlanta is absolutely breathtaking. I've been here several times and have yet to be disappointed. The food is great and the service is exceptional.

Posted 04/19/06

I picked up my boyfriend at the airport and I wanted to take him someplace special. Sundial was recommended by a co-worker and our expectation was exceeded.
We went for lunch on a rainy day but had a wonderful dining experience. The service, food and atmosphere were all wonderful. I would highly suggest this to visitors or people that have lived in Atlanta all there life. What a treat and good time.

Posted 01/21/06

We have been here for lunch 2 times and love it. The entree we had was delicious. We usually split one entree and get dessert and it is more than enough for us. The desserts are excellent. The view is spectacular, you get to see all of downtown Atlanta in an hour. Service is very friendly and professional. Very quiet atmosphere and romantic, plenty of space and great ambience. We also loved the complimentary valet parking for restaurant guests!

Pros: Beautiful View, Professional Service, Great Food

Posted 01/06/06

The sun dial is a very romantic place to go n that's about it. Its worth the view and the experience but not the food. The food wasnt that great and the service was also not the best, for what i was paying I didnt get any service in my own opinion. But hey, its worth going to

Pros: view, location

Cons: food, service

Posted 12/28/05

I am not from Atlanta, and my boyfriend is. So when I come up to Atlanta he always tries to show me something new. For our first 'Offical' date as boyfriend and girlfriend he took me to the sun dial bar because we ate eirler in the evening. It was really romantic and we just sat there talking and looking over the spactular view of the city. This is a really great spot to take someone that has not really seen Atlanta, and also it would be good to take someone that has lived there for a while to give them a refreshed view of their city.

Pros: Very Romantic, Good Parking

Cons: Crowded at times

Posted 11/28/05

I went on my 3rd date to the Sundial. I had requested a special dish to be served at our table. Well Guess what the chef came along with the dish to greet us and describe the dish. How cool was that. Needless to say this was prob the BEST dining experience I have ever had. Our server Nurul was very good as well, very non Intruisive.
We shut the place down and then we headed up to the bar and shut that down too. Well All good things do come to an end eventually.
I have read reviews where folks have said its too pricey. I have been to several
decently high end places in Atlanta and this place gives you amazing value for the money you dish out. And the food was just awesome and decently sized too.
Do make reservations as this place tends to fill up.

Pros: food;valet;view

Cons: shuts down @11 :-)

Posted 11/03/05

We recently ate dinner at the Sun Dial for our anniversary. It was everything I expected it to be and more. They seated us fairly fast (we did have reservations). And the service was also timely, not rushed by any means, and everything was just right. Our server was wonderful! The food was delicious! While it is a bit pricey, which is what we expected, we didn't have a problem paying for such great service and food! The view was beautiful! We will definitely go there again!! The Sun Dial is HIGHLY recommended!

Pros: Service, Food, View

Posted 09/11/05

I went to the Sun Dial for lunch. I was very impressed. My name was taken downstairs before getting on the elevator. I was greated by name when I arrived on the 72 floor. The waiter came to my table and greeted me by name and was very personable and helpful. The food was outstanding. The service was extraordinary. The surroundings were impeccable. The view, breath taking. You will certainly enjoy your experience.

Pros: Good value, Elegant, Excellent food

Cons: parking challenging

Posted 06/05/05

The staff was friendly & knowledgeable. They offered service as expected from a more expensive restaurant. At 700+ feet the view was exceptional, and there was nice viewing platforms with signage offering information about the city.

The biggest negative about this place is the food. Nothing was exceptional and did not warrant the $10-20 appetizers, $30-40 entrees. At the end of the day I would say if you aren't particular about your food, you'll probably enjoy. If you've been around the block or have a gourmet palette, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Pros: View, Staff

Cons: Food

Posted 05/14/05

It was a great experience. We had a wonderful time, and the view is something that is unmatched in any other restaurant in Atlanta. I plant to go back may times. The service is friendly and fun, and yet very professional

Posted 10/10/04

The SunDial obviously has great views. We went around twice, i think (goes around once an hour - we timed it :) The service was slow but the staff were all very nice. Food was very good if expensive; didn't have a whole lot of options though. We had steak and pork tenderloin; both were great. It was not very crowded when we went and the only displeasing thing at all was a small group nearby w/ some talkative folks that had too much to drink. We got free dessert w/ an online coupon. While it is not something you'd do all the time it was something every person who lives in Atlanta should do at least once. It made sense for us to have dinner here since we were staying in the hotel and there aren't a ton of close options there. Would recommend.

Pros: Great View, Good food

Cons: , Expensive

Posted 09/03/04

...because I've been 4 times in the last several years and the food has always disappointed. I agree with the critic. Service is inconsistent at best. I think they've become complacent because they have a monopoly on the view.
If you're willing to spend the money, it's hard to beat the view and the resulting atmosphere.

Pros: view, view, view

Cons: , price

Posted 07/08/04

This is by far the most wonderful Restaurant I've been to since I've been here in Atlanta.....Class is what I look for....In a scale from one to 10.....Sun Dial is a 20........It out beats the scale...........I'm very proud of the service carried out at your restaurant and would recommend it to everyone....

Pros: Private, Romantic, Special

Cons: , None, None

Posted 04/06/04

This is a great restaurant/lounge, but it could be even better if they would simply improve their lighting. The only reason people go to this place is for the view of the city, which is worth the trip. But you could see much better if you didn't have light bouncing off the windows. Some parts of the lounge are very dark and others are so bright, it makes the Luxor look like a flashlight.

Pros: Nice view

Cons: Window glare, Expensive

Posted 08/05/03

First, let me say, I am not, nor have I ever been, an employee of the Sun Dial. This restaurant is definitely a MUST SEE, MUST HAVE, MUST DO!!! Very romantic, quaint, peaceful, relaxing.....and on and on. If you have not pleasured yourself by visiting, you are denying yourself. Everything was pleasing and went beyond my expectations.

Pros: Romantic, Delightful, Great Food

Posted 05/31/03

I can't say enough about my experience at Sun Dial. The food, service, atmosphere were to perfection. Definitely go and see, even if you don't chose to eat.

Posted 11/07/02

This is the most romantic restaurant I've been to in a long time. The service is slow but friendly. The food is expensive but tasteful and delicious. And the view is incredible. Our food got a little cold because we were so taken with the view. We spun around for 3 hours in the restaurant then for 2 more upstairs in the lounge. It was a nice treat that everyone should try at least once. My date from out of town really enjoyed it, too!

Pros: Amazing View, Romantic ambience, Can be intimate

Cons: Pricey, Pay fo Parking

Posted 08/21/02

My family took me to lunch here the first week I arrived in Atlanta. I remember more about the view than I do the food, but doesn't everyone? If you visit Atlanta, this is a place you won't want to miss.

Posted 06/25/02

The two reviews below are obviously bias b/c they were written by people who work there. Look at how different they are compared to the others! They even sound like a brochure. Here's a real review:

Great View, mediocre overpriced food, super expensive drinks. When I went my waitress was friendly.

Posted 05/28/02