When revolving restaurants were the cool places to go
Picture this: it’s the 1970s, disco balls are rotating, disco is blasting, everyone’s got terrible haircuts and the hottest date night spot isn’t some swanky club — it’s a restaurant that spins. Like, it literally spins.
Revolving restaurants were the thing back then, and I can’t help but laugh when I think about just how extra they were. You’d get dressed to the nines — think bellbottoms and platforms — waddle up to the top of some tower and sit there eating an avocado Ritz (or some other hors d’oeuvre that is no longer fashionable) while the whole room did a slow twirl around you. It was peak fashion, the ultimate flex; eating dinner on the ground was out, and dining in a twirling tower was in.
A revolving restaurant gives guests a unique dining experience. It physically rotates while you are eating your meal, giving you a 360-degree perspective from wherever you are. The perimeter is glass and the views sensational.
These places were everywhere for a hot minute. The first one popped up in Germany circa 1959 — shoutout to the TV tower in Stuttgart — but by the 1970s, they were spinning their way around the world. The United States went nuts for them; there was one in every big city, from the Space Needle in Seattle to that goofy one in Niagara Falls.
Fun fact: the fastest one ever, in Vegas, could do a whole spin in an hour — imagine trying to keep your soup from sloshing while you’re basically on a Lazy Susan. They were so fancy that people thought they’d be the future of dining forever.
But here’s the twist — now they’re basically extinct. When was the last time you heard someone say, “Let’s hit up that revolving joint in the city”? They went from being the place-to-be to total has-beens. I blame the vertigo — it turns out not everyone loves feeling like they’re on a slow-motion carnival ride while digesting.
Plus, the upkeep was a nightmare; those motors always broke down, leaving people stuck staring at the same parking lot for hours. They also cost a fortune to fix.
There are still a few hanging on — but they’re more nostalgia bait than trendy. I’d still go, though, just to say I ate mashed potatoes while doing a 360. Call it retro chic.
South Africa also jumped on the international trend when it came to adopting this entertaining dining concept.
Many of these establishments around the world were built at the top of communication towers. The intention was to help ease the exorbitant construction costs of these towers. With fewer than 50 revolving restaurants ever established worldwide, let’s dive into the ones that graced our homeland turf.
The Roma Revolving Restaurant, Durban
Situated on the 32nd floor of the John Ross House, this establishment was opened in February 1973 by Bartholomeo Ribero, Cosimo Turi and Gino Leopardi. It has the best views when it comes to seeing the City of Durban and the sea. Today, it is advertised on the website as “the only revolving restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere”, and as far as revolving restaurants go, it’s true. The rest have shut up shop.
The website goes on to say that it is only one of three revolving restaurants in the world. The Roma has a speed control mechanism that reduces or increases the speed at which the restaurant revolves from anywhere between 60 to 90 minutes per revolution.
The restaurant, which serves Italian cuisine, is owned by the Reelin Group and managed by the Leopardi brothers. You can visit today and expect traditional Italian specialities such as antipasti, pastas, carpaccio and insalata di frutta di mare.
I’ve never been to this restaurant before, but I read their menu online and saw that they also serve crocodile steak. This cut of meat comes from the tail and is slow-grilled, then served with an onion, mushroom, Dijon mustard and thick cream sauce.
Famous people who have dined here include Anant Singh, Amitabh Bachan, Shah Rukh Khan, Margaret Thatcher and Jimmy Carter.
The Grill Room and Heinrich’s Restaurant, Johannesburg
This restaurant is located on the top of the Telkom Joburg Tower, better known as the Hillbrow Tower. It was originally called the JG Strijdom Tower.
Construction of the tower began in June 1968. Standing at 269 metres tall, it was once the tallest structure in Africa until 2021, but it remains the tallest telecommunications tower in sub-Saharan Africa.
The tower housed two rotating restaurants: The Grill Room and Heinrich’s Restaurant. Both restaurants opened in 1971 but closed in 1981, along with the entire tower, because of security concerns.
Since then, the tower has been closed to the general public and is used as office space for Telkom.
The Grill Room seated 113 people, while Henrich’s Restaurant seated 108 guests. This restaurant turned a full 360 degrees on the hour with only a three-horsepower motor. When it was full, it weighed 64 metric tons.
Revolving Restaurant, Bloemfontein
The building, with the restaurant located on the 26th floor of the CR Swart Building, was constructed in the 1970s. After 1994, it was renamed the Fidel Castro Building. Some describe it as “The Pride of the Free State” because it is so distinct on the Bloemfontein skyline.
The restaurant closed in the 1990s. The space was temporarily used as an office for a cellphone company. It was then neglected and degraded further by vandalism and occupied by homeless people looking for a place to sleep.
Fast forward to 2014 and, according to the Bloemfontein Courant, the restaurant underwent a R4.6 million renovation. This rejuvenation effort was unfortunately not married to the right partner. Many attempts were made to lease out the space but, today, the revolving restaurant stands neglected and empty.
Top of the Ritz Revolving Restaurant, Cape Town
The restaurant is on the 23rd floor of the iconic, once-glitzy Ritz Hotel in Sea Point. Its appearance resembles that of a spaceship, and it was a popular hangout spot in the early 1970s.
The 213-room Ritz Hotel, which stands 80m tall, is non-operational today.
This was an innovative hotel for its time because it was built in a modular form. The bathrooms and bedrooms were prebuilt off-site and dropped in one by one from the top. It won many awards in the early 1970s for the way in which it was constructed.
In 2017, the restaurant was renovated during a major hotel upgrade. But it was once again closed, this time because of a legal dispute between its owner and the new management.
In its heyday, the restaurant made a full rotation every 60 minutes and served seven-course meals that included Knysna oysters and an avocado Ritz (of course). Sydney Joseph was the first restaurant manager of this establishment, and the cuisine and service were what truly put this hotel on the map.
Today, the restaurant sits like a mothballed spaceship on the Cape Town skyline.
Isn’t it interesting how, even in real estate, novelties such as rotating restaurants come in and out of fashion?
One thing that all these slow-motion dining establishments have in common is that the 1970s wasn’t just the era of bellbottom pants and disco fever; it was the time when grub had to groove, and your rotating restaurant was on the move.
They are the disco balls of the dining world: fun to reminisce about, but you wouldn’t want one in your house.
Safe to say, the era of rotating restaurants has since ended. Although there are incredible panoramic views, it seems South Africans are no longer flocking to these once-iconic establishments.
Long live The Roma Revolving Restaurant in Durban, South Africa’s last one that is still operational.
Ask Ash examines South Africa’s property, architecture and living spaces. Continue the conversation with her on email (ash@askash.co.za) and X (@askashbroker).