Zen Rooftop Bar — Restaurant in Northern Territory

I recently visited Zen Rooftop in Darwin and had a mixed experience. Let me start with the positives. The atmosphere at Zen Rooftop is truly delightful. The rooftop setting offers stunning views of the cityscape, and the overall ambiance is serene and relaxing. It's a perfect spot to unwind and enjoy a drink while taking in the beautiful surroundings.

Speaking of drinks, Zen Rooftop offers an impressive selection. The bar menu features a variety of creative cocktails, wine, and other beverages to suit different tastes. I particularly enjoyed their signature cocktails, which were expertly crafted and full of flavor. The drinks definitely added to the overall enjoyment of the experience.

Now, onto the disappointing aspect. During the afternoon, Zen Rooftop provides all-you-can-eat snacks, which is a great concept. However, my excitement quickly turned into disappointment when one of the staff/owner who's a bit old approached our table and informed us that we needed to purchase a drink in order to consume the food, and we actually did purchase drinks, so for him to assume that we did not purchase any drinks was very rude.

While I understand that establishments have their own policies and need to ensure customers are making purchases, it would have been helpful if this information was communicated clearly upfront. It felt a bit misleading to have a "complimentary" snack offering only to be told that a drink purchase was mandatory to partake in it. This situation could have been easily avoided by providing clear information beforehand or offering alternative options for those who may not wish to purchase a drink.

Overall, despite the disappointing encounter with the staff's approach regarding the drink purchase, Zen Rooftop Darwin does offer a fantastic atmosphere and a great selection of drinks. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing rooftop experience with beautiful views. Just be aware of the drink policy when it comes to the all-you-can-eat snacks to avoid any...

I must say I agree with the view from the rooftop that it is amazingly awe-inspiring, especially for sunset catching up with mates. Unfortunately, my very first experience with the staff named Dane or Den doesn't say so. It happend last Thursday night 5/6/25 to be exact, my friends and I have gone for a drink with the view at Zen rooftop. He came asked us if we're staying in their hotel, which we said no and told us right in our face how the complimentary snack can only be avail by purchasing minimum of $10 each (which we already saw and read) and that beacuse "we did it last night"(without even asking if it's our first time or been their before)..I assume whoever those people are probably purchased not enough to avail the complimentary snack but eat anyway. Though, we even told him it was our first time being there, and he blatantly ignored it by saying he'll let the bar know. The total cost we purchased was $34, which we know is not enough. Hence, there's only 2 people who go to get snacks, and we intend to go to warf to eat anyway. 1 friend is just heartbroken that she wants to stay in rooftop for a while for a drink because of the view. We felt like we've been stereotyped that night, made us feel we couldn't afford it, and not felt welcome with that rude approach and remarks by the staff. I must have high expectations in the retail industry due to the culturally diverse and being in Darwin for 20 years that the customer service should have already been continually evolving to adapt. I'm sorry to say that's not what I felt that night and that their customer service needed a lot of work on I must say. I don't recommend this place to anyone for...

The Ramada was highly recommended to us. We booked well in advance for the MX GP event. We were greeted with a complimentary drink to take to our room and another complimentary drink on the rooftop bar. The room was tidy and well presented. Had everything we needed. The bed was very comfy. It was extremely disappointing that they were doing pool maintenance during our stay, however they did offer shuttles and free entry to the Darwin Ski Club. It seemed like an oversight to have pool works going on during a major tourism event. The floors were a little dirty, like they needed a good mopping and the white clinical lights were a bit aggressive but that's my personal preference for warm white lights. The utensils were great and I like they had little photos on the drawers so you knew where everything lived. No noise or issues in that respect. Despite being on level 11 and the bar above us, it was quiet and peaceful. The rooftop bar was very stunning. It could be very noisy when you first go outside with families and kids, but there were quiet spots to sit as it is 360 views which my partner and I appreciated greatly. The drinks were fairly priced. More beer selection would have been good as there were only two on tap. The Bain Marie service could have been more varied in selection but what was there was yummy and there seemed to be a lot of snacks for kids. Can't really beat a free meal. The service staff were very friendly and accomodating. We were given a slightly later check out so we could go pick up our rental car the morning we left which was very kind at no...