The Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View — Restaurant in Atlanta

Incredible experience. The Sun Dial is a “high” end restaurant and venue, located on the 72nd floor of the Westin Hotel in Atlanta. Forewarned is forearmed — food and drinks here are excessively pricy, so ensure you have deep pockets and cash to spare.

I visited here on my 31st birthday, alongside my sister. Together, it was truly a memorable experience for me. I laud it as a once-in-a-lifetime event. If you ever find yourself in Atlanta — do yourself a favor, dine here.

Parking, I don't have any tips in particular, as we walked to the restaurant directly from the Georgia Aquarium, and had parked in its attached garage. Our brief, scenic route took us through Centennial Park, the colored Olympic rings, straight into a grand hotel lobby entrance for the Westin, with revolving doors to boot. Head up the stairs, and the signs pointing to reception for the Sun Dial are unmistakeable.

I recommend booking a reservation online, at around the cusp of sunset and nighttime ideally, so you can see both the day wind down and the (famed) wondrous nighttime city view of downtown Atlanta. I hastily booked it much earlier than sunset -- at 6:15pm -- as it was the only slot available to me, on my birthday which falls on a Friday this year, the first week of magnificent July.

We were ushered into an open-glass elevator, with worthwhile views looking out into the cityscape of Atlanta, as it ascends. It stops on the 72nd floor, and drops you into a waiting room, with the final reception and checkpoint for seating, straight ahead.

Drinks — we ordered White Chocolate Mudslide & Atlanta Hurricane. The Mudslide is essentially a glorified “milkshake” with a hefty price tag, but it was sweet and chocolatey and hit the spot. In hindsight, I would skip it, as most burger spots can make equivalent shakes. The Atlanta Hurricane came in rimmed with a fresh strawberry & pineapple, with both halves of the colored liquids mirroring the fruity tastes. I laud its interesting flavor, and would get it the next time.

Appetizers — Fried Calamari, and complementary bread (white and sourdough) with butter. Bread was solid, not great. Calamari was worth it, and comes with fried pickles, which may not be everyone’s jam. I spent way too much time eating the pickles, and “clearing the way” so to speak. This effort was largely wasted. Just go for calamari, and be warned, the dish is served with lot of pickles.

Entrees — Halibut & Filet Mignon w/ Whipped Potatoes. I tasted the Halibut and it was just so-so, my sister enjoyed it. I had the Filet Mignon, and the price was a close second to the days-aged strip steak, which cost almost a mind-blowing, head-turning, & eye-popping 100$, understated as a “pretty penny”. I would rate it as above-average & ultimately not worth the exorbitant price tag. Let’s fact it, there are upscale restaurants that can do better, for much less. However, it was worth it, when the ambiance is taken into consideration.

Ambiance — Speaking of, there are great window views to be had, and family-photo-worthy scenes to be snapped. After our meal, we took the short flight of stairs up & strolled around, exploring the observatory and above deck. I would likewise recommend taking a tour of the place, time allowing.

Final thoughts — The receipt is attached, so food+drink pricing can be weighed and taken into consideration. I am detracting a star for the super-high prices & underwhelming taste. This is definitely the most expensive sit-down spot I’ve been to (so far), but worth it for a first-time experience. The stunning views alone — indoors and otherwise — ensure this. As a keepsake, one is given the option of taking home the original drink glasses, which is a sublime touch.

All in all, this was a wonderful way to spend my birthday with family, and we both enjoyed the views and sit-down experience at the “high” end Sun Dial restaurant.

I heartily recommend to others who likewise visit Atlanta, as this is a “must-go” experience. Especially if it is your birthday, there is no better way to spend the evening in...

I booked a table for one on Christmas night for their pre fixe dinner. Not my first time here but will definitely be my last. My server had extremely low energy, barely said hello. I’m giving some grace for his lack luster (or lack thereof) greeting because who wants be to work on Christmas Day? I ordered all of my course selections and cocktails at his first arrival to the table, because I knew I was one of the last reservations to be seated and wanted to be respectful of their closing time.

The presentation of the amuse was very basic. Crostini, small slice of brie, and a dot of some sort of jam that had dried on top. I assume these were premade ahead of time and left out. The first course was a Caesar salad drenched in dressing. It felt more like a Caesar dressing soup. I did not complain and ate what I could. Second course, grilled artichoke. I was expecting the artichoke to be hot, it was not even lukewarm. Again, I did not complain. By now, I’m an amuse and two courses in. My server had not returned to the table to check on me at all, since he first arrived. I was ready for my second cocktail and I had to call his name from a distance to get him to come over. Although I was expecting the fourth course to arrive next, the entree course came instead. I took one bite of the parpadelle spinach mushroom pasta. It was way over cooked not even close to Al dente. This was my final straw. Once again, I had to call my server over. I asked about the fourth course, to which he informed me they had “ran out of”. Why was in it told this upon arrival or at least before being surprised with the entree course? I imagine had I not familiarized myself with the pre fixe menu, I would have never known and still paid the full cost for six courses even though one was never delivered. Once I told him that the pasta was way over cooked, I asked him to please bring me one of the other entrees minus the shellfish-based component ( I have an allergy) he did not apologize or even acknowledge the mushy pasta and informed me that he would ask the chef for the alternative entree but couldn’t make any promises. He mentioned that he would see what kind of “call” or “chewing out” he would get about my desire for a new entree as to imply that the chef would be upset/annoyed with my ask to switch to something else. Some time passed by, and I never received an update from the server, but Candace, the manager, came over with the new entree. I thanked her and proceeded to eat what was in front of me. A bland snapper fillet, lukewarm mashed potatoes and greasy, overcooked green beans. I couldn’t even finish it. I would also like to add that my server or the server assistants never marked me with new silverware between courses. I had to ask different employees for new silverware each time.

I asked another employee to send the manager over. Candace came over and I told her that I was astounded at the lack of attention to detail and disappointed at the inattentiveness of my server. I asked her to please bring me the check. She apologized and brought the check over with my two cocktails removed as a consolation for my terrible experience. I told her I appreciated her, but that the pre fixe cost ($139) should also be adjusted considering I did not receive two of the six courses ( the fourth and the sixth/dessert course). She then adjusted the check to reflect a 20% discount, and asked me to give the Sundial another shot in the future. I appreciate her, but I definitely will never be back. This was not the experience I wanted to have on my birthday.

To add something positive, I will say that the hosts both downstairs and upstairs were very kind and friendly. Also the pear martini...

Beautiful venue with amazing sites of the Atlanta skyline. My husband took me here for my birthday and I was so excited by his choice.

The Sun Dial Room is reservation only and access is through a direct elevator enclosed in glass. If you are afraid of heights closing your eyes is recommended. I personally enjoyed the view on the way up and was able to clearly see the cityscape and the evening traffic. Also The elevator space is like a cylinder so it's tighter than the average elevator. If you are claustrophobic maybe travel with just one other person for your personal comfort.

The sundial room is accessed level 72 of the Westin however the restaurant is two levels (level 71 and 72). On the upper level you are able to check in as well as walk around the floor and see multiple vignettes of the Atlanta skyline. There are large tablets with details of the buildings within a specific view as well as telescopes to get a closer look of the city. Dining is downstairs on level 71. The restaurant used to have a slow rotating floor that literally spun you around so you can see a 360 view of the surrounding city however that aspect is no longer an option. We still very much enjoyed our stationary view and didn't take much away too from the overall experience.

Our server Peter was excellent! He was so personable and gave great recommendations on the menu. Anything we had questions on he was able to explain in a way that was simple and concise. The food was expensive and portion sizes were small, but it was delicious and very well cooked. I would not dine here often, but worth it on a special occasion for the ambience and service.

Just a warning now, DO NOT USE ANY OTHER ELEVATOR BESIDES THE GLASS ELEVATOR ONCE YOU GET TO SUN DIAL ROOM. I wore heels and wanted to use the restroom which was on the upper level. I made the mistake of getting into a standard elevator towards the middle of the building in order to get upstairs. Since I was not a guest, I did not have a room key to access any of the floors so I could not access floor 72 nor could I open the doors on 71 to get back to my table. I was afraid that I was going to be stuck in the elevator with no way to reach my husband since my phone did not have service once inside. The elevator did not have a call "for help" button, only an alarm which no one seemed to hear (I asked my husband if he heard me banging on the door and ringing the alarm and he heard nothing). After a few minutes inside and calming myself down, I tried pressing the lobby floor button and the elevator took me down all the way back to the bottom of the hotel. Fortunately I was not stuck however it was a scary moment and inconvenient/embarrassing having to travel all the way back up on the glass elevator.

With that being said if there is a person in your party that would need wheelchair access, you may want to mention that when the making the reservation. I would imagine that someone in that circumstance would be able to access the sundial room using the standard elevator with access from an employee because the Sun Dial room elevator only goes to floor 72 and not 71 which is the level for...