Eat And Enjoy Stunning California Views In The Sky At This Iconic Revolving Restaurant
If you're a fan of unique restaurants and enjoying local eateries while traveling, make sure to put the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on your list of places to go next. On the top floor of the 17-story building near the city's famed Embarcadero, you'll find their Regency Club, which has 360-degree-views of the city. But once you fill your plate at the buffet and take your seat, you don't even have to move to experience the full view — the restaurant moves for you. That's right, it's a revolving restaurant.
You can start your meal looking out over the bay at some of San Francisco's well-known landmarks, like the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge. Then 10 minutes later, you'll find yourself gazing at the skyscrapers of the city's Financial District and watching the pedestrians and cars buzz through the streets far below you. To get in, you'll need to be either a World of Hyatt Globalist Elite Tier guest (try saying that three times fast) or you'll need to book the Revolve at the Regency Package. The restaurant rotates in 3-hour blocks of time in the mornings or evenings, depending on if it's open for service. You can get an impressive continental breakfast Wednesday through Sunday or an honor bar and small plates service in the evenings Tuesday through Saturday.
The rotating restaurant had been a staple in San Francisco for decades
The revolving dining destination overlooking the City by the Bay had been a highlight of the hotel since it opened in 1973, but back then, it was called the Equinox restaurant. That restaurant (and the spinning) shut down in 2007, and it remained motionless for nearly two decades. Dennis Alcaire, an engineer who's worked at the hotel since the late 1970s, helped spearhead the work to get the restaurant moving again for its reopening in late May 2024.
It took months of work of dedicated work to get the restaurant back up and running. But in April 2024, things clicked into place. Alcaire told ABC7 what it felt like when the team's efforts finally paid off saying, "You could see the grout line just move ever so slowly, just inching along. I just froze right there, just watched and got that feeling of 17 years ago. It was pretty exciting." It's truly a one-of-kind destination in the city, and any visit there is sure to remembered fondly for a long time.
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco has additional appeal
The hotel has more than just a revolving restaurant to draw you in, especially if you're a fan of art and architecture. The lobby of the brutalist-style building is the world's largest. The centerpiece of the 17-story open atrium is the "Eclipse," a massive aluminum sculpture by Charles O. Perry that shares its name with the restaurant in the lobby. And, while that restaurant doesn't have the bird's eye views of the city that the Regency Club does, it serves some quality California wines, and well-known West Coast dishes like Crab Louis salad. You can get a unique view of the lobby and the sculpture from the hotel's glass elevators. However, you do have to be a guest and have a room key card to access them.
While it may not be one of the most filmed California locations, the wedge-shaped building was featured in a number of movies from the 1970s, including "High Anxiety," Mel Brooks' spoof on Alfred Hitchcock movies, and "The Towering Inferno," the classic disaster movie starring Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. So, whether you're a foodie, art lover, or movie aficionado, skip staying at an AirbnB or VRBO on your next trip to San Francisco, and book a room at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.