Top of Daytona Restaurant Review

Went there for drinks and appetizers, were pleased with both. Margaritas are pretty good and are not short of tequila. Drinks prices are very reasonable, especially during the happy hour (3-6pm). The personnel is extremely friendly and prompt.

Beautiful view good food wonderful fun entertainment. A fun place to celebrate being on top of the world

Really hate to write a bad review about any business but.... Vegetarian UNfriendly.. Terrible waitress.. When we received our dishes.. The food was very bland (which anyone would think a fancy restaurant would jazz it up a bit with no meat). Asked for a manager.. He came over with the owner Tony. We explained why we didn't eat the dish.. We were inturrupted by the manager.. Was told that there would be no flavor because it comes from the chicken..... Asked about the other dish.. I told them it would be rude to eat my dish while my wifes dish is un-eatable. The owner inturrupted and said "fine fine just leave this here and leave" made us feel very unwelcomed and quite embarrassed. We sat in a corner.. Near no one.. Very poor service.. Food.. And a very outdated atmosphere. Ill never go back.. And would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Great service, and they can make a mean Manhattan but the food is very lacking. I had to put salt on Lamb Chops! The sauce they used was boring and had no real flavor, mushroom dip was minus flavor and the toasted bread for it, was more stale hard than toasted. The house salad looked like someone shook a just opened iceberg lettuce head onto a plate and stole some tomatoe slices from a BK Whopper. At least the service was excellent and very accommodating. Overall, the view is what you pay for, and as nice as it is I'd much rather eat elsewhere.
PS, the salt did not make the chops better...

The food was delicious. Our waiter Dakota had our drinks filled at all times and he was a pleasure throughout the night. It was a great way to spend our Easter dinner.

We visited this place for my wife's 30 bday on 6/18/16, Just the two of us and everything was great. The food was price just right! The view was great and so was the service!! We ordered the salmon and shrimp and the chicken and shrimp and the taste was wonderful. Would recommend this place for couples for sure!!

Looking for quality food and a great view Top of Daytona is the place to be !

Chose to sit in the west side with a view of the Intercoastal Waterway

Great view. The food, well little overpriced for boxed croutons, bagged cheese, box buns, and butter packets! It could and maybe once was a great place but every corner has been cut in the kitchen to give you a sub par product. It is my belief that the decor is original, let go of the past and update the place before you charge the prices you do for mediocre food and 7 dollar house rum. Try cutting a lime to put with my drink for that price!

360 great view GREAT food a must for a fancy night out

Menu is extremely limited & for the price, it's subpar. I bought a groupon & even then, I felt like I didn't get the value for the price.

Very expensive. Interesting location, but that's really the only good point.

Great food, but they were out of what I wanted. Great views. Both of our glasses were dirty but quickly replaced. We had salads & pasta Primavera. Tasty sauce & veggies done perfectly.

Amazing views, service and food! I would definitely recommend. Best time to go (in my opinion) is during sunset. Bring a date!

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary here. My husband is almost completely deaf, and is handicapped. They immediately offered us a table that was the furthest from handicap accessible, and then looked at us like we were from Mars when we asked them to remove a chair so he could pull his wheelchair to the table. Food wasn't too bad. Salads were warm...no real crunch. Decor was old and outdated... But what really ruined the experience was the manager letting a group (about 20 feet away) bust out there fiddle and banjo and start singing (horribly) while we ate. When confronted about the musical disturbance, the manager apologized and offered us a coupon for our next visit (as if we'd ever return).

Not worth it.
Go to chilis, or Applebee's.

$35 Steak was chewy, and the manager was rude about it. Don't waste your money.

Awesome night! Great food, and amazing views. Top notch will! Be back.

This place is pretty amazing. It has the most incredible view of daytona. Our waiter hunter was absolutely kind and amazing. It looks absolutely beautiful since reopening. However the food was sub-par. For as much as I spent I expected more. But all in all I would definitely recommend and would return

Had a great dinner tonight at the top of Daytona. We got the hot garlic shrimp, strip steak and the pork chop all of which were very good. The couple next to us had a meltdown because their meal wasn t cooked the way they wanted it and the service was a bit slow. However, I understand that the restaurant has just gotten back up and running. Our waitress was very nice and overall it was a great experience.

Dinner here was absolutely delectable and view of the ocean was magnificent. We were there at 5:30 for Early bird. Prices were good, however, I think salad and dessert should have been included in the price of the entree. Will make this our staple during every visit to Daytona. Incidentally, the cosmopolitans were excellent!

The views are hard to beat, it really is the Top of Daytona, being on the 29th floor, but the food is way overpriced and sub-standard. We actually got sick that evening from the dinner we had here (salmon and scallops entree). The live music is pretty terrible too - it's an older guy playing 80's style synthesizer tunes on an electronic keyboard. The atmosphere calls for some classic music, yet all you hear is this awful noise. I'd only recommend it for the views and maybe their 4-6pm early dinner options, which are cheaper. Certainly not coming back again!

Went with friends for some drinks. Live music and staff were great! Spectacular view. Great "lounge" atmosphere at the bar. Will definitely return!

Slow service!!! My scallops came out raw sent back and they brought the same Plate back ice cold the chef said they were done!!!! Server was horrified. Owner didn't care whatsoever !!!!! Don't waste your time!

Great views and food! Server was new and needed basic training as to simple things like refilling drinks and clearing plates in a timely fashion, otherwise, great experience!

Sadly, a poor experience. We went for my moms birthday. She requested her meal to be served without cauliflower couscous, and replaced with potatoes. The server brought out her meal cauliflower still intact saying the kitchen messed up. I ll bring out your potatoes. Meaning she was to scrape the unwanted side off of her main course. As her daughter, I requested they make her a new dish, which is poor I had to make the request at all.

We waited a very long time for everything. Fed several excuses as to why drinks had not been brought out. A busser would clear 1 or 2 items, leaving dirty dishes and not return for quite some time. We were really hoping for this iconic restaurant of Daytona to come back with a bang, but it seemed to be run by kids.

The price point of the restaurant assumes a fine-dining experience. It was far from it. I could continue with Several other details that should be much more streamlined, but instead I will suggest finding another restaurant. The Chart House and Takeya are two favorites of mine.

The only pleasant experience of this venue are the views.

As we were leaving, another couple was complaining about similar circumstances.... save your time or just have low expectations.

Good food. Inexpensive if you go during early bird i think from 3-6. Dinner for two with drinks and tip was under 50. Great view. Its worth just going for the view in my opinion.

Dakota was an amazing server. All drinks were filled at all times and the food was excellent. So happy to spend Easter dinner here!

Absolutely the worst food and service. Was so disappointed after paying over $200 to leave hungry!

Food was good. Was expecting a piano, but it was a keyboard, view was great except for all the bird poop on the window. Needs an update.

Be sure to stop here for the early bird specials, otherwise a cool place.

Had a great dinner at Top of Daytona! It has incredible views that is really hard to beat anywhere. Food was delicious. Overall, it is a perfect date night location.

They have just reopened, was closed for renovation since hurricane Matthew. Food was wonderful! Service excellent! A true "Daytona Original".

This place is amazing. It's a slice of old Florida. The building was built in 1973 and I believe there has been a restaurant up top since the get go. It doesn't have the flare of a modern foodie hipster place that usually comes and goes in a year. Which in a way makes it very hip. We had Lobster and the beef stroganoff. Both were very good and the portions were just right. I read in other reviews and there were complaints about the portion size. I'm a big eater and left full. It did take a bit of time to get the food,but when your 400 feet over the Atlantic and the InterCoastal while the sun is setting, it's not an issue. We had 2 entree's wine and 2 cocktails and were out the door at just $100. The cocktails were $25, but in my opinion you're not just paying for the items ordered you are paying for the view and it was worth every dime.

John & Patricia Moses Disappointed...broughtv6 people to dine. No bread for us though requested after people who arrived 20 minutes after us; one party's requested "medium" T-Bone served rate to med- rare; wife's snapper "dinner" consisted of chunks and not a fleet; my shrimp scampi was very basically 4 shrimp with a large plate of pasta with no standard house salad offer entree.....Total bill over $400 for 6 people.

***READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO!!!!!!!!!!***

Summary: Turn around, go to McDonald's, and tip the guy at the grill $50. I promise it will be a better value and the food will be better.

***Let me start by saying that my entire family is full of Foodies. We eat out often and always try new places. We don't mind paying $100 for a meal as long as it is prepared well and served to us by friendly staff.***

My family used to frequent this restaurant when it was owned by Sophie Kay, many years ago. It was absolutely amazing. The food was great, the decor beautiful and the atmosphere second to none.

Then the restaurant was sold. Poorly prepared food trying to pass for expensive entrees, second rate decor, a disappointing atmosphere.

My father finally returned several years ago thinking maybe they had turned it around. Nope.

Recently my husband and I looked at the menu and thought maybe they had FINALLY improved things or come under newer ownership.

At the bottom area where the elevator takes you up and I immediately thought "Yikes. Look at this decor. Look at the photos of the 'entertainers'." I almost suggested we just walk away. (GOD how I wish we would have!)

As we stepped onto the 29th floor, I was even more embarrassed by the decorum than I had been in the ground floor waiting area. It was extremely outdated. Then walking up to the hostess desk, I saw a sign that claimed the restaurant had received an award as one of Daytona's best restaurants in 2012. That is the only reason we stayed for dinner. In retrospect, I would bet $1000 that had been a piece of paper an employee had just created in photoshop and printed to keep patrons from turning away at the first sight of the ghastly decor and dreary atmosphere.

We were seated. There was a man playing an extremely poorly tuned guitar and singing. Off key. Our waiter came. He was nice enough. Beautiful view. Then our food began to arrive...

Lobster tower - $18 - they fail to mention the secret ingredient of "HAIR" listed in the description. We were brought a new one, which took a very long time, and were still expected to pay after being traumatized by our opening dish.

Caprese Salad - $9 - dry, stale mozzarella, warm tomatoes, a couple old basil leaves and about a teaspoon of balsamic reduction (which tasted just a little worse than what I buy in the supermarket).

Caesar Salad with Ranch - $5 - small portion and warm, not crispy and cold. Decent taste.

Cream of Vegetable Soup - $5 or so - taste wasn't bad, but very runny. Not satisfying. I could have made a 10x better soup at home in 30 minutes.

Chilean Sea Bass - $35 - cold and gooey in the middle, not crisp on the outside, and not even a decent sized portion. Included potatoes which were actually the highlight of both our meals.

Relax riesling - $9 a glass (Sold for $7 a bottle in grocery stores). The best thing I had all night aside from the potatoes.

My husband told the waiter about the fish and he looked at him like he had just farted. No offer to recook, replace, or remove from check.

We opted to not have dessert as we had already wasted enough money on decently conceived yet extremely poorly executed dishes.

We told the waiter we were extremely disappointed in the food overall, and didn't really enjoy anything aside from the potatoes. No offer to do anything to make it up to us. Again, just looked at us as if we had just broken wind.

Check - $78. I handed the waiter $100 in 20 dollar bills and he asked if he could keep it all. I told him I needed change and he looked angry. I left him a $12 tip.

So a total of $90.

At the hostess stand, we told the manager how much we had disliked the food and she blamed it on our tastes.

Afterwords, my husband and I went to Baskin Robbins and got ice cream for a grand total $10. I would have felt 100 times better if I had given THEM the $90. The quality was better, the staff was nicer, and the atmosphere much more pleasant.

This was the worst restaurant experience I've had in my life. I have nightmares about it still. Took my father out and my family for his birthday and we waited over 1:45 minutes. Yes, one hour and 45 minutes and the food never arrived. It was unbelievable. I've never been so upset by an establishment. Do not go to this place.

Our server's name was Robert. He took great care of my wife and I. He kept us laughing. The prices are very affordable with a beautiful view! We look forward to dining at On Top of Daytona Restaurant again.

Terrible food. Terribke service. Nice view if you have an outer perimeter table. Would not go back or recommend.

Best dinner hands down!!! Food was beyond excellent was prepared and cooked to perfection, service was prompt and very knowledgeable about the menu and drinks!! Live music was a plus and manager coming to the table to check and make sure we was enjoying everything so highly recommend this for a great evening and the view is amazing!!!

The only thing keeping this from being 5 stars is that they are serving an abbreviated menu while they seek a new executive chef. However, whoever is cooking now sure knows what he's (she's) doing. We went there on Saturday night for my wife's birthday. First of all, the view is fabulous. The restaurant is located atop the tallest building in the area. I chose this restaurant based on their online menu. As stated earlier, the actual menu they're serving is abbreviated. I ordered the 14 oz. NY Strip Steak. It was cooked to perfection exactly as I like it. My wife and daughter ordered the "Catch of the Day", seared Red Snapper. Both said it was delicious. I tasted a piece and concurred. It was great. If my steak wasn't so good, I would be perfectly satisfied with the Red Snapper.
We plan to go back in May for our anniversary. Hopefully, their full menu will be available then. Even with the abbreviated menu, I can heartily recommend the Top of Daytona. You won't be disappointed.

One of the areas best locations to have dinner.
The food is just OK, nothing to write about really.
Its really the atmosphere that sales the place.
Service is fair.

This place is the absolute worst! Please do not waste your time or money on these rude, disgusting people. We went here and spent 10 minutes waiting for someone to even acknowledge us. Afterwards, we spent 20 minutes sitting at the table as no one bothered to get us drinks or take our order. We were irate when the table next to us who arrived 10 minutes after us was promptly served. We immediately went back to the entrance to speak to the manager, but of course they couldn't get a hold of him. The server who apparently was the one who was supposed to take care of us gave us a horribly pathetic story stating that he was busy (even though the restaurant probably had 15 people in there). If I am about to spend over $100 at a restaurant, I do not want to receive service that lacks any decency, is rude, time-wasting, or absolutely horrible. The view was very nice I have to say, however we did walk out of there extremely upset. Be forewarned!

I ate at this place, because a family member of mine invited us to have dinner. I only knew about it, because of the movie Days of Thunder. It has a great view of Daytona, including the famous Daytona International Speedway. The food was good, as well as the service .

Our server was very nice. Great restaurant and cool view!

I had a great experience at Top of Daytona. Our server was David he was very knowledgeable of the menu and suggested the crab cakes and hot garlic shrimp as an appetizer the food was amazing all though it took a little time for our entrees the restaurant was very busy and when we got our entrees they were hot and cooked perfectly I had the Sea bass and my husband had the porter house with lobster and scallops it was all very well prepared and delicious I will return and as I said the service from our server David was phenomenal!

Beautiful views, great food and service. We ll be back!

Food was delicious, view was amazing!! service was a little slow.

Dakota was WONDERFUL! thanks so much for making our night at the top of Daytona so great!

Would not presently recommend - so sad because the views are spectacular and we were aware they went through an extended rebuilding process following the hurricanes. Service was extremely slow and inconsistent. Our waiter made excuses for shortcomings and management never stopped by to check. One of our family's plates was served with the wrong item and it was suggested they "scrape it off onto another plate or eat around it." It was suggested by a member of our party that the plate be returned to the kitchen and re-fired - the waiter finally agreed. Refills for water had to be requested. - each time Be sure to ask questions about portion sizes with regards to smaller menu items as the party next to us was deeply disappointed with the tiny size of the Pressed Watermelon Salad they received. Waiter claimed bread was hot and freshly baked upon arrival to the table but it was cool to the touch. I hope management can address the issues and restore confidence for better service both on the floor and in the kitchen. Price & service did not meet or exceed expectations.

It was over the top! Great food and a great view. Second time there. Will go again!

Food was great. Service (Dakota) was awesome!

We will return often.

Absolutely the worst dining experience I've ever had. Wouldn't go back for free.

I'm only giving one star forthe view! We sat for almost 2 hrs and no food. Managers didn't offer to comp.our food or offer us any compensation. We walked out frustrated and starving. Never to return. Handled the matter very unprofessional and alit of excuses.

Had an absolutely AMAZING Easter dinner at top of Daytona, Our server Dakota, was incredible, our drinks never went dry and he was there with everything we needed. The food was spectacular! Decadent and filling, 10/10 would recommend. Definitely will be here again

This was the most amazing place!!! My husband and I went there for our two year anniversary yesterday evening. The service was amazing along with the food and the view!!! I'm coming back soon

The last time I was there, Hugh Fuller was hurling through the water off-shore and WON(of course) with

Commander Mikey flyin' chopper/rescue I MUST ADD,
and had a Fine time with Lisa(of course) watching the race. And I remember after having way too much red wine, flirting with the russian girl waitress who was so beautiful.

DO NOT MISS.

We had an excellent experience tonight mainly due to our host and server Allan. He was positive and pleasant, definitely a highlight to our vacation. The New York Strip and Bone-In Pork Chop were cooked perfectly, compliments to the chef, it was seasoned perfectly and paired well with red wine and prosecco. The view was amazing and the evening ended well with a delicious chocolate molten lava cake and ice cream with fruit and a hot cup of decaf coffee. Thank you Allan!

View is amazing. . Staff not the finest .. hired from a two star enviroment. .. nice menu... good prices, very enjoyable

My wife and I went here for our Anniversary. We have eaten at many, many restaurants throughout the southeast and Caribbean, but the dinner here was outstanding, not to mention the exemplary service Rick our waiter provided. Definitely top notch!

Worst experience ever. The service was terrible. We waited 40 minutes for our appetizer which was a huge disappointment. The food was overpriced and terrible. Lots of excuses from the waitress who really didn't seem like she wanted to be there and the manager who tried to tell us this is a 5-star restaurant (not) and we have to understand. I told him this is nowhere near a 5-star restaurant. I have eaten in 5-star restaurants and this is definitely not one. Don't waste your money or time.

Dakota was an AWESOME waiter! We love this restaurant

The renovations they have done looks great but unfortunately the food and service did not meet expectations. We are local and dine at other high end restaurants in the area like Hyde Park and The Chart House. We expected something similar for the price. I had a 14 oz ribeye that was 37.00. My wife had a 8 oz filet that was 42.00. Everything is a la cart so these prices do not include anything else. We ordered some Mac and cheese, 8.00, collard greens, 6.00 as sides. The steaks were pretty good but the sides were served just warm and the Mac and cheese was almost cold in the middle. We sent it back to be warmed up but we finished our complete meal before they brought it back to the table. We had to wait on drinks from the bar an excessive amount of time. They were not very busy. The restaurant was half full. You would expect a restaurant, that is charging these prices, to be staffed properly especially since they take reservations. The waiter did apologize and he took off one round of drinks but no manager ever came by to address the problem. Taking a round of drinks off the bill was nice but I would much rather had a nice meal that was hot. They are also having some issues with the air conditioning. The south west side that we sat on was very cold, the other side was much more comfortable. Then to top it all off the credit card system was not working so that had to write down our CC information to run it the next day. I know they just reopened but if you are ever going to get things right it should be when you first reopen. Our experience will push us to other high end restaurants but I wish them luck.

Just reopened recently after 4 year closer due to hurricane damage. It looks like a million bucks inside. The view of the ocean, the river, and the sunset are magnificent. Service was excellent as well as the food. I had the New York strip. Person at the table next to me has the pasta primavera and said it was fantastic.

We returned to The Top of Daytona after their long closure and 4 year overhaul following hurricane Mathew. The restaurant was beautiful again!! Being the tallest building in Daytona, the 29th story views of course are out of this world! We had an excellent experience tonight mainly due to Alan, our Host and Server. After being re-opened for only 9 days, trying to plan around all the COVID impacts, and having a lot of new employees they are still learning each other and polishing their skills as a team. We reserved late (8:00 pm) so there weren t too many clientele and the customer to staff ratio was perfect! Alan was positive, pleasant, and knowledgeable - definitely a highlight to our vacation in Daytona. The New York Strip and Bone-In Pork Chop meals were cooked perfectly, our compliments to the chef indeed. They were seasoned perfectly and paired well with red wine and prosecco. The appetizer of chilled shrimp cocktail (6) was uniquely presented, larger in size, and very delicious. The view was amazing and the evening ended well with a delicious chocolate molten lava cake and ice cream garnished with a little fruit and complimented with hot cup of coffee.
Thank U Alan and the entire team! We will definitely return!!! AND Mr. Peck, you ve done a fantastic job on the re-model - especially nice windows!!

Nice view and good service , a bit pricey for ok food

Awesome views, Waiter was amazing but when we had an issue with a bad tasting Filet of mignon steak (which my wife barley ate) the manager wanted to argue with me instead of apologizing for the issue. My wife ended up leaving hungry, leaving more than half of the steak behind. Manager ultimately took a percentage off the cost of her meal which was ok but the fact that the Manger insisted the issue wasn't with the steak but with my wife, we will never go back....... Such a shame for a beautiful, scenic restaurant! Now we are at Malibu Grill getting her something to eat for Dinner.......

If i could leave no stars i would. My husband and I came here on Valentine s Day 2021 and the service was absolutely terrible!! The waiter didn t come to our table until 30 minutes after we were seated then blamed the staff for not informing him we were seated. Then our drinks took an additional 30 minutes. We sat and watched other people get bread and drinks before us that had just sat. On top of that, my husband ordered a drink that the server never gave us but charged us for it...After 27 minutes of getting out check the host finally came over to get our form of payment. Horrible experience!!! n

Good service, but pricey. They can make a damn good Manhattan though. The views are great and the atmosphere is nice. I wouldn't recommend bringing children as this seems more like a place for older couples to go and grab the early bird special. Other than the view, don't waste you time. Save your money and find a different place to eat.

We had dinner on Sat 2/20, meal was delicious and cooked to perfection; however, service could have been better. Waiter was nice but still learning I believe....he forgot the rolls, then no butter, and second "refill" drink for my husband was incorrect. We went down the elevator with 2 couples and they complained as well about the service so slow, and they received their bill before they received their dessert......only to find out the dessert was never put into the kitchen!
We will be back but will give it some time.
P.S. View was tremendous, and lovely dinner music by Dallas Reese.

Can't wait for them to reopen again.food & staff are great, beautiful view

The place to go to for that special occasion. Pricey but worth it. Outstanding view too.

I have to give this a 1 star to balance out all the 5 stars they pay china to give them. If this restaurant was on ground level it would be out of business. The food was bland and oily and the service sucked. Just look out the window and get drunk.