Orbit 360° Dining sits at the top of Auckland's Sky Tower on Level 52, where the dining room completes a full rotation once every hour. As New Zealand's only rotating restaurant, it offers sensational 360-degree panoramas of the city, the Hauraki Gulf and beyond — a view that keeps changing all through your meal.
The food matches the setting: a modern set-menu dining experience with a delicious kiwi-inspired menu featuring the best local and seasonal produce, served in a relaxed, open atmosphere. Weekend lunches run Saturdays and Sundays from 11.30am, three-course dinners are served nightly from 5pm, and a dedicated kids menu is available daily for guests aged 12 or under.
Bookings are essential, with walk-ins welcome based on availability; dinner reservations are limited to two hours and lunch to 1.5. Orbit is part of SkyCity Auckland's dining collection, and SkyCity is a Toitū carbonreduce certified organisation in line with ISO 14064-1.
Some restaurants you remember for a dish. Orbit 360° Dining you remember for the way the city drifts past your table while you eat. Perched on Level 52 of Auckland's Sky Tower, Orbit is a truly iconic New Zealand brasserie — and the country's only rotating restaurant. The dining room completes a full turn once every hour, serving up amazing 360-degree panoramas of the city, the Hauraki Gulf and beyond. It's an unforgettable experience that, as the team puts it, never ceases to delight.
The movement is gentle enough that you barely notice it — until you glance up and realise the view has quietly become a new one. The atmosphere inside is relaxed and open rather than hushed and formal; this is a brasserie, just one that happens to sit at the very top of the Sky Tower.
Because tables travel slowly past the glass, a guaranteed window seat isn't something the restaurant can promise — the team will do their best, subject to availability. Over the course of a meal, though, every diner gets a slowly changing panorama of Auckland, out to the Hauraki Gulf and beyond.
Orbit keeps its food as focused as its setting. The kitchen offers a modern set-menu dining experience with a delicious kiwi-inspired menu featuring the best local and seasonal produce. Lunch is a weekend affair: Saturdays and Sundays from 11.30am, currently a two-course winter menu, with last seating at 1.30pm. Dinner runs nightly from 5pm as a three-course set menu, with last seating at 9pm. A dedicated kids menu looks after guests aged 12 or under every day, and a full beverage menu covers drinks to match whatever you order.
Bookings are essential at Orbit, though walk-ins are welcomed based on availability. When reserving, include the number of adults and children in your group so sufficient seating can be provided. Dinner reservations are subject to a maximum dining time of two hours, and lunch bookings to 1.5 hours — enough time for a full rotation, a set menu and a linger over the view. Reserve by phone on (09) 363 6000, book online, or email orbitreservations@skycity.co.nz.
Finding the entrance is easier than it sounds. The best parking is the atrium end of the SkyCity Main Site Car Park, with entrances on Hobson, Nelson and Federal Streets. Take the car park lifts to P-3 (SkyCity Atrium); guests with prams or accessibility needs can ring the buzzer for dedicated doors. The restaurant and bar reception is straight ahead on Level 3, between the Sky Tower ticket counter and the retail shop — check in at the Orbit desk and a host will escort you to the lift for the ride to Level 52. Coming from the NZICC? The SkyBridge to SkyCity takes about three minutes.
A few practicalities make the visit smoother. Orbit is open on public holidays, with a 15% surcharge added to the bill. Cancellations need at least 24 hours' notice, or a $50 per person fee applies for no-shows and late cancellations. A 1.8% surcharge applies to credit card, contactless and online payments; cash and debit cards are unaffected. Parking isn't free, but if you spend $40 or more at any SkyCity outlet and validate your ticket at restaurant reception, discounted rates kick in — $8 for the first hour and $4 for each hour after. Valet parking is available at SkyCity Hotel and The Grand for $60, per hotel charges.
Celebrating something? You're welcome to bring your own cake, as long as the person who made the reservation brings it and signs a waiver on arrival. It can't stand in for a dessert from the menu, the restaurant can't refrigerate or freeze outside cakes, and room-temperature cakes should be eaten within two hours. Note that Orbit is not an allergen-free environment, and while most meat suppliers are Halal certified, meat is prepared in a SkyCity central kitchen, so Halal can't be guaranteed. One common mix-up to avoid: your reservation doesn't include entry to the Sky Tower observation level.
Orbit is part of SkyCity Auckland's dining collection, and SkyCity is a Toitū carbonreduce certified organisation in line with ISO 14064-1 — so the view you're enjoying is being looked after, too. For a milestone dinner, a special-occasion lunch or simply a first look at Auckland from on high, few tables in New Zealand offer a moving view quite like this one.