roma revolving restaurant

whatever reviews i have read about this restaurant about the service being too slow, waiters not friendly, place dilapidated and food not good quality contradicts everything i experienced at lunch today.

i booked via email. they were very quick to help with bookings and extra information. when we got there the entrance was beautiful with statutes and artwork. the waiters who assisted us (and about 3 of them) took such good care of us. they spoke to us about the restaurants and made good suggestions with regards to meals. the food was delicious! nothing could be complained about. the duckling ala orange is a must try. for someone who has never eaten duck before that leap of faith was well worth it.

the view...the view...the view...absolutely amazing. seeing the harbour and watching the boats go in and out and the beautiful ocean there is no comfort compared to watching such beauty.

if you are thinking about visitingromastop thinking and go. you will never be dissapointed! we also had an opportunity to meet the owner who was incredibly kind and very passionate about what he does! make sure you go on the roof top aswell to take in more of the beautiful views. well worth the visit!

i been to theromarevolving restaurant several times but i am always in awe. the slowly revolving restaurant is classy and sophisticated as you view durban town and the indian ocean. perfectly located. the staff are efficient friendly and polite. the food divine.

i promised my 6 year old son a visit to the revolving restaurant and he was fascinated with the view. food was as good as it was 5 years ago. waiters are on the ball, especially the ones that have been there for more than 20 years. what i love aboutromais the freshness of the food. they create a kids meals or half portions.

roma has been a family favorite. however, i haven't returned for a few years. i'm so glad i took that break as i was welcomed to a different, fresh and exciting experience. valentines lunch was superb. for starters we ordered calamari rings which we enjoyed. mains included prawns which we thoroughly enjoyed. seafood appeared to be a selection for most today. lastly we were treated to desserts from the trolley: a slice of cookies and cream and chocolate mousse. whilst this appeared to be from chateau gateaux, it was delicious nonetheless. when the bill arrived it was fair given our meals, service and the experience. the waiters were friendly. although the restaurant was fairly busy ,we had no long waiting periods. the view was by far the best. i will definitely return toromafor yet another great experience.

from my experience:
1. best views
2. friendly and helpful staff
3. wonderful food (very good italian food)
4. loved the desert table. their pastry chef has worked for them for nearly 40 years.

incredible.

i am so surprised to see this place does not have a 4.5+ rating.

so i decided to read other's reviews to see why.
main points they complained about:
not vegan, not vegetarian, no ample parking and one person even complained that the owner didn't make a fuss of them.
in all likeliness these people need a reality check.

thanksromafor a wonderful time!

i went to theromafor the first time this past saturday for lunch to celebrate my birthday and i was disappointed. i chose theromabased on good feedback from older colleagues and family of mine. i am sad to say that it was a disappointing experience and a far cry from what i was told the place was like in its heyday.  service was slow and cringe-worthy at times. some of the younger waiters really need a lesson in etiquette.  the view is exquisite though and was the highlight of the afternoon.
the owner didn't even bother to acknowledge us or check up on our table, instead he choose to entertain the table of tourists seated close by and made a big fuss over them.
(puzzling to say the least) are the locals not good enough for some common courtesy?
our food arrived in a reasonable amount of time. my duck was mediocre and lacked flavour and the mashed potatoes didn't taste fresh. i had much better duck in other establishments in durban. my brother had better luck with the fish. my mum said her chicken dish was average and so was my dad's lamb. some of the side plates given to us were dirty!
on saturday, the restaurant was more than half empty at lunch time (this should have been a warning sign) so there was no reason for slow and sloppy service. we had to ask for our bill twice and that too from another waiter because our waiter was nowhere to be found. (beware that 10% is already added to the bill).
the decor needs a serious revamp. yes, i get that they were going for the retro theme but some of the stuff is really tacky and belongs in the 80s (and this is from a guy who loves 80s memorabilia). the restaurant also needs a good and thorough cleaning. parking is atrocious and i was constantly worried about my car despite the car guards. i rarely travel into central town and this trip reminded me why.
theromahas loads of potential to be a good restaurant. it has amazing views over the city which is the reason many of us choose to visit in the first place. management needs a complete overhaul in terms of service and food to reclaim its glory days. i don't plan on going back any time soon.
on a side note, it would be great if someone opened a revolving, high rise restaurant in umhlanga. great views would be guaranteed and it would be safer.

i have frequented this restaurant many times in my life. it has always been a family favorite, but i feel that is partly as it has a memories of times gone by. we went this last saturday, and i was not looking forward to it. the last time we had been there, the curtains seemed as though they had not been cleaned since the 80's and the bathrooms needed  a lot of attention. at least this time around, the curtains looked clean. as always, i had checked the menu beforehand to see what i would likely order in that evening. their vegetarian options consist of what is probably 1 bland salad and  then 1 pasta dish. while they may believe that their menu is quite classic, it is very outdated, i'm sure a re-vamp would do them no harm.
the waiters were quite aggressive in the beginning when taking the drinks orders, and were then nowhere to be seen for the next 20 min or so. we were eventually served by the maitre d, i'm not sure if this was supposed to be a special touch - it wasn't. after placing my order with him, the napoletena pasta, with no parmesan - he told me that he would not be able to sleep if that was all he had to eat. this was uncalled for and quite rude. 
the food also took a very long time to arrive, and we had not ordered complicated unusual dishes (steak, fish, lasagna, pasta). the serving sizes were average. the presentation could have done with a lot of work, chips and veggies were just slopped onto the plate it seemed, and of course the crockery is as old as the restaurant itself with their emblem. i can only speak for my pasta dish, which was quite tasty, i am still however waiting for the side of chilli. everyone else seemed to have enjoyed their meals. so, the food was good, worth the price? debatable. 
the cherry on top however, was when the bill came. the waiter who brought us our bill, we had not seen the whole evening, he just appeared, and then stood there while we checked the bill - did not move. just stood there waiting for the payment, which was a little odd, and rude. we payed, and not 1 min later did he return and ask us to please leave if we don't mind as they had to prepare the table for the next guests. this now, was totally unacceptable. i could stand the tacky decor, the cheap comments from the maitre d and vacant waiters. this is a no. perhaps had they been more attentive when we first arrived, and not just gone missing, we would have not been there so long? i made my disdain for this matter quite clear. i honestly hope that this is the memory that stays with my family and we don't have to go experience "theromarevolving" ever again.

old school as it comes! you find very few restaurants anywhere in the world like this hidden gem. a classic menu which i bet hasn't been changed in decades, reading the menu took me back to my memories of the long gone restaurants i was treated to as a child. yes the service is a little old school, yes the wait between starters and main course was a little long. but that's the quirkiness that has almost become a distant memory from another era.

i mean where can you meet a professional 30 year veteran on a desert trolley , serving classic recipes only your grandmother could have made, i presumed lost to the new generation of chefs a long time ago. but unbelievablyromahas survived and i am very privileged to have had the chance to dine in another era.

these businesses in my opinion deserve our support more than any others. stop eating cheap factory produced franchise rubbish, save up a little extra cash for a real meal and good glass of wine at establishments likeromabefore it's too late.

we booked for 19.00 and got our main meal only at 21.30. we ordered chataubriand with bearnaise sauce. the bearnaise sauce looked liked it was bought at the supermarket in a packet and microwaved. certainly not the creamy sauce we would expect. just in case we did not like the sauce we got a pepper sauce as well ??? lost the plot here. the fillet and the views were worth it but overall a disappointment. it would have been great if i just had a spaghetti bolognaise. therefor theromarevolving is great for a simple meal and the view.

we went toromarevolving restaurant to celebrate and it was a great evening! the views are worth the price of the food and it's a real novelty! the italian owners are absolutely delightful and so friendly. the bread sticks started us off on a good note and i thoroughly enjoyed my pepper fillet with delicious pepper sauce and vegetables. the butternut was really tasty. my fellow diners had veal and fish and both really enjoyed it. we then shared a creamy three chocolate mousse and a really yummy tiramisu. i recommend the tiramisu as i enjoy anything coffee flavoured!
all in all, worth a visit and enjoy the warm italian hospitality.

i think this restaurant only gets this rating for the very friendly and funny italian owner (i'm assuming) that comes around to talk to us and sometimes personally takes orders. the thing that people go toromafor is, of course, the revolving bit. i have to admit that that's the reason i wouldn't want to go back. at one point they turned the speed up. gosh. i was so dizzy. i just wanted to get out of there. the artwork on the wall is stunning and i really must recommend you try fillet a la roma. it's served with the most sublime brandy butter sauce. i just love it.

i went toromarecently for what was my 2nd time going there! i was reminded of why i don't go there often, terrible service, making a book is rendered useless because even when u arrive on time we still have to wait 30min for our table to be set, waiters are off putting and lethargic! the food isn't great, the decor is absolutely atrocious and outdated, it looks and feels dirty, which is sad considering the amount of potential it has to be dbn's best eat-out with stunning views! i was extremely disappointed, the amount of time between my first dining experience and my recent experience atromawas exactly 5 years and nothin has changed!

the food atromawas really really good. a group of 18 of us went up the 30 something flights to eat and drink merrily. the one thing we noticed was that all the meals had amazing sauces. that got us thinking. do they just leave the sauce to simmer while the restaurant stirs it as it revolves... hmmm... amazing idea...

best time to go toromais dinner time. the view is stunning. the restaurant takes about an hour to revolve. i have been there twice and i tried the pasta which was average and the next time i tried the duck which was good. overall experience was really nice. setting was intimate so would be good for a romantic dinner date.

the views were amazing as always! the food unfortunately was not great! it was my second time to the restaurant and it seems as though the food has just gotten worse.
we were a table of 6 and despite all the tables in theromanot being taken, service was hardly given. we had to wait an hour for the bail to arrive. and with 2 managers on the floor, we expected to atleast be asked if everything is okay.
their rump steaks are over tenderized and thus changing the entire texture of the steak.
worst experience at a premium restaurant.
over priced for average to below average food and service.