The Spindletop, Houston’s lone revolving restaurant perched atop the Hyatt Regency downtown, is getting back in motion. After going dark during the pandemic, the dining room will reopen to the public on May 15 with its familiar 360-degree skyline views and a weekly four-course prix-fixe tasting menu. Service will be by reservation only on Friday and Saturday evenings, with Executive Chef Hernan Melendez leading the kitchen as the restaurant returns to public service.
Reopening details and schedule
The hotel announced the comeback in a statement reported by the Houston Chronicle, noting that the Spindletop’s dining room will complete a full rotation every 45 minutes. Reservations will be handled through TOCK, and the restaurant will stick to Friday and Saturday evenings, reservation only, with a weekly tasting menu under Melendez’s direction. The relaunch is being framed as the return of one of downtown’s most distinctive dining rooms rather than just another hotel restaurant reopening.
A piece of Houston history
Spindletop first opened in 1972 and has been a downtown landmark ever since. It shut down after damage from Hurricane Ike in 2008, then came back to life in 2010 following repairs, according to CultureMap. Over the decades, the slowly rotating room became a classic spot for anniversary dinners and proposals, giving diners a lazy, looping tour of the skyline as they worked through dinner. The new chapter is being pitched as a chance for Houstonians to revisit that retro spectacle in a more modern tasting-menu format.
Chef and the menu
Chef Hernan Melendez comes to the role with hospitality and resort experience, most recently overseeing Valley Kitchen at Carmel Valley Ranch, per Edible Monterey Bay. The hotel’s early description of Spindletop’s return does not offer many specifics beyond the weekly four-course prix-fixe, but the tasting setup signals a tighter, reservation-driven experience rather than a sprawling à la carte menu. That kind of controlled format also helps staff manage seating and pacing in a dining room that is literally in constant motion.
Tickets, where to sit and planning a visit
The revolving space crowns the Hyatt Regency in downtown Houston, which currently lists Spindletop as its iconic rotating event venue on the dining section of Hyatt Regency Houston. Reservations will run through TOCK, and initial service will be limited to weekend evenings, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. Expect those first nights to book up fast. If you are set on the full skyline sweep, plan ahead and ask about window seating when you lock in your reservation.
