Top of the Falls Restaurant

The obvious draw of this restaurant is its proximity to the Falls, which should (in theory) give you a stunning view of the most powerful waterfall in North America. However aptly named, the view of the falls from this restaurant is mostly disappointing. Having experienced both the Canadian and American sides of the falls, it’s indisputable that the Canadian side definitely benefits from a better vantage point for viewing the falls. Despite this, one can’t help but wonder if a restaurant constructed differently on the American side would have a better view than the Top of the Falls Restaurant currently has; at least some of the American side’s disadvantages from a geographic standpoint might be mitigated by a taller building. Perhaps an American version of the Skylon Tower would do well here.
I hate to belabor this point, but it bears worth mentioning that the namesake of the restaurant bears little on the actual view one gets from inside. A tiny restaurant of this type, located directly across from Terrapin Point (in Canada), would be prime real estate upon which a venue could capitalize off of a beautiful view. Despite these disadvantages, the restaurant’s interior is designed relatively well; tables on the east side of the building (farther from the windows) are slide-​in booths that face the windows and elevate customers for maximum exposure to what little one can see.
In any case, this is a restaurant, not just a tourist attraction. I suppose I should mention the food. When I visited, I ordered the soup du jour and the Parmesan crusted haddock. Both were relatively good, especially the soup. (For some reason, I can’t remember what the soup du jour was at the moment, but I do remember that it was well balanced in terms of flavor.) The interior was clean, the service was satisfactory, and the prices were not surprising. Nothing in particular stood out about the food, which is both good and bad depending on how you view such things.

Beautiful view… Great service. Ty cheryl… Chillis quality fare… Better than expected… Do not expect gourmet menu… Basic american with burgers, sandwiches, salad, etc

We were hesitant to stop here for a meal but I needed a recharge before Cave of the Winds — Top of the Falls was a pleasant surprise. This is a tourist restaurant in a national park and, taking it for what it is, they earned five stars. All things considered, prices were reasonable (beer prices were competitive), they had local wines on the menu, service was great, the Beef on Weck was excellent, Fish and Chips was moist but crispy; and, of course, the view was world-​class (our table was located on the upper level near the bar). When you visit Niagara, you should not hesitate to stop here!

The service deserves 5 stars but not the food. It is over priced and not all that great. The bees were swarming outside so I wished I had sat inside. Had two dead bees in my drink and one landed in my food. Convenient location near Cave of the Winds.

Oh please, dont! They barely have anything interesting in their menu. Most of us ended up getting fish and chips and I couldn’t really taste any flavor.
This was recommended by our hotel concierge. Again, tourist trap –pricey with no quality. The view was alright, I don’t think I paid for the location either, you can’t really see the falls plus with the construction — it’s a mess.
1 star for the service. Places like this needs server like one we had. it’s the only thing you can compliment.

My wife had fish and chips (she raved about it), and I had a Beef on Weck sandwich (so-​so; the roast beef was barely warm). Kind of spendy, and due to all of the construction directly outside, there is not much of an unobstructed view of the falls. Very friendly waitress, but had to ask for a coffee refill (in very small coffee cups).

Pretty much awful. The beer was cold, that’s about it. skip it.

This restaurant does not have amazing views of the falls but it is in the Niagara State Park. The food was mediocre. It’s the only place to eat in the State Park. Hamburgers and fries were delicious, all else was ok.

Resturant located in Niagara Falls State Park. Great view of the falls from the outdoor patio. Food was pretty good, and a Beef on Weck, and sandwich was nice and juicy. small beer selection, but some local brews to keep the beer drinkers happy. Service was very good, with the server handling our large group well.

We were on Goat Island around 11:30am trying to figure out what to do for lunch. We decided to eat here because despite the bad reviews, the viewing area of the Canadian Falls on this island are under construction and you can see the falls pretty well from the restaurant. We were sat immediately at a window seat with a beautiful view as requested. When the friendly and very polite waitress came by, we ordered two waters and then she misunderstood and thought we were going to share one entrée and her brief facial disappointment recovered when we ordered two entrees. We ordered the rigatoni (without the extra $ cheese which was highly recommended) and the fish and chips. Both were a bit pricy but we expected that at Niagara Falls and as on the only restaurant with this view… they could have charged a lot more. We were there for the review and had LOW expectations about the food and service. The food arrived quickly and was actually really, really good! Not gourmet good but 100 0000x better than iHop. When I saw a food delivery person pass by with crème brûlée garnished with fresh fruit, I decided we’d order that only if the crème brûlée was prepared on location and fired then immediately served, which the waitress said it was. We ordered it. It was very good, though I’m a crème brûlée snob and it was nowhere near the best I’ve ever had but solid. Our waitress seemed to have too many tables and after we got our lunch food and the lunch crowd increased, it took a little too long to get the check and dessert but it wasn’t a big deal with such a nice view and happy stomachs. There are lame photographers that come to your table and try to take photos that they sell in the store below, fortunately they didn’t bother us.
All in all, come here for the view and expect your experience to come at slow pace that allows you to further enjoy the view! There aren’t many decent restaurants within walking distance of the Falls on the US side of Niagara Falls and of everywhere we ate within 40-​minutes of Niagara, this was by far the best. Highly recommend and wouldn’t hesitate to go here again and order the same food.

Everything was pretty average at this place. Whole the view was obviously great, the service was average while the food was lacking. I love me a good burger so that’s what I ordered. Big mistake. They cook all burgers medium well which means tough meat with barely any flavor. I would suggest the fish and chips because I can’t imagine them being worse but who knows.

Bad experience, even the view was nice. We arrived this restaurant about 1:45pm. There was not crowd so we got seat immediately. However, we had to wait our waitress for about 15 minutes and another 35 minutes for our dishes. The waitress only gave us a smile when the bill come. They served us a wrong dish and tried to charge with a high price. When I doubters about that they tried to deny until I showed the photo. It seems they do not care about their reputation. Do not go there except you need to ruin your vacation!

Horrible service! We walked out before we even ordered. They told us where we could not sit and why we could not have three people sit on one side of the table. They offered us a booth but did not offer to clean the booth of debris and sticky garbage before we could sit down… Even after we pointed it out! View is nice, but I would rather walk outside to see the falls and then spend my money in town for good good and a pleasant atmosphere!

Visited with my daughter last year and enjoyed the view, although the food was no better than you’d expect at a tourist destination. Back with my parents and grandmother– the restaurant website said they were open until 9 today. Arrived around 6 to find a note on the board near the entrance with June hours — closed at 4 today! Very disappointed grandmother (age 94) and a wasted half hour.

Loved this place. We had the popular Niagra fish and chips and some buffalo wings. The fish and chips were out of this world. A HUGE piece of fish in crispy beer batter. Worth the trip alone. Wings were great but a bit wet and messy but I still loved them. Good beer selection also. Great service and view. After coming from the Canadian side I thought the prices were cheap.

Not sure why this place has gotten so many negative reviews. When I went there right before they closed for the season, I enjoyed some very tasty food (particularly the Pasta Bolognese) and some gorgeous views of the falls. It’s pricey compared to other restaurants of its level, but you really are paying for the view, which to me is worth it. Nowhere else can you sit and eat while watching the thundering waterfall right past your face. Our service was good too — nothing to write home about, but they took care of my party quickly and pleasantly, so no complaints!

This was my second time here, the first being over 8 years ago.
The first time I came here I got food, I remember it was an average salad that I thought was reasonably priced. I have to say, the view is amazing!
The second time I went, which was last week, we only came to get a drink in between falls activities.
The service was incredibly slow. We wanted one drink each, and we ended up being there almost 45 minutes bc we waited 20 minutes on drinks and another 20 waiting on the check! Our waitress was nice but the restaurant wasn’t packed so I wasn’t sure what was taking so long.
All in all, I think I’d return to try the food again.
The view was breathtaking and prices are reasonable. I’d recommend giving it a shot if you’re in the area.

This is one of those places you go to say you have been there. I had a garden salad with grilled chicken. It always boggles my mind when I get a cold salad with cold chicken. Maybe I am weird because I think you should get fresh grilled chicken. The house dressing (concord grape vinagerette) was super yummy.
My husband had the most popular dish, the fish and chips. Two pieces of fish and lots of fries. He said it was a very tasty light fish, but he was not stuffed. For $ 15 most people would expect more fish.
Kids had typical chicken fingers and cheese pizza. My son ate the whole pizza so it mist have been really good.
Our server was super sweet and did her best. She was pretty attentive and when I had special requests very accommodating.
I would eat here again if at the falls ever again. I say try it but don’t have huge expectations for the food, just the view.

Remember you’re coming here for the view not the food. But I’ll mention the food anyway. I had a sandwich – doesn’t matter which one it was so so. And 4 hot wings which were pretty decent. I detected a hint of garlic?
I forgot to wash my hands before I tore into this very hands-​on food. IKR? Ick. Considering that I’ve been skipping around America’s oldest national park all day and sliding my hand over miles of handrails, the next 24 hours I’ll either be inoculated against every ancient superbug/​international diseases known to man or I’ll die a slow and painful death in my hotel room. In case the latter happens… tell my story as a cautionary tale to your children.

Well we were paying for the view, so we did not have any great expectations from the place. The menu is limited in choices and the food is a bit pricey for the place (about 25+/person). But then as I mentioned you are basically paying for the location. We ordered wine and burgers with fries. The food was good and service quick.
There was not a lot of rush during lunch hours. So we could spend some leisurely time there sipping our wine. The servers were kind of nice. If you do decide to go there, the expectation should be to have decent food by the falls view. Be sure to sit on the outside patio because I really doubt if the place would be any good from inside.