I have a separate review for the overall sky view observatory, and this review is for the cafe only, but they do sort of go hand in hand. If you're visiting the observatory, you're coming up to the cafe area.
Getting there: using public transportation & Google maps made getting here a breeze. There are directions to SVO on the website: "One block east of LINK Light Rail Pioneer Square Tunnel Station. Main entrance located on 4th Avenue just south of Columbia Street". There's also a bus stop right outside the main entrance. The walk from Pike place was about 15 mins.
TICKETS: for discounts, check city pass or Groupon! tickets were easy to get by going directly to the SVO website & buying admission for a specific time. Unfortunately, the sun didn't set in July until around 9-9:30ish & the last ticket was for around 6pm, but I imagine if you can get a ticket for a time close to sunset, maybe in winter, it would be perfect. City pass and Groupon both had discounted tickets, & sky view has 3 ticket types: WA residents ($20), classic admission ($30), & elite ($38). Classic includes a $5 voucher that can be used at the cafe or gift shop, while elite includes a $10 voucher plus reserved window seating. I ended up finding a Groupon deal for SVO & bought elite tickets for $28/person. Classic was a couple dollars cheaper, but at $28/person for Elite, we were getting an extra $5 voucher per person plus reserved window seating, & I didn't want us to end up at the top with a subpar view.
The Sky View Cafe: the cafe is on the 73rd floor, which is almost the very top. You can walk the circumference of the floor, which has windows all around & guides/infographics to provide an idea of what you're looking at, which I thought was wise & added to the experience. Surprisingly though, the cafe was empty. On Wednesday July 5th at 4pm, there were probably 3 other groups seated at tables in the cafe. The tables against the window had signs saying reserved for elite ticket members only, but no one was checking, & there were plenty of tables. Someone in front of us in line bought classic tickets - I knew because she mentioned a $5 voucher for each of them, then went to sit at a window table. Had I known no one would be checking tables & it would be an empty cafe, I'd have purchased the classic tickets. Oh well.
Cafe menu: The cafe had a limited menu of flatbreads, cocktails, & juice/tea/non alcoholic beverages. A menu is online, but without prices. The cocktails were about $15 each. We had 3 vouchers, $10 for each of us, & we only got 2 drinks + a water bottle, coming out to $34 total. Apparently the vouchers only give you $10 off per person - so my drink was $5, the other drink was $5, & the water bottle ended up being free. So we ended up paying about $11 total anyway after applying the vouchers. Except for tea, coffee, & juice, all food/drinks are at least $10, minimum. I got the Fruity Sky cocktail, which was nothing to write home about, & the Rainer Peach was a pretty lavender color but also not amazing. The view was spectacular though, which made it worth it. The restrooms were also clean. The lobby of the building has a couple other grab & go food joints, like a sandwich shop or Starbucks or sushi.... if anything I'd grab something from there & take it up with you to enjoy a cocktail & a more substantial meal while taking in the views.
It's a great option for tourists and even non-tourists, but if you're looking for a full meal with lots of options, this isn't it. You really come for the view, not the food. read more