A Look at Crown Block, the New Restaurant atop Reunion Tower (That Doesn't Spin)

A new restaurant opens April 17 in the iconic Reunion Tower ball. Downtown's lit rotating restaurant space has long been a place for special occasions, but it's been empty for the past three years. Wolfgang Puck's restaurant Five Sixty closed during the pandemic. Before that, it was Antares, which closed in 2009.

Crown Block — a name that references the top part of an oil derrick, just as this restaurant is at the top of Reunion Tower — is a high-end steak and seafood restaurant from a James Beard-nominated hospitality group, Blau and Associates, based in Las Vegas. Their restaurants include Honey Salt and Buddy's V's in The Venetian in Las Vegas and several spots in Vancouver.

Crown Block will serve steaks, seafood, plant-based fare and sushi. Steaks will be regionally sourced and the "rare steak program" specifically will offer prime beef, Texas wagyu and Japanese A5 wagyu. On Thursday we got to try small bites from the menu at a media event. One item that stuck out was a macaroni and cheese waffle with a crisp exterior and a cheesy interior.

Perhaps most notably, though, we didn't spin. The team at Blau decided not to have the restaurant rotate, as it was previously wont to do, offering a slow 360 panoramic of Dallas. D Magazine reported that Tyler Kleinhert of Hunt Realty, which owns the space, called the decision to stop the rotation a "guest-driven" one. However, a private event space on the floor below can rotate when rented. So, you can pay for it to spin.
After taking the 68-second elevator ride, guests walk by a large floor-to-ceiling wine display, then on to a large bar that faces downtown. There's an argument to be made that a seat at the bar comes with amenities that a table doesn't — other than quicker drinks. If you don't want to commit to reservations or an expensive meal, sit at the bar. The view is partially obstructed by bottles of booze, but there's still plenty to take in on the peripheries.
The views are stunning; we wandered around the restaurant several times to take in each part of town, picking out landmarks, impressed equally with how green south of Interstate 30 is and how many people sit in long lines of traffic. As the sun set, we found ourselves just staring out the window watching the city turn different shades of blue.

And wherever you sit, you will have a view. If we had to choose favorites, it'd be facing downtown. But, if you coordinate your viewing with the sunset, northwest is the best spot.
Crown Block opens on April 17, but reservations are already booked for weeks and weeks unless you don't mind dining after 9 p.m.

The menu isn't out yet, but we're anxious to learn more about the rare steak program and the cost for the view.