Top O’ The Dunes Restaurant, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

Top O’ The Dunes was the signature rooftop restaurant and lounge of the Dunes Hotel & Casino, perched atop the resort’s 21-story “Diamond of the Dunes” tower on the Las Vegas Strip. It began life as Top O’ The Strip, which opened on June 4, 1965, shortly after the Dunes unveiled its towering high-rise—then one of the tallest buildings in Nevada. Located on the top floor of the tower, the restaurant offered sweeping, floor-to-ceiling views of the Strip, downtown, and the surrounding desert—often described in period coverage as a “bird’s-eye view of Las Vegas.” This vantage point made Top O’ The Strip a destination in its own right, combining fine dining with a panoramic nighttime light show long before observation wheels and sky lounges became common. The restaurant quickly developed a reputation for upscale cuisine and live entertainment. Contemporary accounts and menus show a focus on Continental and Italian-leaning dishes—steaks, seafood, veal, pasta, and classic tableside preparations—served in a plush, dimly lit room that emphasized romance and occasion. A lounge area hosted singers and small combos; longtime Vegas locals recall seeing acts like Nancy Sinatra and Sonny King perform high above the Strip. In 1979, as part of a broader refresh at the Dunes, the venue was rebranded Top O’ The Dunes (which is what everyone called it anyway), aligning it more closely with the resort’s Arabian-fantasy branding. Under the new name it continued as the hotel’s showcase view restaurant, complementing other notable Dunes venues such as Sultan’s Table and Dome of the Sea. Through the 1980s, even as newer megaresorts rose up and dining trends evolved, Top O’ The Dunes remained a favorite for anniversary dinners, proposal nights, and special-occasion splurges. It embodied an era when Vegas “gourmet rooms” meant white tablecloths, live music, and a slow, theatrical style of service. The story of Top O’ The Dunes effectively ended when the Dunes closed in 1993 and was later demolished to make way for Bellagio and its iconic fountains. Though the restaurant and tower are gone, Top O’ The Dunes lives on in menus, photos, and memories as one of the classic sky-high dining rooms of vintage Las Vegas—where dinner came with a side of neon and endless desert horizon.