Cygnus 27
187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503
Cygnus 27 Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Grand Rapids for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Grand Rapids for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
187 Monroe Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI, 49503 - Phone (616) 776-6425
- Website https://www.amwaygrand.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
- Mon :Closed
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : No
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner, Late Night, Dessert
Parking : Valet
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Dressy
Ambience : Upscale
Noise Level : Quiet
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Coat Check : Yes
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Paid
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
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Jeremy J.
Our server arrives at just the right time, offering sparkling water, coffee, and cocktails. It is noon! The squawking child acts up a few more times, but eventually they leave. Meanwhile, I proceed to work my way through the champagne drinks: kir royal, mimosa, bellini. They are decent and do much to soothe the aggravation caused by noisy children. Plus, they are free with the purchase of brunch! In addition to the standard buffet-style selections (omelette made to order, blah blah blah), Cygnus offers small plates. This is what drew me to make reservations in the first place because I'm not a lover of buffets. I ask our server to bring us one of each of the 6 small plates; instead, we each receive a larger plate with the 6 offerings on it. Not quite what we were expecting, but it is convenient. Excitedly, we burrow into the dishes. The grilled beef tenderloin brochette is a dry lump of meat on a skewer that has been grilled with some vegetables. I am not impressed with the overcooked beef. On the other hand, the pheasant stew is nearly a cassoulet, with rich fowl dressed in navy beans, celery, carrots and very crunchy chestnuts. It's also somewhat overcooked (mushy) but flavorful. In a surprise turn of events, the lemon pepper walleye over saffron rice pilaf is tender enough to melt in your mouth. I most look forward to the BBQ pulled pork tenderloin served on a blue cheese biscuit. The sauce, unfortunately, tastes like store-bought and I can barely detect any blue cheese. Disappointing. Prime rib is not my favorite; in fact, I usually avoid it at all costs because I can't stand all that fat. This slice, however, is pretty good though overcooked again. I think prime rib should be damn near rare. Finally, the honey glazed ham is uninspired, as is the scalloped potatoes. To be blunt, any of these dishes could be improved if their temperature were a few degrees hotter. Serving brunch just above room temperature makes it seem like the food is sitting in a vat in the kitchen. Half-heartedly, I snag a couple mini-desserts before we leave. I want to like Cygnus but coming here again for brunch just isn't in the cards. To be honest, the last few brunches I've had, here and elsewhere, were mediocre. Maybe I'm just not a brunch guy, altogether? I like breakfast and I enjoy lunch but that nether region between the two has not yielded positive results in past. That's it...you heard it here first. No more brunches for Jeremy! Don't take my word for it, though; check out video and what my better half has to say about our culinary adventure on our website (linked in my profile)!
(2)Dave V.
Brought my wife here for our wedding anniversary, huge disappointment! If we had been part of a blindfolded, side by side taste test, I would have sincerely guessed I was dining at Applebee's. Note to any Amway hotel guests: get in a cab and go a few miles to one of our truly great area restaurants!
(1)Caz S.
I promised my gf that Grand Rapids, MI wasn't the dumbest place in the world, so on our way back to Chicago from a random cottage we stopped in and went to Cygnus. First off, we were dressed in shorts and t-shirts, but they still let us in. Not bad. Nothing spectacular, but the views were great. I got to show her where I used to hang out by the river and re-created a little town in which Spectrum Downtown was still called Butterworth and we got a decent meal. Overall the view was the best part, but the food wasn't bad, either. And the service was pretty good, too. The girl who served us knew the menu and also knew what wines to recommend. Good job, GR.
(4)Art S.
Had dinner here with my wife last Friday to celebrate some excellent news. Love that the restaurant is located in the Amway hotel on the 27th floor. Reminds me of the Chart House in the Tower of Americas in San Antonio Texas. Food was great...we shared 5 small plates. Wine assortment was solid...lots of options across varietals and price points. Views are probably the best in West Michigan. Valet at the Amway is free when you dine at Cygnus. Swanky wine bar downstairs to start, new Wolf Gang restaurant that just opened and dessert at Ruth Chris. Great experience overall. Love finding new restaurants in West Michigan as we just relocated from Chicago.
(5)Andy D.
I've been here a few times, but only for large event gatherings for dinner. Food was good, and the staff was always attentive.
(4)Jessica Ping H.
The view was beautiful. Had a great corner seat. The food was very good. I had the whole fish and my husband had the halibut. We were disappointed with the level of service. We sat there for about 10 minutes before a server came and brought us one drink menu for the four of us. After we complained things got much better. The manager came over and apologized. Made the experience better. But, we honestly thought she was going to comp our apps or something. Oh well...
(4)Amanda L.
This review is in regards to my intimate wedding reception dinner I held at Cygnus' Private Dining on the 28th floor ("2nd floor" of Cygnus). I did not expect the poor experience I had working with Amway's Cygnus 27 for my wedding event. I experienced lackluster communication with the event coordinator, poor service from staff, and irreplaceable items were cthrown out by the janitor service in cleaning up. The poor service started with spotty email communication with the event coordinator in the initial planning stages. Although it improved closer to the event date, sometimes days would go by without a return email in the intial planning stages. When I set up an appointment to walk through the private dining space, I was hardly greeted, questions were only briefly answered, and there was little energy spent explaining the room setup (had that been communicated clearly in the beginning, allot of stress would've been saved the day of the event). There was an issue booking an additional hotel room for a guest. I was initially quoted one price for rooms but when I went to book the room for them, I was told it was unavailable. I got a manager involved and the original rate was honored, but it was a pain to have to elevate the issue The day of the wedding was the most stress for me: Working on a tight schedule, I arrived the morning of my wedding with table decorations. The bell hop who unloaded the decorations on the table for me, ended up leaving a large dirt spot on the table linen which had to be changed in order to decorate. The security personal called a housekeeper from "the Amway side" to assist since no one from Cygnus was available. The individual came over with new linens but refused (or didn't know how to) starch these new linens and started throwing wrinkled table clothes over the table. The security personal refused to contact a manager from "the Amway side" to assist further and continued to state that I would just have to wait until a Cygnus member came in around 3pm to discuss it with them. Again, I was under a strict time table for the day of my wedding and I could not come back at that time to set up as my ceremony was at 5pm. I left Amway in tears with my decorations still in the box and wrinkled table linens out, worrying if the room would be set up at all. THANKFULLY, when I arrived after the ceremony, I saw that the room was beautifully decorated and everything was in place. My guests raved about how great the room looked and we had a very nice dinner. The meal wait staff was courteous and professional and the food was excellent. While I was exceptionally delighted that the room was set up, having a clean, pressed table is a basic item I didn't think I would have to fight for with Amway on the day of my wedding. During the reception I had two small books that clearly said "Advice for the Bride" and "Advice for the Groom" on them. My parents, friends, and family added their own personal marriage advice to the books. As the night went on, the books were apparently left behind on a high top table in the downstairs Cygnus Bar area. When I realized the next morning that they were left behind, I poked by head in a back room of the Cygnus dining area and asked the janitor if they found them. The janitor then casually said "oh yeah, I saw them in the trash yesterday". I asked if she pulled them out of the trash. Unbelievably, she simply said "No, they were covered in napkins. And I thought it was a shame they were being thrown out since they looked nice and they probably belonged to someone but I didn't know who so I didn't take them out". I couldn't believe that the janitor acknowledged seeing these books, acknowledged that they must be special to someone, and then simply walked away knowing they went in the garbage. I can never get those books back and I didn't even get a chance to read the advice; my husband and I wanted to save these for our honeymoon. I will never be able to have everyone in the same room to sign these ever again. Cygnus did not reach out to me afterwards to see how experience was- I contacted them to get an itemized bill. And while I understand that I didn't have the most expensive wedding and I'm not a prominent business or community leader, I would expect Amway as a hotel and the people working for them, to treat each customer, regardless of the size of their pocketbook or the size of their event, with appreciation. I hope my review of Cygnus' service enlightens the hotel staff on opportunities for improvement. I hope that other brides set realistic expectations if they choose to work with them for their big day .
(2)Phil G.
Still just OK... I've given this place several tries over the years and my experiences have been similar. I just went again to meet with some friends and so can give a recent review. The good: -Fantastic ambiance. Located on the 27th floor of the Amway, this place has a hip vibe reminiscent of a cool hotel restaurant in California (like the "W" in San Francisco, for example.) Phenomenal views of G.R. in the spring/summer. I would definitely bring friends here for drinks before going out on the town or somewhere else to eat. -Great drink selection and bar space. As a modern bar alone, the rating would be higher. They do gouge quite a bit for the higher end spirits, though. $65 for a shot of Macallan 18 year old? No, thanks. The bad: -The food quality is decent but not spectacular, and for the price, it should be spectacular. The Albondigas (chicken meatballs) app had a good presentation, but was very bland. The Chorizo Croquetta was the best app, beating out the Lamb Empanadas, which were tasty but came with barely any of the mint mojo sauce. My filet was ok, but not cooked correctly. The accompanying Brussels sprouts were underdone and tough enough to beat your kid up and take his lunch money. My wife enjoyed her Green Mole Scallops, but then said she preferred the scallops at Rockwell Republic. The Tres Leches dessert was not at all good as it had citrus in it which totally overpowered and ruined it. Thankfully, a friend gave us some of her Chocolate Sphere dessert, which was excellent. -The service was friendly, but slow. At one point, I ordered an appetizer and was told by the waitress she would not take my order and I would have to wait until the drink orders came before I could order anything. Uhh, what??? Later on, we had to actually get up from our table to search for our waitress after she had disappeared for 30 minutes. What??? Again, at this price, one would expect more attentive service. As a few of our group left the place, we looked at each other, shrugged and said "that was...ok" I sure do miss the 1913 Room. Currently there is simply no option for truly fine dining at the Amway - just expensive dining. At least this place beats the lamentable "McDonald's of steakhouses" located on the ground level...
(3)George J.
I love much this place and most of the time my girl friend is my companion at this bar. We have their delicious items and their hosting is always praised by my girl friend. The location is good and greatly priced things here.
(4)Stephanie T.
Went to Cygnus for my anniversary over the weekend and discovered Cygnus had a new head chef and manager! Being my fourth or fifth time here, this past visit was exceptionally enjoyable! The service was just spectacular that evening! The new manager (Manny, I believe!?) was very helpful and even pulled out pictures of the food he had already tried on his phone when we needed help deciding on our entrees, he took the time to check on us and even packed our food for us. Very nice guy. Our waitress was also very attentive, polite, and knowledgable. I was told that the food is now under a Latin/Spanish influence so it was whole new menu. Portions sizes were pretty big (10-12oz,) so we got our money's worth about $30 per entree! We ordered the lamb shank and spiced rubbed pork chop, both were rich and flavorful! A little dry for lamb shank but still delicious! I'm also a huge fan of their Sunday brunch! So I'm excited to see what the new chef has to offer!
(4)Tea C.
Went to Grand Rapids for a getaway weekend and had the pleasure of dining at Cygnus 27 located inside the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. What a treat. Not only is the restaurant located on the 27th floor, providing gorgeous views of the Grand Rapids area, but the food is exceptionally good. We enjoyed the manchego fritters to start. Our entrees were perfection - the lamb shank, which was fall off the bone delightful and monkfish. Perhaps my favorite part of the evening was dessert, which was a chocolate sphere that the server pours hot chocolate sauce over until the sphere breaks, tableside. Delectable. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to return to this ultimate five star destination.
(5)Dina H.
Brunch was pricy but worth it. Unlimited mimosa with peach juice! $3 bloody Marys. Staff was very friendly. Brunch prime rib, you will get your monies worth....
(4)Matt B.
The location is obviously unreal. Super classy. The food is fresh, good, just not spectacular, a bunch of "tall food". It'd been better to put Ruths Chris up there & keep The 1913 Room open, now that place...
(3)Travis R.
A bit pricey for grand rapids but provides a great view of the city. I recommend stopping by for a drink to start the night out in style. Always interesting who you might meet.
(4)Mark S.
Beautiful Restaurant over looking Grand Rapids that just has a way of making you feel on-top of the city. Service staff was attentive and extremely professional. Buffet hands down a wonderful diverse pallet pleasing thangg and to be finished with the most adorable delicious desserts mmhmm. Highly recommended if your willing to drop some money.
(4)Carly T.
I cannot comment on the quality of dinner here, but I did come on my anniversary for cocktails during sunset. This is like Grand Rapids' version of Chicago's "Signature Room," and the prices are almost as high. For a Chicagoan, this is acceptable, because I am used to it, but if you are not used to throwing money at the table every time you eat a nice dinner or order a fancy cocktail, be forewarned. Cocktails are $14, I believe. Insanely high for Grand Rapids as a whole, but really seems on point with the quality of the drinks and the ambiance. Amazing views. Great lounge. Great furniture. Not too crowded (drinks at 8:30 on a Saturday night? I assumed we would be waiting, but we didn't have to).
(5)Marcel G.
Very good actually!
(5)Dennis T.
Went today for Sunday brunch. Felt more like we were dining at Golden Corral than the top of the Amway Grand Hotel. Unlike the best brunch experience I had here last winter, today was just ok. Only omelets (which was cooked perfectly) came out of the kitchen, everything else was buffet - not my favorite. The sushi station tried to come across as inventive, but I have had better from a grocery store. Prime rib was as good as expected, lox Benedict was unexpectedly good. Top it off with mimosas included and above average service, not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.
(4)Susan S.
Sunday, February 2, 2014 Party of 7 had a 1:00 reservation (only time they had available) we finally were seated at 1:30 at a ridiculous booth where we all faced out, no chance to visit and a nightmare for a brunch buffet. After we were moved to a round table it was like they forgot about us. There is supposed to be a choice of 3 juices for the table, they were out of all but orange. (really- out of juice). The service was not great. The food was not great and you have to order your entrees separately, so you wait alot. For the price of $37.95 plus the 20% tip they add on I won't be back. We were all very disappointed and wished we had gone to Charley's Crab which was our other choice. For such a nice restaurant I can't believe how awful this experience was.
(1)Jim A.
Great Happy hour! Bartender was exceptional. Went with friends and had a wonderful time. Great way to spend couple of hours.
(4)Barbara E.
It's nice that they have a secret vegetarian menu, but it features non vegetarian items. I ordered the black thai pasta and found out halfway through the meal that it was made with squid ink - not vegetarian, as the ink comes from dead squid. The rest of the food and presentation were nice. Sadly the vegetarian menu is not that imaginative - I'm sure they could spend a little time and find some high-end non-Asian vegetarian foods. The 4 entrees were bibimbap, curried vegetables, lo mein, and Thai pasta. Appetizer menu was similarly themed, so the cream of mushroom soup struck me as out of place. Dessert was great - cheesecake of the gods, Greek yogurt cheese cake with fresh berries, pistachio brittle, and small chunks of fresh honey comb.
(4)Chuck N.
My wife and i were staying at the Amway Grand on our anniversary. They have a wonderful couples package and we try and do this as often as we can. This was our first time dining at this restaurant and the total experience was quite enjoyable. The service was really top notch. You have two people who wait on you and our team was very knowledgable. We started out with the recommended Lobster Bisque which was all it was touted to be. Very robust and rich. Our main courses were the shrimp and scallop dish for my wife, and the beef and rice dish served in a stone bowl for me. This is where things fell a bit short. If i was giving a review based solely on the main course the best I could do is give them 3 stars. It is pretty over priced and the quality of the food was just ok. Make sure you request a window table because it makes all the difference in the experience. Without that extra ambiance this would not have been worth it. But again the service and atmosphere do make for a wonderful evening.
(4)Jodi W.
You come to this spot for the views and the fact that when you are up on the 27th floor, it doesn't "feel" like you are in a hotel, much less the Amway Grand Hotel. On a clear night, you can see forever. The views and bar are the reason to come here. The food isn't bad - I dined here once for a business dinner, and the service was very good, but the vibe is really nice on a weekend night and a good change of pace for the city overall.
(3)Jaya R.
Celebrated a birthday at Cygnus yesterday. The brunch was fabulous...SO much to choose from, both on the buffet and menu. Great ambiance, yummy food and tasty mimosas!
(5)Barbara W.
Pros: Great view Delicious/inventive drinks using fresh ingredients High-end creative food without the east coast price tag Beautiful presentation of food and drinks Soft cushions for sitting Not super crowded or claustrophobic great ambiance and decorations Cons: Slow service for order taking - but friendly and faster during the check ups throughout the night Limited window seating Close at 11 p.m. (a little early) Olive oil ice cream in the banana split was overspun so the texture was flaky and it tasted like butter. Recommendations: Get the grilled frog legs! They're really meaty, and a great "adventurous" eat for those who stick to known foods. The seasoning is delicious and you can eat them just like chicken wings The sangria cafe for $16 is worth it for a total of 4 drinks. It's fruity and comes with real fruit in the glass. Great way to sip and enjoy. The banana split comes in a super modern presentation and the caramelized banana is out of this world. I would replace the olive oil ice cream with something else (vanilla?) to complement the hazelnut chocolate ice cream that also comes with it. Make sure the texture of the ice cream is good - or I would send it back.
(4)Sarah N.
Dining at Cygnus 27 on Saturday was a memorable experience! I had been there many years ago and decided to treat my parents, who have lived in the Greater GR area for over 30 years, to this restaurant for THEIR first time. They willingly dressed up Saturday night and drove all of us downtown. After parking in the garage across the street, we enjoyed a nice, leisurely stroll through the opulent hotel, admiring the beautiful and historic décor. Upon exiting the elevator at the top, our smiling and professional hostess greeted us, checked our reservations, and asked to validate our parking ticket. We were seated against the west-facing windows and I was happy we'd be able to catch the sunset midway through dinner service. Loved the interior color tones: cream and natural wood, black highlights, and pops of red. Our food was served on uniquely-shaped dinnerware and the salt & pepper shakers were quite modern. I didn't like the handle of our knives, but everything else pulled together nicely including the water glasses. The volume of the restaurant increased as the minutes ticked by and well-dressed young professionals streamed inside. My parents didn't mind the energy and actually said the liveliness showed off off the success of the restaurant. Food was good. Not the best I've ever had, but good for Grand Rapids. They started us on some interesting bread along with two types of butter and one dipping oil. It was a bit difficult passing the spreads around for fear of spilling the oil, but we made it work. Oil should've been in its own saucer/shallow bowl. I like the size of the menu - it's not huge with endless selections but they offered enough to satisfy everyone while allowing the kitchen to focus on these specialties. The 5 duck rangoons were tasty but perhaps should've perhaps been a little larger. The 3 baked samosas were comforting with a nice flaky texture on the outside and warm creaminess on the inside. My Amish chicken was close to being dry (try brining it, guys), but it had a hearty, basic flavor. The accompanying risotto and large spears of asparagus were cooked perfectly. The BF's chimichurri barramundi was nothing outstanding, but decent. The chimichurri was a bit bland and restrained. My dad really liked his lamb chops - I was surprised to learn he had never had lamb chops before and he said they were really good. My mom dug into her tiger shrimp dish that came out in a giant, rectangular bowl, all on fire! Served flambé, it was an interesting piece to watch as the flames died out. They brought out a complimentary mango sorbet to cleanse the palate before bringing us our two desserts, which I thought were fantastic: pound cake with tropical compote, and chocolate tart. And then they finished us off with more dessert: a chocolate ganache melted over a candle and each of us received a small spear of strawberry and poundcake to dip it in. Service was excellent. Lauren and Tom tag-teamed our table, and they were helpful answering questions, kept our waters filled, and knew how to be subtle yet accommodating. No attitude or hint of snootiness. I liked their uniforms. The bathrooms were nice, well-lit and modern, but I was surprised that they were small. And get with the program, Cygnus: female customers in this restaurant, who most likely are dressed very well, want a full-length mirror in their bathroom so they can make a final check before they exit! The big surprise was none of us knew that weekend was Celebration On The Grand, so we were treated with a fireworks display towards the end of the meal! They burst at eye level and you could hear the muffled explosions reverberating against the windows. When we finished, the display was still occurring so we made our way outside to watch. It was so nice to visit my hometown for only a weekend and be treated to a fabulous dinner followed by a dazzling show! Dress is at the very least business casual. I don't recommend kids. The vibe is an energetic modern, trendy, see-and-be-seen type. Highly recommended if you're looking for good views and decent food for a special occasion in the Grand Rapids area!
(4)Kris F.
Beautiful view-brunch is best choice.
(3)Mark F.
Our meal at the Cygnus 27 restaurant was far below par and a huge disappointment compared to the last meal we had there in 2009. My own Maine lobster cakes as a starter were good, but my wife's Peruvian goat stew starter smelled awful and the meat was extremely tough to cut. She could not even try one bite as the smell was so off-putting. We both ordered the Korean Beef Bee-bim Bop as a main course, which seemed flavorful at first. The meat was well cooked. However, the rice was extremely salty soaked in a teriyaki sauce and neither of us was able to finish it. What happened to the exquisite experience we had in 2009? Although the service was good this place seems to have gone downhill, yet the prices are still really high. That said, the view is wonderful...
(1)Cathy W.
If you're out in Grand Rapids and are looking for a place to sit down and have a drink, you have to go to Cygnus 27. Sit at the bar or in the lounge area, the bartenders are super nice and helpful. The atmosphere in this place is incredible, and there is an unbelievable view of the city. Hands down my favorite place to get a drink in town.
(5)Mike C.
We had never dined at Cygnus, but we decided that staying at Amway Grand Plaza and dinner at Cygnus was a good twentieth anniversary. It was an awesome dining experience. Shrimp and scallop brochettes for me and Korean beef stew for Courtney, Pinot Noir for wine; great atmosphere we loved it. Lumber Baron bar later for scotch capped the evening.
(5)Nicole N.
We decided to give Cygnus 27 a try as part of GR Restaurant Week offerings. I entered the restaurant almost worried that our service or experience would be diluted because we were taking advantage of the deal that allows people to try out fabulous restaurants for a fraction of what it would normally cost to experience a full meal (sometimes fabulous restaurants tend to do that). Cygnus 27, however, did not disappoint, in food, service, or atmosphere. Starters: Butternut squash & fuji apple bisque: Velvety, complex, and amazing. Skyy Vodka bruschetta: Inconveniently presented in a UFO-shaped sloped dish, but fresh and delicious. Entrees: Petit Filet Mignon: juicy, perfectly seasoned and cooked. Root vegetable mash was a surprising and tasty replacement for potatoes. Halibut Saagwala: A hugely generous portion of fish with an inventive and delicious coconut curry sauce. Not a morsel was left. Dessert: Baked Alaska & chocolate mousse: Divine, but we were so stuffed from previous courses + tasty bread and spread combinations that we each only had a few bites. The service was impeccable. Our team of two servers (what a great concept! Two servers to watch each table for the duration of the meal) was attentive, kind, and knowledgeable. The atmosphere was also fabulous. A clear fall night at the top of the sky in GR, beautiful views and great ambiance. My only complaint is that our LED candle didn't work. :) A great experience like this, where a restaurant puts its best foot forward to showcase its capabilities during Restaurant Week, is exactly what places SHOULD be doing to get new folks in the door year-round. Instead of skimping to new folks there for an event, Cygnus served grand food and great service, likely to bring us back another time soon.
(4)Chris B.
Great ambience. The restaurant is on the 27th floor of the Amway Grand Hotel which provides spectacular views. The service was very professional, with friendly and knowledgeable wait staff. The menu was rather limited, with diverse and unique selections. The food was very fresh and prepared to perfection, The mango sorbet was awesome (if you like mangos).
(5)Rick W.
Great views, excellent menu and (eventually) attentive service. Problem was that this was a birthday dinner for my wife and several people walked right around our table to gawk out the windows and even asked me to move my chair so they could get behind me (!!). Did NOT feel like a five star establishment and really should work on that. No hostess for several minutes left us standing at the door, eventually flagging down one of the two bartenders (whom both were messing with their phones while having customers at the bar). Hotel guests in flip-flops taking their grandkids on a sight seeing tour through the dining room in their pool attire and the general malaise of everyone made this first experience a rather poor one for a couple used to a much higher standard in upscale eateries. Finally poor environmental management (or else planning, not sure which) left me frozen to the point of a mild headache while my wife, only on the other side of the table glistened from heat. The food may bring us back, but the unpleasant factors may have us try other fine dining experiences first.
(3)Molly H.
I'm only giving 3 instead of 4 stars simply because we only went for drinks and the place was dead so I don't know if I got a complete enough experience for an honest review. However--sitting up at that bar and enjoying their *excellent* cocktails is certainly a treat. The view is stunning. As for the cocktails--I love their menu. Really creative and totally delicious. I had something with a green tea liqueur that, while maybe a tad sweet for my personal taste, was delicious, interesting and included my favorite summer cocktail garnish after limes--cucumber. The espresso martini was also good, but the best of them all was probably the Chai Russian. This was my first experience with Chai liqueur and man, oh man. That stuff is nasty good. Anyway, we were staying in the Amway Grand Plaza and wanted to have a couple fun drinks as nightcaps and this fit the bill perfectly. Our bartender was extremely nice and actually cut us a deal which was very awesome of him. There was a moment where we had to wait a bit too long for our second round, but it looked like he was in the midst of a crunch which, as a former bartender, I am more than sympathetic to. I'd really like to return to try the food sometime and hopefully come back with another star or two!
(3)susan e.
For a place that is supposedly the cream of the crop, Cygnus was very disappointing. We went for our anniversary, on a weeknight, with a buy one, get one free entree coupon. The atmosphere was nice, though I would have liked to be seated by a window, since our only view was that of other diners. It took a long time to have our order taken. We weren't really in a hurry, but we didn't even get water for 15 minutes. I'm not sure if our polite but neglectful service was due to the fact that we didn't buy drinks, salads, or dessert, but our water was only refilled once, and the waiter only asked us how things were once. The food -- steak for dh, chicken for me -- was okay, but not worth the high cost. Being someone with a small appetite, I ate less than half of my food, but the waiter didn't offer to box it for me. Is Cygnus too fancy for take-home boxes? We were brought a complimentary tiny pot of chocolate fondue with two strawberries and two bites of pound cake for our anniversary, but that was the only great thing about the evening. We won't be going back.
(2)Dan B.
Second time around I nailed it. If you are not an adventurous eater I'd stay away or stick to the bar. Wife and I went for an anniversary dinner and glad I ordered the steak since we ended up splitting it. Service was great for us but I can think of a lot better dinner experiences for $100. Went back recently with a colleague, sat at the bar and had several appetizers. This is the way to do it. Calamari was very very good, no typo it deserves two verys. Lettuce wrap was interesting since you had to put it together yourself but we made it work. Fried cheese II "American style" was my favorite. Bartender pushed their Valentines vodka on everyone that walked in the door and my colleague was not impressed with it. They must have needed to get rid of it or bartender gets mucho incentive to sell a lot of it. I'd go back for drinks and apps but not for dinner. View is one of a kind in GR so take the express elevator 1st one on the left and experience it at least once.
(3)Sarah L.
I hadn't been here in 10 years! Since then, a lot has changed. They've definitely changed the decor to appeal to the young. My family and I and my sister's friends came here for brunch. I didn't know they had something like that here, but come to find out, they have what's called a "Seasonal Sunday Brunch". Cygnus sits on the top floor of the Amway Grand Hotel with great views of the city. We enjoyed a huge platter that consisted of eggs benedict, bacon, french toast, pancakes and some other goodness. With a party of 9, we still had left overs. Only because they had a buffet to go with that. So, they had quite a variety of items in their buffet. Things that I could remember are shrimp cocktail, salmon, pasta dishes, and a chef that would make your omelette the way you wanted it with whatever items you wanted in it. And then they had a huge variety of desserts! It was dessert heaven! Many of them were really good! Also, the cocktails they listed were included in the meal after the noon hour. So we tried them all. The belinni was tasty, as was the mimosa. On top of that, they had a meat platter, just like the breakfast platter. It included items such as honey glazed ham, lamb chops, beef, some sort of mashed potatoes, quail, and some other goodness. That was a lot to eat, but the price tag was a bit hefty. Overall, you get what you pay for. The desserts were really good, and having the cocktails included was a really good deal too. The food will probably hit or miss. There was some good stuff and some stuff that I didn't care for. Would I go again? Sure. The atmosphere was nice. The views were great. The service was pretty good. She was on top of things for the most part. A good experience.
(4)Briana J.
Seven of us recently tried this place and we really enjoyed our time there. The service was excellent. We had a private table and stuck around for 4 hours and the waitstaff was always kind. We started with some wonderful appetizers. Be sure to try the calamari and escargot. The tuna tar-tar was was not bad but not nearly as good as the calamari. I had a ceasar salad and it was pretty good. It was a bit over dressed but not too bad. A friend tried the lobster bisque and was very impressed. She would have licked the bowl had that not been against etiquette. For my main course I had the garlic beef and I cannot recommend it. It was highly disappointing. It was covered in sauce and the sauce was all ginger. The dish is called garlic beef not ginger beef. Do not get it. Five of the girls tried the felit mignon. They were all very happy with it. My other friend tried the lobster carbonara. She was unhappy with it. The only flavor was bacon...skip it. The wine list was wonderful, be sure to try to the malbec. It was great. The views are amazing. The restaurant sits 27 floors above the city and the views are wonderful. Be sure to try it.
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