18 Best Rooftop Bars in New York City
A city that makes the most of the space that it's got, New York has a roster of rooftop bars that is second to none, and with real estate prices always on the rise, we’ve earned the right to partake in some revelry at the highest of heights. Given Manhattan's stunning skyline, water vistas, and diversity of skyscrapers, the views are reliably compelling. While about a decade ago most rooftop bars fell into some predictable camps (stuffy hotel bars or rowdy after-work spots), today there's a delightful range of sky-high bars offering world-class cocktails, craft beer brewed right downstairs, and some settings that are downright whimsical. Here are our picks for the best rooftop bars in NYC.
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Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve. This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Nikolas Koenig/PUBLIC HotelbarThe Roof
$$$The glassed-in rooftop bar on Chrystie Street offers 360-degree panoramic views of the New York City skyline and a rotating roster of DJs, perfect for watching the sunset and then some. There is a dress code to head to the roof (read: fashion-forward), so be sure to check the bar's website for sartorial details. In warmer temps it’s hard to resist the vodka-raspberry Frosé St. Tropez. Sunset happy hour takes place on Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., featuring cocktails, wine, beer, and various snacks offered on the food menu. Whether it's a group of gal pals, friends in town, or a first date, this place is a great vibe for rooftop sunsets.
Logan White/Night of JoybarNight of Joy
It’s garden-to-glass at Night of Joy in Williamsburg, where the cocktail list sees a heavy hand of botanical ingredients and herbal infusions. (Think basil-lime vodka and hibiscus-cinnamon mezcal.) Head to the rooftop patio that’s open from the spring through the fall season, and grab yourself a fresh lime frozen Margarita (they also come in various flavors). It’s perfect for date night—and who doesn’t love a night of joy?
Teddy Wolff/Jaffa Cocktail and Raw BarbarJaffa Cocktail & Raw Bar
This is Chef Michael Solomonov’s third restaurant in the always-trendy Hoxton Hotel in Williamsburg, which makes it all the more reason to go. Calling itself an “indoor-outdoor oasis, drawing inspiration from the coastal charm of Jaffa, Israel,” Jaffa’s roof terrace is bedecked with lush greenery, perfect for sipping cocktails on those cool summer nights. On the cocktail list you’ll find The Jaffa Orange with vodka, Aperol, orange, and vanilla (it’s frozen, folks!), and the Aunt Debby, aka, the house martini garnished with a za’atar onion. Dishes on the food menu include fluke crudo with shipka schug, blood orange, and pistachio; crispy mushroom hummus with chermoula; and chicken schnitzel with Yemenite pickles.
Neil AlinebarLe Bain
$$$Once you get past the doorman for the Standard High Line's rooftop bar, the hardest part is over. Summer afternoons are best if you can score a seat on the Astroturf “grass” deck and relax in a woven papasan, alone or with friends. Le Bain is crushing the game by way of smart cocktails and its rotating roster of DJs. Arrive early on an afternoon for one of the sexier spots in town, and get a great buzz from the refreshing drinks. When it comes to reservations, we recommend 10/10.
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Shannon Sturgis/OverstorybarOverstory
$$$Located a whopping 64 floors up 70 Pine Street, Overstory can be found via its own dedicated elevator in Saga. Patrons are not playing—they're here for serious cocktails and great ambiance. Bar Director Harrison Ginsberg delivers cool boozy concoctions like the Easy Money, featuring vodka, coconut, yuzu, lime leaf, and soda; the Montego Slay with tequila, mango, husk cherry, lime, and apricot; and the aptly named In the Clouds, featuring whiskey, Earl Grey, vanilla, Champagne, and clarified milk. Brought to you by the Crown Shy team, the service at Overstory is almost unparalleled, with a keen eye for detail.
Courtesy Harriet's Rooftop & LoungebarHarriet's Rooftop & Lounge
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Gold List 2021Revel in some of the city's most cinematic views—spanning the Statue of Liberty all the way to Uptown Manhattan—at this 4,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor venue atop 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. The space is oh-so-Brooklyn industrial chic: outdoors, there’s stadium-like seating made from pine beams of Brooklyn’s original Domino Sugar Factory, fire pits, and vertical gardens. Indoors, expect a new-fashioned take on an old-fashioned cocktail lounge. Book a table at either space online and look forward to glamorous and refined—yet unfussy—affair.
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Liz ClaymanbarBar Blondeau
$$Head six floors up from the posh Le Crocodile in the Wythe Hotel and step inside the just-as-chic, glowing Bar Blondeau. The space draws a mix: those seeking impressive views of the Manhattan skyline and those in it for the fare brought to you by chef partners Aidan O'Neal and Jake Leiber (also of Le Crocodile and Chez Ma Tante). the menu of Les Cocktails at Bar Blondeau will set you back at least $17 a pop: Seasonal libations like Daisy Chain (tequila, chamomile, lime, and honey) and the Garden Reviver (local vodka, basil, lime, elderflower, and fizz) will make you want to sample the entire menu.
Francesco Sapienza/ArlobarA.R.T. NoMad
$$Thirty-one stories up in the air is the A.R.T.—aka, the Arlo Roof Top—at the boutique hotel's NoMad location, with views of the nearby Empire State Building, Midtown, and beyond. The ample modern loungers provide an approachable atmosphere, perfect for sipping on fun cocktails like the Electric Avenue (mezcal, sotol, choya, and yuzu) or the frozen beverage of the day. For the daring who want to take advantage of their elevation, A.R.T. NoMad also has a skywalk glass floor. The acrophobic may want to stay seated, though.
Christine Gatti/Beast & ButterfliesbarBeast & Butterflies
Located on West 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan and open seven days a week—including breakfast—Beast & Butterflies is an indoor-outdoor bar inside the M Social Hotel with a wrap-around rooftop terrace offering views of Times Square. Great for a flock of tourists, the food menu sees crowd favorites including lobster rolls, Chinese spare ribs, Margherita pizza and a Prime NY strip steak with fries. The cocktail menu is divided into The Beast, The Butterfly, and Summer; knock yourself out with something strong (a Monarch Negroni with mezcal), sweet (the Fashion Avenue mixes limoncello with Woodinville Rye), or seasonal (passionfruit margarita, anyone?) respectively.
Warren JaggerbarMagic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge
$$New York City’s largest indoor/outdoor all-season hotel rooftop bar and lounge is a carnivalesque adult playground—a topiary garden, rotating carousel-style seating, and a mini-golf course—set to the sounds of nightly DJs and sky-scraping vistas of the Empire State Building. This year Magic Hour is pretty in pink with the debut of its Pink Rose Garden, bedecked with more than 10,000 roses, pink porch swings lining the carousel, and even a “Pink AF Pancake Stack” piled high with hot pink cotton candy. There’s pink drinks, too, on the menu; Schitt’s Creek fans will revel in the Moira Rose, a mix of rose petal gin, raspberry tea, fresh lemon, and Prosecco.
Courtesy The Crown Rooftop Bar and LoungebarThe Crown
$$$Turns out you don’t have to be in Brooklyn to get jaw-dropping views of Manhattan. Instead, consider the 21st floor of Chinatown’s Hotel 50 Bowery, where you'll find this intimate lounge with two rooftop patios and unobstructed views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, and One World Trade. The drinks are great, too, and this year’s menu sings songs of summer with drinks like vodka-spiked cucumber lemonade, and the Chinatown Cosmo, featuring Ketel One Grapefruit Botanical, Combier, lime, and cranberry.
Greenpoint Beer & Ale CobarGreenpoint Beer & Ale Co.
$$The green stained glass water tower by Brooklyn-based artist Tom Fruin shines like a beacon sitting atop Ed Raven’s cavernous brewery on Manhattan Avenue. After having to close at the end of 2018, Raven seemingly won the luck of the draw when he reopened at the beginning of 2020, increasing production four-fold and going from a five-barrel to a 20-barrel system, making it one of the largest breweries in Brooklyn. Head up top to the 2,000-square-foot rooftop and survey much of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan while noshing on craveable bar food like loaded Belgian fries, Chinese pork dumplings, bratwurst, and Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches.
Berry ParkbarBerry Park
$$It’s tough to pull off a sports bar and a see-and-be-seen rooftop at the same time, but that's the scene at Williamsburg's Berry Park, where bros and non-bros alike gather for a rousing round of pints while watching soccer (or football) games on the big screen. As crowds generally ascend upon Berry Park in droves—it’s practically across the street from neighboring McCarren Park, after all—it’s best to get here early to commandeer coveted rooftop space. Specializing in German beers with solid bar bites like wings and brats to match, Berry Park also offers up quaffable cocktails like frozen piña coladas, rosemary gimlets, and cold brew martinis.
barNubeluz
A mash-up of the Spanish words for “cloud” and “light,” Nubeluz by José Andrés in NoMad offers 270-degree views of the New York City skyline. Open daily from 4:00 p.m., Nubeluz is a fantastic spot to take a first date, celebrate an anniversary, or bring an out-of-towner visiting the city. On the cocktail list you’ll find classics like the Corpse Reviver #2 and a Mezcal Last Word, while signatures feature the Salt Air Margarita and the Enriched Tom Collins (Ransom Old Tom gin, maple, lemon, club soda, and bitters.) Plates on the food menu include a variety of sandwiches and rolls—and bagels and lox rolled up in a cone. And no José Andrés establishment is complete without jamón Ibérico de Bellota Cinco Jotas. Just be mindful: Nubeluz does ask guests to come dressed in cocktail-appropriate attire.
Paul Gelsobello StudiobarUpstairs at the Kimberly
$$With panoramic views including an epic one of the iconic Chrysler Building, it’s hard not to love this rooftop 30 floors above the Kimberly Hotel in Midtown East. Outfitted with a bronze bar, Venetian walls hand-painted by Anthony Chase, and lush banquette seating, guests here can partake in a menu of small plates for dinner or brunch classics (read: a variety of Benedicts) by Executive Chef Cristian Flores.
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Panorama Room
$$As the name suggests, the bar situated on the 18th floor of the Graduate Roosevelt Island hotel boasts panoramic views of Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. Open Wednesday through Sunday, you can enjoy rain or shine thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and a spacious outdoor terrace. Being a new kid on the block attracts the local Cornell students, as well as folks from the outer boroughs anxious to make the trek to the happening spot. With a rotating space, the bar staff has ample room to roam about the cabin and make sure all parties are accounted for. If you want a different vantage point of the city, it's worth the trek. Heads up: there’s a dress code, so act accordingly.
LoHibarLoHi
$$Locals and non-locals alike gravitate to LoHi for the cocktails and food alike. The cocktail list includes the Soul Flower (rosemary vodka, pear nectar, elderflower, agave, and ginger beer), and the Shadowboxer (lemongrass whiskey, honey-miso syrup, and ginger). The food menu brought to you by Happy Bull Pizza, too, is not to be missed—get yourself a 12-inch Meatzilla (tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, and fried chicken cutlet) and call it a night.
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Glass Ceiling NoMad
Exactly what it sounds like, the Glass Ceiling is a botanically themed rooftop bar with views of the Empire State Building and outfitted with a glass ceiling in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood. (It’s also named for the metaphor representing the invisible barrier preventing women and minorities from rising beyond a certain level in the hierarchy.) The cocktail menu features the tried and true, as well as house signatures like Risk It All (vodka, pear, turmeric, ginger, jalapeño, and lemon) and Work of Art (gin, lavender, lime, and egg white). The food menu is great for sharing; mushroom “cheesesteak” bites, devils on horseback (think dates wrapped in bacon), cheese and charcuterie boards, as well as a selection of flatbreads. (For those looking for something more substantial, a smattering of bowls and handhelds are also up for grabs. Brunch is also available on the weekends for DIY mimosas all around.
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