“I’m just so sick of all these rooftop bars with glorious skyline views”—said Nobody. Ever.
New York City is famous for both its beautiful skyline as well as its bustling nightlife. Pair these two together and you’ve got the best rooftop bars in the city. There’s simply no better way to spend your beautiful summer nights than by embracing the Manhattan skyline while sipping cocktails with your girlfriends. And while the selection may be overwhelming (NYC has hundreds of rooftop bars), we’ve narrowed the list down to the ten best evening rooftop bars.
Urbanette has your complete guide to New York City’s most luxurious and fun rooftop bars on the following pages:
Gallow Green at The McKittrick Hotel
542 W 27th St (in Chelsea) website
This rooftop lounge, bar and restaurant has a garden party vibe and lots of different areas to camp out in. The rooftop is open after 5pm and serves dinner along with custom cocktails & punch bowls that pack a serious kick. Sometimes they also entertain guests with live music. In the winter, it converts into a rustic ski-lodge atmosphere, aptly named “The Lodge”.
The Delancey
168 Delancey St (in the Lower East Side) website
A jungle? In the Lower East Side? Yes, that’s right, this rooftop bar and lounge located on Delancey Street may not have views of the city but you’ll feel like you’re on vacation here. It is on a roof top, covered in trees, may have a live band, a DJ and a trendy crowd dancing all night. It’s no wonder that this gorgeous lower east side hotspot has become a year-round destination for many Manhattan residents that are in-the-know.
Their rooftop bar is laid back and tropical with its potted palm trees and fountains, which contributes to its relaxing nature. It’s known for friendly bartenders and affordable drinks and food. Downstairs, you can revel in the red velvet booths enclosed by silky drapes and dimly-lit chandeliers. It’s open every day from 5pm to 4am, and even though there’s three levels of glamorous fun, the drinks are inexpensive and there’s no velvet rope hassle.
Roof Garden Café and Martini Bar at The MET
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street (on the Upper East Side) website
With panoramic views of the city from atop one of the best art museums in the world, this rooftop lounge is a can’t-miss. And if you want to get out of the sun, The MET has several other lounges and restaurants you can check out.
The Roof Garden Cafe and Martini Bar serves cocktails along with light sandwiches and snacks. It’s open from May through October (weather permitting). From Sunday to Thursday you can get in from 10:00am to 4:30pm (a good reason to duck out of work early!), and it’s open on Friday and Saturday from 10:00am to 8:15pm, which makes it the perfect place to go after work on Friday or to chill on a Saturday afternoon.
The Surrey Hotel’s Private Roof Garden
20 East 76th St, at Madison (on the Upper East Side) website
The Surrey hotel’s private roof garden is, like the rest of the hotel, near-faultlessly designed for quiet relaxation, with wood decking, lavender-filled planters, miniature boxwood topiary and lots of English ivy. Seating is spaced widely, for private conversation. Subdued background music leans to Tony Bennett and Sinatra.
It is an altogether delightful space and unlike popular rooftop bars at many other Manhattan hotels, will likely remain that way because in order to go there you have to be a hotel guest, or a member of the Surrey “Patron’s Club,” which will set you back $1000 a year.
STK Rooftop Bar
26 Little w 12th St (in Meatpacking) website
STK Rooftop is a seasonal rooftop restaurant and lounge located on top of STK Downtown in the Meatpacking District. This surprisingly elegant rooftop lounge is part of a trendy nighttime spot, and doubles as both a high-end steak house as well as a popular nightclub.
The menu offers a lighter take on STK’s signature dishes with casual American grill cuisine and cool summer cocktails amidst breathtaking views of the Hudson River and New York skyline. Fill up on appetizers and hearty steaks, before engaging in the nightlife scene (yes, people may end up dancing on the tables).
Jimmy at The James Hotel
15 Thompson Street (in south/west SoHo) website
This intimate rooftop bar is located at the James Hotel in Soho. This setting is deliberately kept small, with a cap at around 70 people indoors and 60 outdoors, and opens to the public at 5pm every day, so get there around then, as the rather picky bouncer shows up at 9pm.
Want to cool off in the pool? Hotel guests get access at all times, but the pool is open to the public (so wear a bikini under your dress) on weekends from 3pm to 9pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This hot spot also has an indoor area with air conditioning, amazing cocktails and delicious appetizers from David Burke kitchen.
Hotel Chantelle
92 Ludlow Street (in the Lower East Side) website
This small Parisian-style rooftop hotspot serves chic french food and cocktails and is a great place to host a dinner party or meet friends for after-work drinks. Just remember to bring your sun hat! In case of rain, this rooftop restaurant and bar also has a retractable glass roof, and there’s a downstairs club called BonBonniere if you feel like sticking around. It’s a relatively small space, so definitely make a table reservation.
Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel
145 East 50th Street, between 3rd Ave & Lexington (in Midtown East) website
Rain or shine, from 5pm daily, this slick hotel rooftop bar with a retractable roof offers an amazing view of midtown. This rooftop bar has a retractable roof and a heated floor that still allows for a good time regardless of the weather outside. Although the view is beautiful, the once the DJ shows up it can get a bit crowded, so be prepared.
PhD at Dream Downtown
355 West 16th Street, between 8th and 9th Ave (in Meatpacking) website
This nightclub hotspot offers a great view of downtown Manhattan and tasty cocktails to sip on all night long. This venue has drawn in a pretty impressive celebrity clientele and gets absolutely packed around midnight. There’s a large enclosed nightclub space in the middle, with open rooftop lounge surrounding it.
This is the place to go if you want to drink and dance all night. They also have a very chic ski lodge-style club in the basement called the Electric Room, if you want a 2am change of scenery. You’ll need these tips to get in, though.
Gansevoort Park Pool Bar and Ivy Lounge
420 Park Avenue South, at 29th (in Murray Hill) website
This incredible rooftop lounge (The Pool Bar, Ivy Lounge and Rooftop Pool) provides a mix of exciting, trendy, elegant as well as low-key atmospheres, depending on when you go and what area of the rooftop you choose — and there are many distinctly different areas to chose from. The great music gets you off your feet and dancing while there are plenty of lounge areas for more low key moments. There may be a long line to get into the bar, but once you’ve got your organic cocktail or small-batch coffee, you’ll realize it was well worth the wait.
Brooklyn Bonus: Upper Elm at the King & Grove Hotel
160 North 12th Street in Brooklyn (in Greenpoint, Brooklyn) website
This locale allows for a quick escape from Manhattan, while still enjoying the amazing New York skyline. This rooftop lounge offers a huge saltwater outdoor pool. It’s the perfect place to enjoy delicious cocktails with your fellow hipsters.
So? What are you waiting for? Get out there and have some fun!!
Tell us: Did we miss any great spots? Have you been to these; what did you think?
I still like my bars on the ground thank you very much. being drunk on multiple occasions has thought me that stairs and elevators are the wort places to be when your piss drunk. So it’s a no go for me.
With The big Apple being crowded and all. Rooftop bars are like havens for open space longing individuals as my self. But the thing is, I always doubt the safety of said establishments being on the rooftop and mixing in alcohol. It’s bound to become a disaster real quick, luckily there haven’t been any case of fallen drunk on any bars. YET!
That 5th at 82nd bar is legit awesome. Great view great crowd awesome drinks. A must visit whenever you guys are in NYC…
It’s not always easy to get into the rooftop bar at Tribeca’s James Hotel (bouncer, clipboard, all that), but it’s worth a try — If you have time please try it guys. 🙂
Was here for a friend’s birthday party with some close friends. I was super excited about the Delancey Rooftop Garden because it looked like such a cool and unique place to hang out with friends. The people are friendly and the energy is high. There’s trees and it turned out exactly what I thought it would be: a spacious, comfy and tropical setting for chilling out. Overall, cool spot if you are in the area.
Every year brings a spate of new rooftop bars to the city. When summer rolls around here in NYC, we and visitors alike love spending time outside. Preferably with a refreshing cocktail in hand. Everywhere you’ll look in New York there’s no shortage of awesome views to enjoy. Thank you for guiding me and others.
Okay, personal observation, you might agree or disagree, rooftop bars are places where these people meet: professionals, prima donna types, trust-fund babies, regulars (like me) and tourists!