The best New York rooftop bars that go above and beyond

For a metropolis known for its vertiginous skyline, it’s surprisingly tricky to find a half-decent rooftop bar in New York City. Views and outdoor space are premiums in a town that sorely lacks both, sure, but something about hordes of 20-somethings, befuddled tourists and that summertime mutant known as frosé has me longing for terra firma. So this summer, I embarked on a quest: to find the best lofty watering holes (watering hills?) in the City that Never Sleeps.

My criteria were as straightforward as they were stringent. First and foremost, the establishments considered should be on an actual roof. Secondly, they must feature outdoor seating. Thirdly, the taste of the decor should be directly proportional to the bar’s elevation (read: high). And last, but not least, there shall be no signs specifying that only one person at a time is allowed in the bathroom.

I am pleased to report that there are indeed sky-high saloons that appeal to even the most jaded New Yorkers (or discerning out-of-towners). I found them Downtown, in Brooklyn and – yes, even in Times Square. They came in all shapes, sizes and heights, and offered atmospheres and menus as varied as their position on the horizon. Without further ado, the best rooftop bars in New York that will assuredly take your happy hour to the next level.

Best FiDi escape

Bar Tontine

The atmosphere: FiDi oasis for elevated margs
The scene: White collar workers and hotel guests
The view: Skyscrapers, the East River and Brooklyn Bridge Park

Manhattan’s Financial District has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years, from the opening of the French retail expat, Printemps; to the transformation of a humdrum office building into WSA, the buzziest workplace in town; to the conversion of a former ferry terminal into Casa Cipriani. The Wall Street Hotel, which opened three years ago, has become my go-to downtown escape for its plush atmosphere – think scenic wall murals; layered patterns; and original Beaux-Arts details – and stiff drinks. In fact, I love the spot so much that my husband and I spent our wedding weekend here. So imagine my delight when I learned that the hotel was opening a 15th-floor rooftop bar this season, a Mexican concept called Bar Tontine. The indoor-outdoor roost has all the attention to detail visitors admire about the hotel – pretty fabrics, cut glass water tumblers, Riviera-ish iron café seating – but with a relaxed, summery feel. The menu features four margarita variations, which can be tailored to your preferences with additions like a black salt rim, passionfruit, and your favourite of tequila or mezcal. I went for La Sandia, a dangerously refreshing concoction of dry curacao and reposado, topped with a whimsical watermelon-shaped variation of a JELL-O shot. Savoury types will do well to order El Tigre, a marg variation infused with leche de tigre, the marinade used to cure ceviche. From there, load up on fancy nibbles like caviar nachos, corn esquites presented on bibb lettuce, or a particularly-tasty serving of guacamole, which comes loaded with pepitas, black sesame and zingy microgreens. Salud!

Bar Blondeau

Best Brooklyn vibes

The atmosphere: Industrial cool in Williamsburg
The scene: Brooklynites and hotel guests
The view: panoramas of Manhattan’s East Side, from the Empire State building to the Chrysler Building

I’ve lived in Brooklyn long enough to bemoan how much Williamsburg has evolved over the last decade or so. Most of my favourite back-in-the-day haunts have shuttered, due to rent hikes, BMW dealerships or Vice (another relic of another time). One place that’s had staying power is the Wythe Hotel, which opened in Williamsburg in 2012. Say what you will about the Wythe’s role in transforming the neighborhood, but – nearly 15 years since it’s opened – its rooftop bar, Bar Blondeau, still slings some of the best cocktails around. Go for the Martini Blonde, which incorporates cucumber vodka and lemon oil into the gin-based original. The Upstate Spritz, meanwhile, has hints of basil and elderflower. If you’re feeling naughty, up above all the hoi polloi in the sixth floor, order the Trust Fund, a potion of vodka, lime, vanilla bitters, pandan and passion fruit, that comes with a Champagne shooter.

Not to be missed is the food, dreamed up by chef Aidan O’Neal and pastry chef Leanne Tran, which involves fancy takes on comfort staples (think: fried chicken and duck hot dogs). If you’re feeling fancy but don’t want to trek to Tribeca (see Le Vaux), you can even order Bar Blondeau’s new tea service. The hotel, located in brick 1901 factory building, was designed by the architecture firm MA – FKA Morris Adjmi Architects – in the industrial-chic style that became a Williamsburg hallmark. The interiors of Bar Blondeau are softer, with a marble bar, sage-green upholstered banquettes, all against floor-to-ceiling windows. Step outside and you'll find wrap-around planters filled with greenery and broad, off-white umbrellas. Peering out to the toy-size Chrysler building, you might just feel like you have a trust fund, whether you’re drinking it or not.

Best in Times Square

St. Cloud Rooftop

The atmosphere: Above it all in Times Square
The scene: In-the-know office workers and hotel guests
The view: Times Square lights and Manhattan heights

Bars are plentiful in and around Times Square. But unless you want to head to Margaritaville’s 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar (hey, there’s a time and a place for everything), you’ll encounter a dearth of tourist-light roof terraces. That is until I happily discovered the St. Cloud, perched atop the Knickerbocker Hotel on 42nd Street around the corner from Wallpaper*s US offices. The Beaux Arts-style hotel was originally financed by John Jacob Astor IV and completed in 1905. You’re keenly aware of this history on the roof, with its verdigris crests and urns, which surround the stylish roof terrace. But then again, you might also be distracted by the hustle and bustle of Times Square, the living wall that clads part of the building or – more likely – the three different variations on the martini, which, by some accounts, was invented at the hotel.

If you’re in the mood for food, there are elevated bar bites, but I recommend skipping in favour of Japanese nibbles, like yellowtail crudo and spicy tuna-topped crispy rice from Akoya, a new indoor sushi bar on the site. From my vantage point, 16 stories up, I could gaze directly into the former headquarters of Condé Nast. There’s something devilishly satisfying about watching office workers toil away with a drink in hand.

Best Manhattan view

Harriet's Rooftop

The atmosphere: Laid-back luxe or party time – choose your own adventure
The scene: hotel guests, dates and party-goers
The view: Postcard vistas of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and more

There are few things more infuriating to a New Yorker than a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, between the selfie sticks, tchotchke merchants and impromptu marriage proposals (‘I’m walkin’ here!’). But if it’s a view you crave, do yourself a favour and book a table at Harriet’s, the rooftop bar that crowns the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. From this garden-like 11th-floor deck, tucked into Hamptons-feeling outdoor timber furniture, you’re treated to what’s likely the best aerial vista in the city, a panorama that sweeps from the Brooklyn Bridge, the Financial District, Lady Liberty and – on a clear day – the Verazzano Bridge. Now, normally I am not one for photos, but even I was reaching for my iPhone on a recent afternoon.

The menu at Harriet’s is Asian-inspired, with sharable snacks and larger portions alike. I started with Kyó No Hana, a pale purple potion made from gin and lavender, and then nibbled on crispy rice and spicy tuna (I can never resist), a ‘Dumbo’ sushi roll with shrimp tempura and a bowl of crispy shoestring truffle fries. Because it was late afternoon, the atmosphere was relaxed (hotel guests can use the adjacent rooftop pool). If you’re looking to party, though, snag tickets to one of Harriet’s summer DJ events.

Best for Dinner

Laser Wolf

The atmosphere: tropical, breezy and buzzy
The scene: foodies and locals in a celebratory mood
The view: Sweeping views over the east river and Manhattan’s East Side

A fair warning: securing a reservation at Laser Wolf in Williamsburg can be tricky. But it’s so well-worthwhile that, even when a heatwave sent the mercury up to nearly 95 degrees F, the rooftop Israeli restaurant was packed with hungry diners. The design makes for a perfect hot-weather oasis, thanks to rattan furniture, '70s-inspired lighting, lemon-yellow behind the bar and loads of potted plants. The drinks offer fun takes on Israeli cooking and ingredients found throughout the Middle East. The Wolf’s Fang, for instance, features a mix of rums, arak, orange, passion fruit and, curiously, oat milk. No Big Dill is a refresher that includes olive oil vodka, cucumber, gin and herbs. There’s also a frozen cocktail to be had, the Get Shishlik’d (in reference to the restaurant’s grilled cuisine), which combines vodka, aperol, guava and lime into a heavenly brain-freezer.

Once you’re well-lubricated, it’s time for the food, which is done prix-fixe-style. You’ll start with a platter of divine dips – like house-made hummus and baba ganoush, roasted beets, and (my surprise star of the night) pineapple with celery – before diving into your selection of a grilled entree. Do yourself a favour and order the grilled cauliflower, which comes charred and crisp and piled high with pine nuts. So stuffed were my partner and I that we had to take a lap around the terrace, where we were greeted with views almost as good as the grub.

Most elegant rooftop bar

Overstory

The atmosphere: 1940s glamour meets contemporary elegance
The scene: elegant couples and small groups
The view: 360-degree views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the harbour and beyond

Few bars in New York are as exhilarating as Overstory. The bar, which opened in 2021 above the two Michelin-starred restaurant Saga, sits on the original observatory of 70 Pine, an Art Deco stunner in Manhattan’s Financial District. The space was originally meant to be the penthouse apartment of Henry Latham Doherty, the founder of the energy conglomerate Cities Service Company, but it became a public observation deck. Back in 1932, it cost 50 cents to take the lift to the 64th floor. Today the price of admission is simply a love of craft cocktails and an elegant, intimate atmosphere.

Overstory was designed by Modellus Novus to conjure the glamour of the skyscraper’s heyday and the colours of golden hour over Manhattan. The cocktail list, too, conjures an earlier more glamorous time, like Overstory's version of the Old Fashioned, which features a whiff of Palo Santo. In the Clouds, meanwhile, conjures the 360-degree views you get when you step out onto the wraparound terrace, with soft notes of Earl Grey and vanilla and a marbled disc that’s the next best thing after the Manhattan sunset. New York or nowhere, indeed.

Most verdant escape

RH Rooftop

The atmosphere: secret garden oasis
The scene: RH shoppers and a smattering of tourists
The view: Meatpacking mid-rises

RH has built its own mini hospitality empire in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. If buying a cushy Cloud sofa wasn’t enough, you can nibble on Petrossian caviar or even spend the night at the RH Guesthouse across the street from its New York flagship. A glass elevator that silently whisked me up to the store’s uppermost level, however, took me to a new level in the company’s universe, quite literally. The RH Rooftop restaurant is an indoor/outdoor aerie that doubles as a furniture showroom and an under-the-radar spot to grab lunch or a glass of wine. If the glamorous chandeliers in the indoor portion isn’t your vibe, step out onto the roof, where neat box hedges sprouting from grooved planters and a bubbling fountain could convince you that you’ve stumbled into a French garden. In fact, each booth, furnished with RH furniture, shrouded by those verdant partitions and shaded by (but of course) plane tree saplings, feels incredibly private.

Wine is the name of the game here, with dozens of options to choose from (bonus: they offer nine-ounce pours!), but there are also plenty of morsels on offer, from classic salads to roast chicken to caviar-topped nibbles. Because the environs are so aesthetically pleasing, the rooftop had its share of impromptu photoshoots happening among the out-of-town crowd. If that proves to be too much of an annoyance, you can simply take the silent elevator downstairs, swipe your credit card and take it all home with you.

Most design cred

The Rooftop at the Manner Hotel

The atmosphere: La dolce vita in the sky
The scene: Fashionistas and hotel bellas
The view: Downtown vistas

When Italian architect Hannes Peer takes on a project, you know you’re in for bespoke details, sumptuous materials and narrative drama galore. The Manner Hotel, which opened last year in Soho, is no exception with its Halston-esque red-carpeted suite, tangerine lacquered rooms and tambour-clad lounge. Lucky for non hotel guests, the roof terrace – a space so often disguised with Astroturf and humdrum furniture – also received Peer’s magic touch. Here, revellers are greeted with a little slice of the Italian Riviera, with groupings of squiggly iron lounge chairs, covered in persimmon cushions, a terrazzo-topped bar shaded by a terra cotta-hued awning, and plants galore. And that’s just the design. The menu focuses on Mediterranean-inspired snacks, like cacio e pepe-seasoned nuts, Iberico ham and beef shish kebabs, with equally sunny libations to wash it all down. You can’t go wrong with a citrus-forward Martini di Amalfi or a Calabria Margharita, with zippy hits of yellow pepper, lime, bergamot and chili.

Most fashionable rooftop bar

Le Vaux Rooftop

The atmosphere: Tea party in Tribeca
The scene: Well-heeled travellers
The view: FiDi skyscrapers and Tribeca vistas

We recently described Fouquet’s New York as a ‘lush, urban cocoon for the 21st century.’ And while the hotel’s amenity spaces have been historically reserved for guests and members, allow us to let you in on a little secret: this summer, the public can snag a reservation on its lush, grapevine-shaded terrace, Le Vaux Rooftop. To celebrate the occasion, Fouquet’s has teamed up with La DoubleJ on a special high tea service decked out in the Italian luxury brand’s latest tableware and linens. For $85 per person, guests can perch on pink-and-white striped cushions beneath cream-coloured umbrellas and indulge in a tower of teatime classics like scones (served with heaps of strawberry jam and clotted cream, of course), Victoria sponge, lobster macarons, caramel choux buns and more tempting indulgences. Here’s the twist: because it’s summer in New York and absolutely scorching, the tea (choose from mint, hibiscus or black) arrives iced. If it all sounds too prim and proper for you, don’t worry–there are boozy options, too, ranging from tequila-spiked agua fresca to bottles of Perrier Jouet. Even though it was pouring with rain during my visit, all the pretty tableware and skyscraper views kept my spirits – and my pinky – lifted.

Best for groups

The Yacht Club

The atmosphere: Roof deck meets boat deck
The scene: Clusters of friends seeking sun and fun
The view: A Hudson River panorama, plus views straight down the West Side highway

‘I’m on a boat,’ the Lonely Island informed us in the Year of our Lord 2009. At The Yacht Club, a sprawling new rooftop bar and restaurant that’s landed on the west side, you may not be on a boat, but it’s the next-best thing. That’s because it was masterminded by brothers Miles and Alex Pincus, who are not only avid sailors but also the hospitality brains behind nautical-themed concepts like Holy Water and Grand Banks, an oysterbar on the deck of an actual boat moored in the Hudson River. The duo brought the vibe all the way up to the 10th-floor terrace of the Starrett-Lehigh Building, with timber decking, wicker chairs, umbrellas, locust trees and servers in Breton stripes.

To a languid Reggae soundtrack, you can order a summer-y cocktail (don’t miss one of three fun versions of a spritz), and nosh on gussied-up favourites, like ‘Yacht Tots,’ a latke-esque crispy potato cube topped with trout roe and crème fraiche; pizzettes, savoury flatbreads topped with cheese, Calabrian chilis and more; or the Grand Banks lobster roll, whose toasty potato bun comes piled high with claw meat. If you tend to travel with an entourage, great news: you can reserve your own sun-shaded cabana for groups up to 20. Though the chaos of the West Side highway is just below, up here – as you toast the sunset and watch boats pirouette around the Hudson –you’ll feel like you’ve just sailed away too.