“Underground” is a wonderful thing in New York City. Bars resembling speakeasy establishments. Streets that are difficult to find. Spectacular gardens hidden away in the woods. But there are times when you want to soar above it all, sipping sparkling libations amid the clouds like some kind of fancy bird with an expense account. You’re looking for inspiration.
The upward expansion has also reached new heights in the huge metropolis. There are many beautiful places to eat and drink that are perched high in the sky like treehouses and charge admission. In addition to the best rooftop bars in New York City, there are party hotspots, beach terraces, and old-school New York throwbacks. Each one offers liquor, a view, and a chance to get high all at the same time.
At the best rooftop bars in New York City, you’ll be able to enjoy stunning views while sipping on some of the best cocktails in town.
Check out these Best bars in New York City that you must plan your vacation to New York. If you enjoy our blogs, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Best Rooftop Bars in NYC
The bar lottery has been won by visitors to New York City! All you have to do now is choose one. Tripononline has created a list of the best options to choose from to help you make the most of this important decision.
The following are the top 10 best rooftop bars in NYC that are worth a visit.
1. Panorama Room
The Panorama Room on the 18th floor of Roosevelt Island’s Graduate hotel was one of the best rooftop bars in NYC. There’s a lot of room both inside and out, as well as a good selection of drinks, appetizers, and entrees, many of which feature seafood.
The Panorama Room was designed by Parts and Labor Design, a James Beard Award-winning design studio. Luxurious velvet vintage-inspired tubular lounge seats, chrome and marble accents, mosaic tile columns, and gigantic tubular acrylic chandeliers hang over the tremendously long bar, giving the space a palatial feel.
In addition to being opulent, it also manages to be both forward-looking and backward-looking.
2. Bar Blondeau
Bar Blondeau’s newly reopened terrace, which first opened last summer, is a lovely low-rise platform with a view of the East River and New York City skyline. The Wythe Hotel’s sixth-floor spot has a long list of cocktails, wine, beer, and zero-ABV drinks, as well as a better selection of small and large plates than the rooftop bar.
In 2019, the same people who opened Le Crocodile in the Wythe Hotel also opened a new business on the sixth floor of that building. Bar Blondeau has tables inside and out, a long list of drinks that includes beer, wine, cocktails, frozen drinks, and a few non-alcoholic options, and small plates that focus on seafood.
3. Daintree
Daintree is a must-visit spot in Midtown Manhattan thanks to its extensive martini menu, limitless chicken salt seaweed popcorn, cushy upholstered couches inside, and a stunning outdoor terrace. Photographs of the Empire State Building being transported to the top of the skyscraper’s 29th story are sure to turn heads.
The Sentry Flatiron, a sleek new rooftop bar in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is home to Parched Hospitality’s newest venture, Daintree, located on the hotel’s top level. Daintree, like Parched, has a stunning perspective of the Manhattan skyline.
4. Westlight
Westlight is a stylish glass box on top of the tallest building in the area. Take the dedicated elevator 22 stories up to the industrial yet swanky space with black-and-white tiled floors, bright globe lights, and a beamed ceiling to experience a hotel rooftop bar that has everything it needs to be a standalone New York cocktail den, not just another hotel bar.
Westlight, a stylish glass box on top of the tallest building in the area. Take the dedicated elevator 22 stories up to an industrial yet swanky space with black-and-white tiled floors, bright globe lights, and a beamed ceiling.
This is a hotel rooftop bar that has everything it needs to be a stand-alone New York cocktail den.
5. The Ready Rooftop
The Ready is a new DIY-house party space on the top floor of the Moxy East Village. String lights shine and beer cans chill in coolers, but a retractable roof and more complicated cocktails remind you that this isn’t home.
This summer, the Ready rooftop is ready for a good time. The fact that each table has a portable cooler full of canned beers and wines is probably the biggest indication.
This new downtown spot is on the top floor of the Moxy East Village. It feels like a backyard party with lots of greenery, hanging lights that twinkle, different kinds of outdoor furniture, and a lot of sunlight. It’s kind of like hanging out in a friend’s (very clean) backyard, except you don’t have to worry about angry neighbors yelling at you.
6. Overstory
At its one-year mark, Overstory is still a difficult reservation to get, but if you’re patient and prepare ahead, you’ll be able to get in. Even a hot air balloon pilot would be impressed by these stunning skyline views if you put in the effort.
Crown Shy’s Crown Bar downstairs is a great location to hang out while you wait for your Overstory reservation. Overstory is like a music box in the sky, with a wrap-around terrace that looks out over a sprawling landscape.
As one of New York City’s most stylish and luxurious cocktail bars, the furnishings are sumptuous, the cocktails are inventive, and even the ice is scrumptious here.
7. Ophelia
Ophelia isn’t a place for loud Saturday night parties. Instead, it’s a place where people go to talk and maybe share a few secrets.
This is one of the most elegant rooftop experiences New York City has to offer, with its high cathedral windows that look out onto the East River and its jewel-toned blue walls.
8. Dear Living on Hudson
This two-story cocktail bar is the 2019 follow-up to Dear Irving. It has a “Ode to the Empire State” with spirits made in New York. And given that it is in Times Square, it is surprisingly stylish. It looks like the set for a James Bond movie from the 1960s.
There are velvet couches, brass accents, and round doorways. And after a few drinks, you might even start spying on your own. The people who started Dear Irving and Raines Law Room opened a second location of Dear Irving in midtown.
Most notably, there are a few cocktails and a “time travel” theme, with one floor looking like James Bond in the 1960s and another with Art Deco décor.
9. The Rockaway Hotel
On the sixth floor of The Rockaway Hotel, you can see the beach and the skyline of New York City. Take it all in over big margaritas or mezcalomas with friends, or get smaller ones for yourself. On the menu are both big and small snacks like charcuterie, ceviche, and raw bar platters.
The Winter Pool House, which is an enclosed, well-ventilated dining area on the hotel’s large pool deck, will bring guests in for a tropical-themed day out.
With pampas grass, sherpa throws, and teak furniture in every corner, you can lean into the beach theme and enjoy the tropical drinks and seafood platters on the lunch and dinner menus. Want to go to sleep after dinner? In the winter, a night at the quiet hotel on the beach starts at $200.
10. LLohi
Even though LLohi is only on the fourth floor, its view of East Williamsburg is very wide. Its twinkling background isn’t as flashy as some corporate behemoths’ rooftops, which makes the space feel beautiful by accident.
The “rooftop tax” that tends to make prices higher in other places is also not present here, and beer, wine, and cocktails at LLoHi are a few dollars cheaper than at many Manhattan bars.
11. The Crown
If it took you a little longer to get to the 21st floor of Hotel 50 Bowery and there are a few more people at the bar than you’re used to after a year and a half, The Crown’s best-in-class view will remind you right away why you chose this bar and this city.
In terms of views, most rooftops have good views of the city skyline, but this 21st-floor spot has one of the best in the whole city.
On the main balcony, you can watch what seems like an endless line of low-rise buildings in downtown give way to the tall buildings of midtown and Fidi. On the east side, you can see the Manhattan Bridge Arch and Colonnade in a unique way.
12. Brooklyn Cyclones Sunday Rooftop Brunch
The Brooklyn Cyclones, a popular minor league baseball team in the area, just started serving brunch on the roof of their Coney Island stadium during Sunday games so that people can drink during the day while pretending to do something else.
This new boozy brunch at Coney Island is a home run! For the 2022 season, the Brooklyn Cyclones started a brand-new boozy brunch on the rooftop, which has some pretty amazing views.
Service starts at 1:30 p.m. (the games start at 2:00 p.m.), and $49 tickets include unlimited bloody Marys, mimosas, and beer as well as fruit, yogurt, baked goods, sliders, and more. You’ll also see the Atlantic Ocean, Luna Park, and the game, of course.
Guests will be able to see the baseball game, the ocean, and Coney Island while sipping on unlimited beer, mimosas, and Bloody Marys made with The Murphs Famous Bloody Mary Mix. (And at $49, it’s not just the bases that are a good deal.)
13. Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge at Moxy Times Square
Magic Hour Moxy changes its look often for photo ops that keep people coming back. Last season, it went full après-ski and hasn’t looked back since. The Pink Winter Lodge pop-up is on the 18th floor rooftop of the Moxy hotel. It has lots of fake blooms in shades of pink, seats that look like ski lifts, and food and drinks that look good in photos. Before the space changes again, catch it.
The team plays up the idea of a “urban amusement park” in its palatial 10,000-square-foot space, which has rotating carousel seats, a topiary garden, and Foreplay, a putt-putt course with animal statues in NSFW positions. The bar serves small plates like duck carnitas tacos and drinks with funny names like “All Spice No Drama” (Bombay Sapphire, strawberry shrub, allspice dram, and rosemary).
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FAQs About Best Rooftop Bars In New York City
What part of NYC has the best bars?
Here are the top ten:
Lower East Side – 11%
Meatpacking District – 8%
Midtown – 6%
Williamsburg, Brooklyn – 6%
SoHo – 5%
Hell’s Kitchen – 5%
Chelsea – 4%
Tribeca – 4%
What are the best rooftop bars in NYC?
What do you wear to the magic hour rooftop bar?
Those staying at MOXY will have first access to the rooftop. Remember that the dress code for Magic Hour Moxy is dressy (no shorts or sandals after 9 p.m.), and that Magic Hour Moxy is a venue for people over 21.
Does The Ready Rooftop Bar take reservations?
Yes, You can reserve a table by choosing a date, time, and the number of people in your group.
Does Westlight offers delivery or takeout?
They provide meals for takeout.
Tell Us In The Comments About One Of Your Favorite Best Rooftop Bars in NYC!
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