Lead
New York City’s skyline is arguably one of the most alluring assets the city has to offer, aside from all the great landmarks and puppy-sized pigeons and whatnot. And when it comes to summer festivities, nothing quite beats a cold drink in hand, a slight breeze, a few friends, and a view to make you feel like you’re floating above one of the busiest cities in the world.
But of course, since roof space is considered real estate gold here, you’re not going to do a lot of rooftop chillin’ without having a connection, spending wads of cash, or knowing the underrated spots where drinks are cheap and views are plenty. Instead of staying inside and watching Law & Order marathons because you think sky drinking is only for the rich and lucky, have no fear: we sifted through the city’s over and underrated rooftops spots for you. The result is our recommendations for the 25 best rooftop bars in New York, so whether you’re a New Yorker with an expense account or a visitor on a tight budget, rest assured: there’s a rooftop awaiting you somewhere. Just don’t wear a hat…it’s breezy up there.
RELATED: 25 Free Things To Do in NYC This Summer
RELATED: NYC Car Service Ranked
RELATED: The Best Dive Bars in NYC
RELATED: First We Feast - The Best NYC Bars of 2013
XVI
XVI
Neighborhood: Midtown West
Address: 251 W 48 St., 16th floor
Website: xviny.com
Price Point: $$
What was once High Bar is now an opulently decorated rooftop lounge, inspired by Louis the XVI’s over-the-top taste. That said, expect to drop some dough at this still-under-the-radar 16th floor spot at the top of the Hilton Garden Inn. The views of Midtown and the Hudson River are just as alluring as High Bar’s, but the movie projector mounted on the wall, silver seating arrangements, fireplace, and gold-accented rugs are all new additions for those who like a little extra accoutrement with their sipping. Speaking of sipping, the bar tender recommends the Knickerbocker Special, a summertime cocktail complete with fresh berries. Just don’t spend like Louis did and you’ll be fine.
[via xviny.com]
Upper Elm - The Roof at King & Grove Williamsburg
Upper Elm - The Roof at King & Grove Williamsburg
Neighborhood:Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 160 N 12th St.
Website: hwbrooklyn.com
Price Point: $$
The views of McCarren Park and the Manhattan skyline are sure to draw scores of longtime Brooklynites and downtown hipsters attempting to upgrade their luxury intake. Drinks include grilled lime mojitos, which taste even better when being sipped beside their saltwater pool. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the hotel's recent redesign, so expect crowds well into the summer.
The Delancey
The Delancey
Neighborhood:Lower East Side
Address: 168 Delancey St.
Website: thedelancey.com
Price Point: $
It’s summer, so skip the club-part of the Delancey and head to the roof of this LES spot with a South Beach-meets-punk-rock vibe. This spot is less about impressing someone and more about affordable drinks and good times with friends. With ample glimpses of the Williamsburg bridge, swaying palm trees, a late-night grill, and lots of young New Yorkers sipping cheap beer and sweating profusely, you can expect a good time. Head to the basement to hear live music if fresh air somehow bores you.
[via examiner.com]
a6 at six columbus
A6 at 6 Columbus Circle
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Address: 6 Columbus Circle
Website: thompsonhotels.com
Price Point: $$
Let Central Park and Columbus Circle serve as a backdrop to your evening at this 14th-floor hotel lounge. Expect to sidestep annoying crowds here with the strict hotel-guest or reservations-only policy. The casual décor is neither stuffy nor over-the-top, instead serving as the perfect mix of casual and impressive for drinks with co-workers or family. With Blue Ribbon Sushi and Grill located in the lobby, you can choose from a menu of signature drinks and a curated selection of sakes.
[via thompsonhotels.com]
Berry Park
Berry Park
Neighborhood:Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 4 Berry Park
Website: berryparkbk.com
Price Point: $
Finally: amongst the fuss usually associated with rooftop drinking, a beer garden with alcohol-sponsors plastered on umbrellas, Texas Hold 'Em Tuesdays, concrete floors, picnic tables, and over a dozen beers on tap. You can bring a date, your dad, or your friends. This 3,000 sq ft roof deck overlooks McCarren Park, with the Manhattan city skyline serving as the eyecandy backdrop. However, for you non-connoisseurs, we caution against trying to pronounce many of the beer names; the majority of draughts are German, so just point or reference colors. And with fresh air, a view, and no beer over $8, expect a crowd.
[via rooftoprestaurants.com]
Rare View
Rare View at the Affinia Shelburne
Neighborhood:Murray Hill
Address: 303 Lexington Ave.
Website: affinia.com
Price Point: $$
If you can handle the intense bro-ness that is associated with Murray Hill, then you should definitely dismiss the blue button-up-shirt-wearing crowd and stop by. Despite its early closing time –– 11 p.m. –– this 16th floor deck offers a fantastic view of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings and a menu of pricey, familiar drinks with a twist; think flavored margaritas and remixed cosmos. Or you could order a Jameson on the rocks, take a seat beneath the twinkly lights, look brooding, and automatically appear cooler than every pastel-bedecked frat boy there.
[via affinia.com]
Plunge at Gansevoort Park
Plunge at Gansevoort Park Ave.
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Address: 420 Park Ave. S
Website: hotelgansevoort.com
Price Point: $$$
This rooftop pool and lounge is an inevitably-crowded three-level party scene in the sky with $15 drinks and a pool floor mosaic of a bikini-clad pinup girl, teasing you with the words “I’m waiting for you.” While tempting, the pool is for hotel guests only. The view is enough to lure you in, so if you’re a guy looking to get lucky, head there on a weekend night when the lounge reaches full capacity with PYTs. If you’re just trying to chill, go early in the week and perhaps pool staff will let you play “just the tip” with your big toe.
[via gansevoorthotelgroup.com]
Living Room Bar and Terrace
Living Room Terrace at the W Downtown
Neighborhood:Financial District
Address: 123 Washington St.
Website: starwoodhotels.com
Price Point: $$
While the W promises this venue is casual enough for you to "leave your power suit at the door," the indoor/outdoor fifth floor bar is an upscale lounge with casual add-ons. The "Living Room" inside boasts black tile flooring that reflects the LED lighting above, and leather couches line the walls with books and board games to entertain. But who wants to sit in a living room when you can see the Hudson River and the Financial District from the outside terrace? As for sipping, the drink menu surprisingly packs a few punches, thanks to mixologist rockstar Charlotte Voisey. Too bad she's not actually there to shake something. Have you seen her mix a drink?
[via villageconfidential.com]
Salon de Ning
Salon de Ning at the Peninsula Hotel
Neighborhood:Midtown East
Address: 700 Fifth Ave
Website: peninsula.com
Price Point: $$$
Expect to find NYC’s Wall Street types and Parisian tourists aplenty at this 23rd-floor hotel bar while you're taking in Midtown East building scenery. If you choose to grub, you'll find a menu full of overpriced plates, but if you came to drink, there are a variety of fancy dessert martinis and house cocktails. Plop down on one of the inviting day beds and enjoy. The outdoor east and west terraces offer ample views of midtown, and indoors you’ll find rich red chairs, framed paintings on the ceiling, and a certain gentlemanly glamour that hearkens back to the roaring '20s. Wear a tie and prepare to mingle here; it’s Fifth Avenue nightlife.
[via lifetrendy.com]
Trump SoHo
Bar d'Eau at the Trump Soho
Neighborhood:SoHo
Address: 246 Spring St.
Website: trumpsohohotel.com
Price Point: $$$
At a Trump venue with a skyline view, you can expect to drop nothing less than $20 for a drink. But what with the huge pool, cascading waterfalls, and private cabanas, this is the epitome of a summer hotspot (assuming you can’t get away to Miami for the weekend). Sitting on the 7th floor of the hotel, the venue is open to the public until 11 p.m., but after hours either get on the exclusive list or wait in line. Donald Trump only wants the elite gathered at his venue come dusk, but we like this as a daytime spot anyway. Something about these fruity drinks say “sunshine only."
[via trumphotelcollection.com]
Press Lounge at ink 48
Press Lounge at Ink48
Neighborhood:Hell's Kitchen
Address: 653 11th Ave.
Website: ink48.com
Price Point: $$
With a pool shaped like a runway, you know what you can expect at this 16th-floor oasis. Fashion and PR chicks have been known to sip cocktails here after hours, but the venue closes at 2 a.m., even on the weekends. Classy women aren’t out at unreasonable hours, remember? So if you’re trying to shmooze and booze (try the Market Muddle cocktail; trust us, it's tasty), take a seat in one of the swivelly bucket chairs or sleek black sofas, enjoy views of the Hudson and Midtown West, and prepare to name-drop at least a few brands mentioned in The Devil Wears Prada if you want to impress.
[via thepresslounge.com]
La Birreria
La Birreria at Eataly
Neighborhood:Flatiron
Address: 200 Fifth Ave.
Website: eatalyny.com
Price Point: $$$
The ever-popular Eataly is on its way to monopolizing the whole moderately-priced eating and drinking thing in New York. Just a few weeks ago, the 4,500 sq ft rooftop beer garden and brewery opened to rave reviews and frothy thumbs up. Head to the 15th floor and soak in views of the Empire State Building and Flatiron’s intricate architecture. Unlike your traumatizing college experience, the ‘shrooms and brews here pair well together. There are three house-brewed Cask Ales to choose from, as well as a surprising variety of mushroom dishes found in the vegetarian section of the menu. Or there’s always blood sausages or pork shoulder. Your call.
[via starchefs.com]
Gramercy Terrace
The Gramercy Terrace at the Gramercy Park Hotel
Neighborhood:Flatiron
Address: 2 Lexington Ave.
Website: gramercyparkhotel.com
Price Point: $$
While the Gramercy Terrace is a fairly well-known restaurant during business hours, the late night lounge scene is little more hush-hush. This green sanctuary is an indoor space that spills outside, where you'll find an array of contemporary art, inviting leather-upholstered chairs, and a mixture of wicker furniture and plush couches surrounding tables and lush greenery. Head to the 16th floor for cocktails and a skyline view, or stay a night and try their brunch come morning.
[via grubstreet.com]
Empire Hotel
The Empire Hotel's Pool Deck
Neighborhood:Upper West Side
Address: 44 West 63rd Street
Website: empirehotelnyc.com
Price Point: $$
Ugh. Another hotel guests and invite only rooftop spot. But we had to include it because we know how crafty you really are. The Pool Deck at the Empire Hotel is more about the view than the heated pool, and if you’re lucky enough to reserve one of the five curtained cabanas, then you’re in for a treat. And by treat, we mean plasma-screen TV, a landline phone, Wi-Fi, iPod dock, day beds, and refrigerators for your friends who are believers of BYOB. The blazing red Empire sign is right above the deck, giving the experience a dose of Hollywood-meets-big-city-lights.
[via empirehotelnyc.com]
SoHo House
SoHo House Rooftop Bar
Neighborhood:Meatpacking District
Address: 29 9th Avenue # 35
Website: sohohouseny.com
Price Point: $$$
You might have to get on the waiting list for this members-only rooftop and, chances are, your name is behind someone’s from TMZ since the Soho House’s roof is often filled with oiled up celebs and industry people fiending for a skyline view, amongst other things. For non-members, the hotel’s 24 guest rooms will open up the possibility of a rooftop soirée here. An industry insider once said, “I love SoHo house’s roof, because someone else is always paying.” So either bring a stack, or bring a friend with lots of them.
[via sohohouseny.com]
Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel
Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel
Neighborhood:Midtown East
Address: 145 East 50th
Website: upstairsnyc.com
Price Point: $$
This midtown hotel bar comes with plenty of bells and whistles: heated wood flooring, a retractable roof, and the allure of old-school-luxury-meets-modern-design. The slick BB Italia and Moooi smoked wood chairs with leather upholstery are circled around huge coffee tables to encourage conversation, and the twinkly lights and fresh flowers are swoonworthy enough to impress your date. Order wine by the glass, or opt for their humorously-named signature drinks, like Rum Service and The Chrysler.
[via thenynightlife.com]
Ravel Hotel Rooftop Bar
Ravel Hotel Rooftop Bar
Neighborhood:Long Island City, Queens
Address: 8-08 Queens Plaza S
Website: ravelhotel.com
Price Point: $$
It almost seems like common sense to step just outside of Manhattan for the best view of Manhattan. This 6,000 sq ft rooftop garden terrace sits atop Long Island City’s first boutique hotel, and boasts a panoramic view of the Queensboro Bridge slithering into the Manhattan skyline. The 40-foot wood panel bar serves everything from draught Blue Moon to specialty mojitos, and strands of small round bulbs frame ample lounge space for you and your friends. So bring them. They’ll thank you for taking them somewhere unexpected.
[via nydailynews.com]
Hudson Sky Terrace
Hudson Sky Terrace
Neighborhood:Hell's Kitchen
Address: 356 West 58th St.
Website: hudsonterracenyc.com
Price Point: $$
Think lush green fauna and an inviting hammock. Also think luxury and invite-only. With bottle service, an extensive list of martinis, sangria, and signature drinks with names like “Pink Prozac,” we know what you’re thinking: total chick spot. And you know what we’re thinking? Exactly. However, if you don’t have a hotel room key or aren’t invited, don’t expect to pick up said Pink Prozac drinkers. To take in these views of the Hudson while sipping champagne in a hammock, we suggest you befriend a tourist staying at the hotel or scheme your way up somehow.
[via soulsociety101.com]
The View Lounge at the Marriott Marquis
The View Lounge at the Marriott Marquis
Neighborhood:Midtown West
Address: 1535 Broadway, 48th floor
Website: marriott.com
Price Point: $$$
This might be one of the only spots on our list where you can’t actually go outside, but trust us, the (literally) 360-degree view from the 48th floor of this midtown hotel is worth the touristy crowd and early '90s-looking carpet. Reach your destination via a futuristic glass elevator that shoots you to the top floor in a matter of seconds. Once you arrive, your server will give a map of where you’re seated; the roof revolves 360-degrees every hour, so the directionally-inclined could otherwise get a little confused. While the overall menu is a bit pricey, this skyline view, which you will see in totality if you stay for the encouraged hour, is unlike any other. Your seat in the sky will put everything in context.
[via nycgo.com]
Above Allen at the Thompson Hotel LES
Above Allen at the Thompson Hotel LES
Neighborhood:Lower East Side
Address: 190 Allen St.
Website: thompsonhotels.com
Price Point: $$
What appear to be camouflage couches from far away are really graffed-out benches letting you know you’re “ABOVE ALLEN.” How LES of them. This spot is a prime location for cool kids and industry types; in other words, the venue is for hotel guests and “members only.” The 7th floor patio boasts panoramic views of the city’s skyline unique to downtown, so expect to pay for the view with your drink. Capacity maxes at 130, so if you can’t scheme your way in, we suggest you head to the roof at The Delancey, nearby. The couches aren’t as cool but you’ll definitely be able to get in.
[via thompsonhotels.com]
Jimmy at The James Hotel
Jimmy at The James Hotel
Neighborhood: SoHo
Address: 15 Thompson St.
Website: jimmysoho.com
Price Point: $$$
Jimmy is like your cool best friend with impeccable taste and lots of money. This new SoHo spot landed at the top of a lot lists, and rightfully so. On the 18th floor of the James Hotel, choose from a variety of expensive but well-crafted cocktails concocted by mixologist Johnny Swet, and take in panoramic views of Midtown, Wall Street, and the Hudson River. The outdoor pool deck serves as über-modern headquarters for summer relaxation with an outdoor fireplace and open air views that make you feel like you might fall off the roof with one careless step in the wrong direction. But don't do that. Stay for the drinks.
[via siennacharles.com]
Le Bain at The Standard Hotel
Le Bain at The Standard Hotel
Neighborhood:Meatpacking District
Address: 848 Washington St.
Website: lebainnewyork.com
Price Point: $$
Chances are, if you haven’t been to Le Bain, you’ve heard about its über-exclusive door policy and the sickest skyline views NYC nightlife has to offer. During the summer season, expect to find model-type chicks frolicking in the pool downstairs, or head upstairs to the roof (note the condom vending machine on your way up), where you’ll find a pale pink bar and huge coral, round waterbed/beanbag chair hybrids that encourage friendly lounging. While the unassuming plastic chairs give the place a laid back vibe, the crowd is often celeb-ridden, so don't stare. Did we mention this place has a sick view?
[via standardhotels.com]
Hotel Chantelle
Hotel Chantelle
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Address: 92 Ludlow Street
Website: hotelchantelle.com
Price Point: $$
Set just apart from the hustle and endless flow of traffic on LES's main stretch between Stanton and Rivington is Hotel Chantelle, which is not a hotel, but a gorgeous tri-level space with a rooftop patio that will woo even the most hard-to-impress girlfriend's pants off.
Start early so you can catch their "High Life" happy hour (which in case you were wondering, does not refer to the champagne of beers) before heading up the outdoor space on the second floor, where she'll happily sip on a specialty cocktail like their Sarth Sangria, a rosé sangria made with fresh fruit and Pyrat rum.
After you've spent a few minutes lounging in the sunshine and gossiping about the Olsen-esque fashion aspirations of the crowd, stumble down to the basement for some bumping and grinding. Admit it, after a few glasses of rosé, making out in public somehow seems like the right move.
Gallow Green
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Address: 530 W 27th St.
Website: mckittrickhotel.com/gallowgreen
Price Point: $$
Sleep No More is the interactive theater project that has taken the city by storm, causing people to go back time and again in a way they never would with a traditional performance—you walk through five floors of the "McKittrick Hotel" (a warehouse space) however you see fit, interacting with live actors and wandering into everything from an old-fashioned insane asylum to an ornate ballroom. It's crazy, weird, but mostly: awesome. The rooftop bar connected to the production, with fittingly elaborate stage-setting and archaic punches created by cocktail historian David Wondrich, is lush, green, and little bit magical. Your favorite speakeasy just got sonned.
Night of Joy
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Address: 667 Lorimer St.
Website: nightofjoybar.com
Price Point: $
Sick of the crowd across the way at Union Pool? Ditch the loud and blacked-out scene and go to Night of Joy instead. The bar downstairs is decorated like an old living room, but it's the subtly cool rooftop that truly captured our hearts. The outdoor space may not have panoramic views, but it does boast strong frozen drinks (just $6 during happy hour) amid string lights and rap music.