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We've compiled a list of the ten best rooftop bars in the city, where there are nothing but great drinks, and gorgeous views of the city that never sleeps. Whether you like getting a quiet drink with friends or dancing until sunrise, you'll be sure to find a rooftop bar below that fits your late-night style.
Plunge Bar and Lounge at the Hotel Ganse
Trend-seekers will love this rooftop bar at the Gansevoort, a lush lounge atop the tony hotel in the Meatpacking District. By day, a heated pool playing underwater music serves as the main draw of Plunge; by night, the pool is roped off, and Plunge transforms into an upscale rooftop bar and lounge. Though the bar is fairly small, the space is used wisely. The Gansevoort, as it's familiarly called, is divided into the bar area for chitchatting and flirting, and a plush lounge for table service and raucous dancing. A wrap-around balcony offers plenty of outdoor seating, ideal for those who need a breather from the well-dressed masses or blaring hip-hop music. Some gripe that the crowd is pretentious, but that's to be expected at an expensive rooftop bar in the Meatpacking District with stunning views of Manhattan and the Hudson River. Dress to impress, but be prepared to dance in those sky-high heels.
- Information
- Location: 18 9th Avenue (at 13th St.), 14th Floor
- Subway Stop: A, C, E, L to 14th St.-8th Ave.; 1, 2, 3, F, V, L to 14th St.-7th Ave.
- Hours: Daily, Noon to 4am
- Phone: 212-206-6700
- Website: www.hotelgansevoort.com
230 Fifth
A 22,000-square-foot space atop the former Victoria Hotel, the Rooftop Garden at 230 Fifth feels like a summery escape from the city. With potted palm trees, patio umbrellas, and votive candles on every table, you might feel more like in you're in Miami than New York - that is, until you take in the view. Open from 4pm to 4am, 230 Fifth offers amazingly close views of Midtown Manhattan by night, and its proximity to the Empire State Building is particularly breathtaking. The bar is number one in size and prestige: New York's largest rooftop garden, and was one of the first of its kind, attributed to starting the rooftop bar trend. 230 Fifth becomes crowded after work hours, though the line outside moves quickly and the bartenders are speedy. There are also enough tables so that it's not too difficult to find a seat - and, unlike a lot of other bars of its caliber, you won't have to pay for bottle service to sit down.
- Information
- Location: 230 Fifth Avenue (near 27th St.)
- Subway Stop: R, W to 28th St.-Broadway; 6 to 28th St.-Park Ave. South; F, V to 23rd St.-6th Ave.
- Hours: Daily, 4pm to 4am
- Phone: 212-725-4300
- Website: www.230-fifth.com
Bookmarks Lounge
You'll be drinking cocktails called the Great Gatsby and the Hemingway, but chances are, you won't be reading. The book-filled reading room of the Library Hotel becomes a bar by night oozing with 1940s charm: comfy leather chairs and sleek couches dot the rooftop, while a glass atrium overhead and potted plants make the lounge feel refined but unpretentious. Meanwhile, stunning vistas surround the rooftop from all sides. Its location on Midtown East makes Bookmarks an ideal spot for an after-work drink, as the neighborhood is home to office buildings, Grand Central Station, and little else. The gorgeous concept hotel was converted from a 19th century historic building, aptly only a block of the majestic New York Public Library; we love that all the floors are named after sections of the Dewey Decimal System.
- Information
- Locations: 299 Madison Ave. (between 41st and 42nd Streets), 14th Floor
- Subway Stop: 7, B, D, F, V to 42nd St.; 4, 5, 6, 7, S to Grand Central
- Hours: Monday through Friday: 4pm to Midnight; Saturday: 5pm to 1am; Sunday: Closed
- Phone: 212-983-4500
- Website: www.libraryhotel.com
Me Bar
Hidden away in Midtown West's bustling Koreatown, Me Bar lacks the bouncers and pretentious clientele that deter some from Manhattan's rooftop bars. With its colorful picnic tables, cheap drinks, and free popcorn, Me Bar is anything but pretentious. The crowd is chill and cheerful, though the small rooftop above La Quinta Inn is often crowded - Me Bar is quickly becoming a badly kept secret. Still, it's hard to believe you're paying so little for views like these of the Empire State Building. It's the perfect spot for those who enjoy the simple things in life: fun people, good conversation, beautiful scenery and naturally, affordable alcohol.
- Information
- Location: 17 32nd St., 14th Floor
- Subway Stops: B, D, F, V, N, Q, R, W to 34th St.-6th Ave.; 6 to 33rd St.-Park Ave.
- Hours: Monday through Wednesday, Sunday: 5:30pm to Midnight; Thursday through Saturday: 5:30pm to 2am
- Phone: 212-290-2460
- Website: www.mebarnyc.com
Metropolitan Museum Roof Garden
One of the most renowned museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has over two million works of art dating back five thousand years. But did you know that it's also home to one of the nicest rooftop bars in the city? Open from May into the fall, the Roof Garden Cafe and Martini Bar offers stunning panoramic views of New York, not to mention one of the best views of Central Park you'll find. Sculpture installations are showcased on the roof every summer; this year, Doug and Mike Starn's Big Bambu is the star of the show. Because you have to pay an entrance fee to the Museum in order to get to the Roof Garden, the crowd usually consists of the culturally minded New Yorkers and European tourists that want to see the art in the Met, too. That said, the recommended admission for adults is $20, so take your time exploring the vast museum before making your way to the top.
- Information
- Location: 1000 Fifth Avenue (from 80th to 84th Streets); Roof Garden is located on the Fifth Floor, take the elevator located in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Galleries
- Subway Stop: 4,5,6 to 86th St.; 6 to 77th St.
- Hours (Weather Permitting, Seasonal): Friday and Saturday: 10am to 8pm (Martini Bar from 5:30-8pm); Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday: 10am to 4:30pm; Closed Mondays
- Admission (Recommended): Adults: $20, Seniors (65 and over): $15, Students: $10, Members: Free, Children under 12 (Accompanied by adult): Free
- Website: www.metmuseum.org/visit/dining/roof_menu
Top of the Strand
Though it's only been open December, Top of the Strand has attracted buzz due to its smart design, innovative drinks, and quietly cool clientele. The rooftop bar was designed by Lydia Marks of Sex and the City fame: a glass roof and panels don't deter from the view of the Empire State Building on colder nights, and during the summer they retract for an airy, open feel. Located atop the also-brand new Strand Hotel in Midtown West, Top of the Strand has been featured in periodicals like the New York Times and was crowned 2010's Best Rooftop Bar by New York Magazine. Word is just beginning to spread that this is the new it bar in town, so get to the Top before it loses its fresh-faced appeal.
- Information
- Location: 33 W. 37th St., between Avenue of the Americas and 5th Avenue, 21st Floor
- Subway Stops: B, D, F, V, N, Q, R, W to 34th St.-6th Ave.; 7 to 42nd St.-6th Ave.
- Hours: Monday through Thursday: 5pm to Midnight; Friday and Saturday: 5pm to 1am; Sunday: 5pm to 11pm
- Phone: 646-368-6385
- Website: www.thestrandnyc.com
Upstairs at the Kimberly
With retractable glass ceilings and walls, you can enjoy the views from the top of the Kimberly no matter how the weather fares. Thirty floors atop the Kimberly Hotel, Upstairs is an elegant space with panoramic vistas of Midtown, most notably a breathtaking view of the nearby Chrysler Building. The penthouse-level bar feels like a swanky greenhouse, with its ivy-covered walls, leather furniture, and twinkling lights overhead. The ambience is upscale but casual, frequented by well-dressed young professionals who come for the signature cocktails and small plate items after work. We recommend The Chrysler, of course, a champagne cocktail mixed with honey and citrus. Another added plus of Upstairs is that it's open year-round, so the heated floor keeps guests toasty even in the dead of winter.
- Information
- Location: 145 E. 50th St. (between Lexington and 3rd Avenues), Penthouse Level
- Subway Stop: 6 to 51st St.; E, V to 53rd St.-Lexington Ave.; 4, 5, 6 to 59th St.-Lexington Ave.
- Hours: Monday and Tuesday: 5pm to 1am; Wednesday through Friday: 5pm to 2am; Saturday: 6pm to 2am; Sunday: 6pm to 1am
- Phone: 212-888-1220
- Website: www.upstairsnyc.com
Berry Park
Berry has all the parks of a Brooklyn beer garden: fun crowds, live entertainment, tons of beers on tap, and dart boards galore. The added bonus, of course, is that you also take in the spectacular panorama of the Manhattan skyline. This rooftop garden might seem like an unusual fixture in an otherwise isolated part of Brooklyn, the fairly uninhabited border between Greenpoint and Williamsburg. But hidden away in an industrial neighborhood makes Berry Park all the more of a diamond in the rough. The clientele are young and friendly, happy to have found a distant respite from a hot New York summer, happier to have sixteen beers on tap to choose from.
- Information
- Location: 4 Berry St. (at N. 14th), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- Subway Stops: L to Bedford St.; G to Nassau St.
- Hours: Monday through Thursday: 5pm to 2am; Friday: 2pm to 4am; Saturday: 12pm to 4am; Sunday: 12pm to 2am
- Phone: 718-782-2829
- Website: www.berryparkbk.com
Rare View
This bar atop the Rare Bar and Grill in Murray Hill seems to have everything the 'average' New York rooftop bar doesn't: large drinks, nice staff, and a laid-back clientele. Twinkling white lights are strewn overhead, and a white picket fence with matching picnic-style tables and benches give the bar a quaint, garden-party feel. There is also a lovely and comfy lounge area in one corner of the bar with soft couches and fluffy pillows. The space is fairly small, though the crowd manages to remain modest in size and unpretentious. The drinks are pricey, but big in size and heavy on the alcohol - we recommend such creations as the mango margarita or the blood-orange cosmo. You'll especially love the views of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, both of which seem amazing close. The bar closes early - 11pm - which makes it an ideal spot for a quiet drink before partying into the wee hours of the night.
- Information
- Location: 303 Lexington Ave. (at 37th St.)
- Subway Stop: 6 to 33rd St.; 4, 5, 6, 7 or S to Grand Central-42nd St.
- Hours: Monday through Friday: 4:30pm to 11pm; Saturday: 6pm to 11pm; Closed Sundays. Call ahead in the event of inclement weather.
- Phone: 212-481-8439
- Website: www.rarebarandgrill.com
Empire Hotel Rooftop
Now of Gossip Girl fame, the Empire Hotel has actually been a Lincoln Square staple for over 100 years. The newly popular Empire Hotel Rooftop is perfectly divided into two areas: the outside space, otherwise known as The Deck, has comfortable seating and private cabanas, perfect to take in the views of Lincoln Center and bask in the glow of the famous Empire Hotel sign. Inside the retractable glass walls, the Rooftop Terrace is dark and clubby, with weekend DJs playing of-the-moment music for all-night dance parties. We love that the Empire Hotel feels trendy without being over the top. The downside of the Rooftop is that it's technically reserved for guests and private events. Still, a line forms nightly and the bouncer allows select groups in, and we know more than a few well-dressed gals who have talked their way to the top.
- Information
- Location: 44 W. 63rd St. (between Columbus Ave. and Broadway), 12th Floor
- Subway Stop: 1 to 66th St.-Lincoln Center; 1, A, B, C, D to 59th St. Columbus Circle
- Hours: Sunday through Monday: 5pm to 12am; Tuesday through Wednesday: 5pm to 2am; Thursday through Saturday: 5pm to 4am
- Phone: 212-956-3313
- Website: www.empirehotelnyc.com
