Best Rooftop Bars in Manhattan
The 10 best rooftop bars in Manhattan, Empire State views, sunset cocktails, FiDi heliports, Standard High Line classics, and the new openings driving 2026 reservations.
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- 1Financial District · $$$$ · Wall St (2 3) · 70 Pine St
Also No. 7 on Best Cocktail Bars in Manhattan →
Map ↗verified 10w agoA 64th-floor cocktail lounge atop 70 Pine Street in the Financial District from the Saga / Crown Shy team, small reservation-only room, harbor-and-skyline view, and a James Beard-recognized cocktail program.
Because Overstory is the highest serious cocktail bar in the borough, Statue of Liberty out one window and the Brooklyn Bridge out another, and the drink program is engineered by Harrison Ginsberg rather than treated as a hotel afterthought.
Order The Bee Gees clarified-milk-punch riff with the bar snacks plate.
Book exactly 30 days out at 9 a.m. when the reservation window opens, the room seats around 50 and the slots disappear in roughly 90 seconds for any Saturday.
Photo: Transpoman, CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo: Transpoman, CC BY-SA 4.0 - 2NoMad · $$$ · 28 St (R W) · 25 W 28th St, 50th FloorMap ↗verified 10w ago
José Andrés's glass-box cocktail bar 500 feet up on the Ritz-Carlton NoMad's 50th floor.
Because the 270-degree skyline view comes with cocktails that take the bar part as seriously as the view part.
Order A Spanish-style gin and tonic, nursed slowly at the floor-to-ceiling glass.
Book ahead and time it for sunset.
@nubeluzbyjose ↗Nubeluz by José Andrés
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- 3NoMad · $$$ · 28 St (R W) · 230 5th Ave
A massive 22nd-floor open-air rooftop deck on Fifth Avenue at 27th Street, pointed almost directly at the Empire State Building, the most-photographed civilian rooftop view in Manhattan.
Because the Empire State alignment from 230 Fifth is what the rest of these spots wish they had, and the heated igloos in winter let the deck stay open year-round when most outdoor rooftops close.
Order A house frozen cocktail with the Empire State backdrop.
Reserve an igloo from November through March, walk-up bar service in winter is freezing, and the igloos are the only way to actually sit and drink.
Photo: Pablo Costa Tirado, CC BY-SA 3.0 Photo: Pablo Costa Tirado, CC BY-SA 3.0 - 4Midtown · $$$ · 34 St-Penn Station (1 2 3) · 485 7th Ave
The Moxy Times Square hotel's 18th-floor rooftop on Seventh Avenue at 36th, designed by Yabu Pushelberg with mini-golf, oversized animal sculptures, and a Times Square view nobody else in the area lets you sit with.
Because Magic Hour leans theatrical in a way no other rooftop on this list does, the design treats the deck like an outdoor playroom, and the cocktails are made for the format rather than as an afterthought.
Order A frozen Magic Hour Punch with the brunch chicken-and-waffle plate.
Book the brunch slot on Sunday rather than the evening, the food program is stronger before the line forms and the photography light is better at midday.
Photo: Timessquare42, CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo: Timessquare42, CC BY-SA 4.0 - 5Midtown East · $$$ · 51 St (6 E F) · 3 Mitchell Pl, 26th Floor
A 1920s Art Deco cocktail lounge crowning the 26th floor of the Beekman Tower in Midtown East.
Because it swaps rooftop-scene chaos for checkerboard-floor glamour and an East River panorama that still feels undiscovered.
Order A nature-inspired signature cocktail, carried out to the wraparound terrace.
Go at golden hour midweek and claim the wraparound terrace.
@opheliany ↗Ophelia
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- 6Chelsea · $$$$ · 8 Av (A C E L) · 848 Washington St
The 18th-floor Standard High Line rooftop disco on Washington Street, with a plunge pool in the middle of the dance floor and a separate astroturfed terrace pointing at the river.
Because Le Bain is the only spot here that operates as a real nightclub, the dance floor is genuinely for dancing rather than scrolling, and the High Line view from the south side is unrepeatable.
Order The Le Bain Crepe Suzette and a glass of Provençal rosé on the terrace.
Skip weekend lines by entering on a Sunday afternoon for the rooftop hours before the club program begins after dark.
@lebainnyc ↗Le Bain
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- 7Lower East Side · $$$ · 2 Av (F) · 180 Orchard St
Mr. Purple sits on the 15th floor of the Hotel Indigo on Orchard Street, a partially-covered rooftop with Williamsburg-Bridge sightlines and one of the only LES rooftops with an actual outdoor pool deck.
Because Mr. Purple gives you the downtown rooftop experience without the FiDi suit-jacket dress code, and the LES vantage frames the bridges in a way midtown decks never can.
Order A Mr. Purple cocktail with the truffle fries.
Walk in on a weeknight before 7 p.m. to skip the velvet-rope line, by 9 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday the elevator queue runs into the hotel lobby.
@mrpurplenyc ↗Mr. Purple
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- 8Midtown · $$$ · 42 St-Bryant Pk (7 B D F M) · 63 W 38th St
A glass-enclosed-and-open-air hybrid atop the Refinery Hotel on West 38th, converted from a 1912 hat factory, with a clear view of the Empire State Building from a closer angle than 230 Fifth.
Because Refinery's retractable roof keeps the bar usable in shoulder season, and the Empire State sightline is closer and more intimate than the famous NoMad version.
Order A Refinery Old Fashioned with the truffle eggs at brunch.
Order the brunch on a weekend, the rooftop turns into the restaurant for a few hours and the bottomless mimosa pricing is the rare bargain on this list.
@refineryrooftop ↗Refinery Rooftop
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- 9Midtown · $$$ · Times Sq-42 St (1 2 3 7 A C E N Q R S W) · 200 W 39th St
The Skylark on the 30th floor of 200 W 39th Street, an indoor-outdoor cocktail lounge with a wraparound terrace, lower in the skyline than the Rockefeller-area spots but with a clear sight to the Empire State and Times Square.
Because the Skylark is the spot where the after-work midtown crowd ends up without anybody calling it touristy, and the cocktails are stronger and shorter than the standard hotel-rooftop format.
Order The Skylark Manhattan with the cheese plate.
Show up between 6 and 7 p.m. on a weeknight for the after-work happy-hour pricing, the 8 p.m. Friday wait climbs past 45 minutes for a table.
@theskylarknyc ↗The Skylark
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- 10Midtown · $$$ · 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr (B D F M) · 260 W 40th St
Castell Rooftop Lounge sits on top of the Hyatt Centric Times Square on West 45th, Spanish-leaning small plates, a covered glass-enclosed mezzanine, and a Times Square sightline framed by the surrounding hotel towers.
Because Castell is the rare midtown rooftop where the food menu (jamón, croquetas, gildas) is good enough to make a real dinner of it, and the glass enclosure lets the room operate in winter.
Order A glass of cava with the gilda skewers and jamón Ibérico.
Sit on the open-air east-facing balcony rather than inside, the sound from Times Square reads atmospheric outside and traffic-noise from behind the glass.
@castellnyc ↗Castell Terrace
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Good to know
- What is the best rooftop bar in Manhattan?
- Our current #1 reflects a blend of editorial sourcing from Eater, The Infatuation, Time Out, and Grub Street, plus live community votes. The order shifts as votes come in — what is first today may not be first tomorrow.
- Which Manhattan rooftop bar has the best Empire State Building view?
- 230 Fifth in NoMad is pointed almost directly at the Empire State Building from a 22nd-floor open-air deck and is the most-photographed view in the borough. Magic Hour at the Moxy Times Square offers a closer-but-different angle from a more designed environment.
- Do Manhattan rooftop bars require a reservation?
- Most do for tables on weekends. Walk-up bar service is usually available at off-peak hours (Monday through Thursday before 7 p.m.). Le Bain, Overstory, Bar SixtyFive, and Magic Hour all require advance booking on weekends.
- When do Manhattan rooftop bars open for the season?
- Many open year-round with heaters and partial enclosures; outdoor-only spots like Le Bain and the Press Lounge typically run May through October. 230 Fifth has heated igloos in winter. Always confirm hours before going in cold months.
- What is the dress code at Manhattan rooftop bars?
- Most are smart-casual. Le Bain and Overstory enforce a cleaner dress code (no athletic wear, no flip-flops). Hotel rooftops attached to higher-end properties (Bar SixtyFive, the Crown era spots) lean dressier. Always check the specific bar's posted policy.