Rooftop Restaurants NYC

There are hundreds of rooftop restaurants in NYC and maybe twenty worth planning an evening around. The rest are hotel terraces selling a photograph. The distinction is simple: does the kitchen belong there, or is the room a delivery mechanism for a view and a $26 spritz?

Here are the rooftop restaurants in NYC that earn the elevator ride, grouped by which skyline you want to be looking at.

Downtown, looking up the island

• Manhatta — Financial District. Sixtieth floor of 28 Liberty, from the Danny Meyer group. Not a terrace, but the best high-altitude dining room in New York: both rivers, both bridges, the whole island laid out north. Restaurant site.
• The Crown — Hotel 50 Bowery. Twenty-first floor above Chinatown, with the Manhattan Bridge in one direction and the Financial District towers in the other.

Midtown, inside the skyline

• Bar SixtyFive at Rainbow Room — 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Sixty-fifth floor, art-deco room, and a view straight down at the Empire State Building. The most formal option on this list and the one with the strictest dress code. Venue site.
• Electric Lemon — Equinox Hotel, Hudson Yards. Twenty-fourth floor with terraces facing the Hudson, and a genuinely good kitchen rather than a bar menu.
• Overstory — 70 Pine Street. Sixty-fourth-floor cocktail bar with a small terrace and one of the best drink programs in the city.

The West Side terraces

• Le Bain and the Top of the Standard — The Standard, High Line. Still the definitive Meatpacking rooftop, eighteen floors above the High Line with the Hudson beyond. Hotel site.
• The Fleur Room — Moxy Chelsea. Thirty-fifth floor, 360 degrees, and the most glamorous small room in the city.

Brooklyn, looking back at Manhattan

The best skyline view in New York is not in Manhattan, because you cannot see Manhattan from inside it.

• Westlight — The William Vale, Williamsburg. Twenty-second floor, wraparound terrace, and the cleanest full-skyline sightline in the five boroughs. Hotel site.
• The Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO terraces put the Brooklyn Bridge in the frame instead of the skyline.

How to get a sunset table

1. Reservations open 14 to 30 days out at most of these, on Resy or OpenTable. Know your venue's exact drop time.
2. Take the first seating. A 5:15 in June is a sunset table in New York. A 7:30 is not, in July.
3. Check the dress code. Bar SixtyFive and several Midtown rooms enforce theirs.
4. Have an indoor backup. New York rooftops close in rain, and the hotels will not hold your table.

Where to stay

Almost every rooftop above sits on top of a hotel, and being a guest is the difference between the 5:15 and the standby list. Compare New York hotel rates through our Expedia partner link. For a rooftop pool day without a room, ResortPass lists NYC hotel day passes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best rooftop restaurant in NYC?

Manhatta for the dining room and the view together; Westlight in Williamsburg for the best actual skyline; Bar SixtyFive for the most memorable room.

Which NYC rooftop has the best skyline view?

Westlight at The William Vale in Williamsburg. You need to be outside Manhattan to see Manhattan.

Do rooftop restaurants in NYC require reservations?

For dinner, yes — book two to four weeks out for a weekend, and expect a minimum spend at some of the Midtown rooms.

Are NYC rooftops open in winter?

Many run enclosed or heated winter setups with igloos and chalets; the fully open terraces are a May-to-October product.

What is the dress code at NYC rooftop restaurants?

Smart casual at minimum. No athletic wear, and no beachwear. Midtown high-floor rooms are the strictest — check the venue's own page before you go.

Sources

• NYC Tourism + Conventions
• MICHELIN Guide — New York
• Manhatta
• Bar SixtyFive at Rainbow Room
• The William Vale
• The Standard, High Line