NYC's 18 best rooftop bars for cooler weather

Overstory is as cozy as a music box in the sky inside, with views that seem to go on forever out on the wrap-around terrace. Perched on the 64th floor of 70 Pine Street above sibling spots Crown Shy and Saga, it's the just-drinks cherry on top of the trio of outstanding locales. The futniture's plush, the cocktails are crafty and even the ice is extra nice at one of NYC's most elegant cocktail destinations. Overstory accepts reservations with a $75 per person food-and-drink minumum, which is easily achievable.

First opened in 2021 on Roosevelt Island, the Graduate hotel’s Panorama Room is breathtaking. Its slinky inside is a little bit mod and plenty chic, but it’s the vista through its enormous windows and from out on the terrace would give even the most seen-it-all New Yorker pause. It also has a nice lineup of drinks and snacks (raw bar, caviar nachos). 

From chef José Andrés, Nubeluz lives high on the 50th floor of the Ritz-Carlton. Its position boasts precise 270-degree views from 500 feet off the ground, and its menu includes novel and classic cocktails, including four spirit-free (zero-ABV) options, and a spectrum of snacks including caviar, oysters and grilled cheese. Andrés' restaurants The Bazaar and Zaytinya are also on the premises. 

Hotel Hendricks’ 29th floor bar has cozy couches and armchairs, a dedicated martini menu, sweet and savory bites, unlimited seaweed popcorn with your drinks and an amazing view of the Empire State Building. Nab the pair of chairs in the far right corner near the wall of windows for shots you can drink and ones you can post on your Instagram. 

The Ready Rooftop on the top floor of the Moxy East Village has a retractable roof for four seasons of indoor/outdoor fun. It also has a convivial atmosphere underscored with coolers full of beer and patio-style furniture. Go during happy hour to take advantage of $9 margaritas and one-buck tacos. 

Breathtakingly beautiful Manhatta skyrocketed to the top of NYC best-of lists in short order when it first opened on the 60th floor of a downtown skyscraper in 2018. It became a new NYC classic fast, before ultimately closing in early 2020. It finally reopened in 2022, and recently added lunch to its tasting and à la carte dinner menus, just in time for winter '24.

Toast to storybook charm 14 floors above Madison Avenue at the Library Hotel. Glass enclosures keep the view of surrounding midtown unobscured, there’s a fireplace in the on-theme “Writers’ Den” section, and a nice little literature selection, should you forget to swing by the New York Public Library’s main branch nearby.  

Ophelia’s Art Deco design is stylish all year ‘round, and it's also been known to transform into a “snowglobe in the sky” around this time each year. Classic martinis and riffs on old favorites are available every season at the Beekman Tower's tip-top lounge.

The Wythe Hotel’s sixth-floor drinking den has an impressive battery of cocktails, wine, beer and zero-alcohol drinks, seafood-centric snacks and larger plates. Sink into one of the sumptuous curved booths with a Martini Blonde and take in sweeping views of Manhattan beyond the East River through huge windows. 

This is the reward for moments passed in Times Square. Its two floors (the 40th and 41st) in the Aliz Hotel are intended to evoke “James Bond and Art Deco time travel themes,” but the sum of those parts avoids verging into the actual “themed” territory that you might find at other operations nearby. Its cocktail menu also aims to include spirits from New York State. 

Take the dedicated elevator 22 stories up to the glittering cap atop Williamsburg's tallest skyscraper, the William Vale hotel. The industrial-chic space has incredible views through floor-to-ceiling windows for when it's too cold to dip a toe on the large outdoor terrace. 

Though you may be enticed by Bar Chrystie, the Public hotel’s sparkly, lobby-level cocktail bar, keep it moving—rooftop views still beckon from above. The Roof boasts a 360-degree cityscape, DJ sets and thousands of square feet between its indoor and outdoor areas. 

This hotel cocktail bar atop the Arlo Williamsburg is aptly named for its unique location in what appears from the outside to be–you guessed it!–a water tower. Inside, you’ll find velvet sofas, murals by local artists and walls of windows serving dazzling views. 

Though it’s changed names and menus over the years, the bar on the 18th floor of what’s now known as the hotel ModernHaus still has one key component we consider a part of cooler weather rooftop tradition: its fireplace. Gather ‘round with seasonal drinks for a spirited taste of winter in New York, or gravitate toward the inside conversation pit to spill some delicious tea. 

The Kimberly Hotel’s penthouse has a portrait-perfect snapshot of the Chrysler Building, appealing drink list, menus that make it more than a "just drinks" place—think crispy artichokes, Manchego meatballs and jumbo crab cakes—and a cozy glass enclosure where you can enjoy it all. 

NYC’s archetype trendy rooftop (even going on 15 years!) is this penthouse discothèque on the top floor of The Standard High Line. Up in the sky, you’ll catch the requisite views and be able to gather around a hot tub for a little extra warmth once the Hudson River starts looking especially icy. 

This Lower East Side cocktail den sprawls across two terraces on the 15th floor of the Hotel Indigo. In the evening, string lights, sunsets and the cosmos themselves illuminate its outdoor areas, and the loft-inspired lounge inside is lined with exposed-brick walls and reclaimed-wood tables. 

See the sensational NYC skyline from the 21st floor of Hotel 50 Bowery. It has a terrace for prime posing, of course, plus room to lounge in the toastier space inside. Peer at the glittering city like its a cluster of inverted icicles over beer, wine, cocktails and snacks (pastrami steamed buns, veggie spring rolls and the like).