A good view doesn’t make a good restaurant. Plenty of New York rooftops charge you for the skyline and hand you a forgettable plate of fries. The places on this list are ones we’d go back to for the food. The view comes free with it.
A few practical things first. Sunset tables go first, sometimes weeks ahead, so book early if that’s the time you want. Hotel rooftops often shrink their outdoor space or close it once the weather turns, so check before you go in winter. And if a dining room is booked solid, look for a bar. Several of these take walk-ins.
1. Manhatta, Financial District
Strictly speaking, Manhatta isn’t on a roof. It’s on the 60th floor of 28 Liberty Street, and nobody who has sat by those windows has complained about the technicality. Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group runs it. Dinner is a prix fixe built on French technique. Lunch is looser, and the bar’s dry-aged burger has its own following.
Reservations open 28 days out at noon. The bar doesn’t take bookings, and on weeknights it’s usually full by about 5:30pm, so get there early if you’re trying your luck.
2. Laser Wolf, Williamsburg
Laser Wolf sits on the roof of The Hoxton at 97 Wythe Avenue, looking straight across the East River at Manhattan. It’s an Israeli skewer house from Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook, the team behind Zahav in Philadelphia. Dinner starts with a spread of salatim, hummus and warm pita that keeps getting refilled, then moves on to meat, fish or vegetables cooked over charcoal. Save room for the brown sugar soft serve.
It’s loud and it’s busy. That’s most of the fun.
3. Westlight, Williamsburg
A few blocks inland, Westlight is on the 22nd floor of The William Vale. It’s a cocktail bar first, with a menu of plates built for sharing, and the height means you get Manhattan and a wide sweep of Brooklyn in the same glance. Go on a clear evening and stay past dark.
4. Harriet’s Rooftop, Brooklyn Bridge Park
On top of 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Harriet’s has what might be the most photographed view on this list: the Brooklyn Bridge up close, Lower Manhattan behind it and the Statue of Liberty out in the harbor. It works better for drinks and a few plates than for a long dinner. Time it for sunset, then walk down into Brooklyn Bridge Park afterwards.
5. Gallow Green, Chelsea
Gallow Green is the rooftop of The McKittrick Hotel on West 27th Street, and it feels more like an overgrown garden than a bar. Plants climb over everything, there are string lights overhead, and the weekend brunch is the main event. In past winters the space has been converted into a cabin-style setup, so check what’s running before a cold-weather visit.
6. Refinery Rooftop, Midtown
Refinery Rooftop is on top of the Refinery Hotel at 63 West 38th Street, a short walk from Bryant Park, with the Empire State Building filling the view. Part of it is enclosed, which makes it one of the more reliable options when the weather isn’t cooperating. It’s also a solid choice for a weekday lunch in Midtown.
7. RH Rooftop Restaurant, Meatpacking District
This one sits on top of the RH furniture gallery in the Meatpacking District. The dining room is glass-roofed and full of trees and chandeliers, so it stays bright and warm even in February. The menu is American and fairly straightforward. People come for the room as much as the food, and it’s a good pick if you want a rooftop feeling without being outside.
8. SERRA by Birreria, Flatiron
Up on the roof of Eataly on Fifth Avenue, SERRA changes its theme and menu with the seasons, so the place can look quite different from one visit to the next. The cooking is Italian, it’s open from lunch through dinner, and it’s one of the easiest rooftops in the city to combine with a bit of shopping downstairs.
9. Cantina Rooftop, Hell’s Kitchen
Cantina Rooftop is on the far west side of Hell’s Kitchen and serves Mexican food, tacos and a long list of margaritas. It’s big, it’s easygoing, and it handles groups well, which is harder to find than it should be. Book for birthdays and work drinks.
10. The Skylark, Midtown
The Skylark is a cocktail lounge on the 30th floor at 200 West 39th Street, a few minutes’ walk from Times Square. The food is small plates, so think of it as a drink and a snack before a show rather than dinner. The outdoor terrace looks uptown toward the Midtown towers.
If the view matters less than the food on a given night, our guide to the best pizza in NYC has ten places where nobody will care what floor you’re on.
