These are the best rooftop bars in NYC

The New York City skyline is famously stacked with skyscrapers that all but pierce the heavens. Gracing the city's rooftops – on both its tall and shorter buildings – are some of the city's best bars, with high-quality cocktails being shaken or stirred to go along with awe-inducing views of the sprawling metropolis below.

Here are the best rooftop bars in New York City.

Westlight

Williamsburg
Best for the Manhattan skyline

If you can't swing a room at the luxe William Vale hotel, its 22nd-floor rooftop bar, Westlight, is the perfect place to watch the sun set behind Manhattan's skyline. In the warm months, try to snag a table on the outdoor terrace – though the views from inside aren't shabby either – to sip on a Negroni (Sbagliato Bianco, please!) and snack on fancy small plates like calamari and spring pea hummus. When temps fall, it's spiked Mexican hot chocolate, fondue and big salty pretzels. And always, always order the fries.

Jimmy

SoHo
Best year-round

Set 18 floors up at the ModernHaus SoHo hotel, Jimmy provides views of the cast-iron buildings that flank the cobblestone streets of SoHo. Lounge on the outdoor terrace while sipping a refreshing Green Glow (gin, cucumber, thyme, lemon and prosecco) or She Is Seasonal (rum, strawberry, raspberry, mint and lime). When it’s colder, head indoors, where leather furniture, a fireplace and a list of warm cocktails set an autumnal mood.

Terrace on 7

SoHo
Best for a Mexican luau

Located in the The Dominick hotel in SoHo, this seventh-floor terrace bar often changes each year, starting in May. In recent years, it’s been El Ta’koy, a restaurant and lounge (with outposts in Chicago and London) that fuses ingredients from Mexico and Hawaiʻi to create tantalizing pork and pineapple tacos, tuna and caviar taquitos, and plenty of boozy, fruit-based concoctions to go with the views of SoHo.

Overstory

Financial District
Best for a pre- or post-dinner drink

Sixty-four floors up, Overstory is brought to you by the people who gave us Saga, the elegant restaurant one floor down, and Crown Shy, the elegant restaurant on the ground floor of this art deco Manhattan skyscraper in the Financial District. Quaff an expertly made signature cocktail (we love the Pink Tuxedo, with vodka, cherry blossom, vermouth, strawberry and absinthe), sip a classic libation (can you really resist a Manhattan here?) and enjoy watching the verve and the sparkle of the city below. Reserve in advance, however: Overstory consistently makes an appearance on 50 Best's lists of North America's and the world's top bars.

Apotheke NoMad

NoMad
Best for impressing out-of-towners

Parents in town? Friends sleeping on your couch? Or are you said out-of-towner? Go to Apotheke NoMad. You can book in advance (unlike the Chinatown location), and its "medicinal" cocktails (it makes its own tinctures and, well, everything) are so impressive. Try the one with sake, aloe vera and aquafaba.

Bar Sprezzatura

Times Square
Best for an Italian escape in Times Square

If NYC is the kingdom of rooftop bars, Midtown Manhattan is the palace; you're almost always within a block of one, and anyone who's walked through Times Square will probably require a drink afterward. With so many rooftop bars to choose from, we like Bar Sprezzatura for its coastal Italy-inspired menu and decor, plenty of comfy indoor and outdoor seating, and of course, skyscraper views, just a block away from Times Square's excitement. Select your spritz of choice – even better, make it a flight – and disconnect from the chaos you experienced downstairs. In the summer, Bar Sprezzatura hosts a weekly DJ series every Friday from 6 to 9pm; check the lineup online or on Instagram.

Guardian at the W

Union Square
Best for glamorous lounging

Standing in Union Square, you'd never know that 22 floors up at the W Hotel is the area's only rooftop bar. At Guardian, with a retractable roof and stylish yet cozy decor, sunset views are plentiful and ideally enjoyed with an upscale cocktail, such as its Union Square spritz, in hand. It also serves equally posh snacks, like tuna tartare and lobster rolls. Pro tip: If there's a wait at Guardian, snag a seat at the bar at the hotel's equally stylish seafood restaurant Seahorse, just off the hotel's lobby.

Ophelia Lounge

Midtown East
Best for swanky cocktails

If you're a sucker for a swanky rooftop cocktail, this spot delivers and feels hidden and special. When you walk in, there's a grand bar, often decorated for the season. Plus, its cocktails are insanely creative. "I had a banana old-fashioned situation last time I went, but I want to try the whole menu," says Lonely Planet marketing manager Shalayne Pulia.

Night of Joy

Williamsburg
Best for inventive cocktails

The rooftop of this charming, antique-loaded bar is only one floor above the streets of Williamsburg, but what it lacks in altitude, it makes up for in ambiance. Take a seat on the leafy rooftop deck, and sip one of the many inventive cocktails – concoctions heavy on botanical components and herbal infusions – or organic French wines. (The menu changes regularly.) If that’s too fancy for you, the roof-deck also has a frozen margarita machine. Check the calendar for upcoming DJ nights, which are a local favorite.

Cherry on Top

Bushwick
Best for natural wines

At Cherry on Top, you don't need to climb many stories to sip natural wines overlooking Bushwick – just two in fact, making it the rooftop bar with the best effort-to-view ratio on this list. Lonely Planet editor Chamidae Ford recommends sipping a chilled red on its super spacious rooftop, which also hosts a wide range of events, from pop-up plant sales to vintage markets to listening parties. You'll find the most up-to-date event information on Instagram.

The Crown

Chinatown
Best for Asian-inspired drinks

Atop the Hotel 50 Bowery, this 21st-floor bar in Chinatown has an expansive roof-deck with stunning views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges – the ideal spot for nibbling on excellent bulgogi bao buns and crispy hoisin wings in between sips of its gochujang honey cocktail with tequila and mezcal.

The Pool Bar

JFK Airport
Best for plane spotters

You’re free to move about the bar at this singular rooftop watering hole at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport. As you watch the planes land and take off and try to guess where in the world the destination might be, sip on travel-themed cocktails like the Jet Fuel, Quickie Vacation and Red Eye. Be sure to plan ahead; the cover charge for non-hotel guests starts at 25 US dollars (US$), and reservations fill up far in advance.

Azul on the Rooftop

SoHo
Best for Havana vibes

It’s like Havana on the Hudson at Azul, a 200-seat, 20-story-high SoHo rooftop bar that’s bedecked with palm trees and reclaimed wood tables where you can nurse mojitos and listen to Afro-Cuban jazz, mambo and rumba all night.

The Ready Cantina

East Village
Best for feeling like you’re at a backyard party

This raucous rooftop bar is as if you’ve just arrived mid-party at a friend’s backyard beer-laden bash, except it is on top of the Moxy hotel in the East Village, and that friend happens to have a retractable roof and table-side coolers filled with cans of beer and bottles of wine. Should you feel like starting early, the happy hour deal is a good one: margaritas from US$12 and tacos from US$1 Tuesday to Friday from 4 to 6pm, and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3pm. If you want something more substantial, head downstairs to the hotel’s in-house restaurant, Cathédrale.