Iris

· Sky-high Iris is the downtown Beirut rooftop perched high on an office building with a sweeping panorama that takes in the Mediterranean to the west, the rebuilt Beirut Souks below, and the Mount Lebanon range rising to the east on a clear evening. The terrace is large but well-organised, with seated zones around a central bar and a clear separation between dining and standing-drinks areas.

The cocktail menu is built around modern classics with a Levantine signature — sumac, za'atar, pomegranate molasses appear in fat-washes and shrubs — and the team's technical floor is genuinely high. The food programme is more ambitious than most rooftop kitchens manage. Iris ranks third because the room delivers the most complete dual view in central Beirut, and the cocktail programme has matured into something competitive with the city's stand-alone counter bars.

For the full ranking, see our editorial round-up of the 10 best rooftop bars in Beirut, the broader Beirut rooftop bars guide, and our category index of rooftop bars worldwide.