Hotel Brooklyn Sky Bar

Hotel Brooklyn sits at 59 Portland Street, a Bespoke Hotels project that opened with a hard lean into New York styling. Boutique Hotel News reported the brief from the start: a NYC inspired hotel built around Runyon's, the ground floor bar and restaurant named for the Broadway writer Damon Runyon.

The rooftop is the reason it lands on a sky bar search. The top floor Brooklyn Heights space carries panoramic views over the city, and it runs primarily as a destination events venue rather than a walk in rooftop. That distinction matters, so treat Runyon's as the everyday bar and the rooftop as the booking you plan ahead.

For a guaranteed open air drink the same night, line it up against the city's dedicated rooftops. See our Manchester rooftop bars guide and the top 10 bars in Manchester.

Runyon's runs at street level, the all day bar and restaurant where the NYC theme reads loudest. It is the part of the hotel open to drop in drinkers, and it sets the tone for the rest of the building.

Up top, Brooklyn Heights takes the panoramic view and packages it as a private events floor, which several Manchester hotel reviews describe as the destination space rather than a standing rooftop bar. The split is worth knowing before you arrive, since the view is real but the access depends on what is booked.

The wider hotel commits to the New York brief throughout, from the Brooklyn name to the Runyon's branding drawn from the writer Damon Runyon. Boutique Hotel News framed it from launch as a design led property rather than a chain box, and that intent reads across the public rooms. For a drink, the practical takeaway stays the same: start at Runyon's, and treat the rooftop as a planned occasion.

The order depends on which part of the hotel you are in. At street level, Runyon's runs the everyday cocktail and food service, and it is the section open to walk in drinkers on a normal night. The rooftop changes the calculation, since Brooklyn Heights only comes into play when there is an event or a confirmed booking on the floor.

Because access shifts day to day, the safe move is to call ahead and ask what is open. The view from the top is the headline, but Runyon's is the reliable destination, and pinning down the rooftop in advance saves a wasted trip up Portland Street.

• Boutique Hotel News reported the NYC inspired concept and the Runyon's bar at launch.
• DesignMyNight covers Runyon's as the hotel's street level bar and restaurant.
• Manchester hotel reviews describe Brooklyn Heights as a top floor events space with panoramic views.
• The consistent note is style and theme over a casual rooftop drop in.

• A stylish NYC themed cocktail at Runyon's near Piccadilly.
• A planned rooftop event with city views at Brooklyn Heights.
• Avoid if you want a guaranteed walk in rooftop on a busy night.