Top of the Standard

Top of the Standard sits on the eighteenth floor of The Standard, High Line, looking west across the Hudson and south down the Manhattan grid. The room is the most architecturally complete rooftop on the Meatpacking list — a glassed-in jewel box ringed by a wraparound terrace, mid-century in feel rather than the lounge-aesthetic that defines most hotel rooftops in the city. Andre Balazs opened this space when the hotel arrived in 2009, and it has held its position as a serious New York rooftop bar through every wave that has come and gone since.

The cocktail list is built around classics rendered to spec. The Standard Martini is the order to start with — gin-forward, properly cold, served with a twist that tells you the bar takes citrus quality seriously. From there, the Negroni and the Manhattan are both honest pours, the Daiquiri is correctly sour, and the seasonal originals lean on house infusions rather than dessert-cocktail tricks. Prices sit at the top of the New York rooftop range and the room is worth them.

The crowd is older than Le Bain downstairs and that gap is the whole point. Top of the Standard is where the after-dinner drink happens — couples on a second date, two friends catching up, the post-theatre group that wants the view without the dance floor. Dress sensibly; the door enforces a soft code on weekends and the room reads that signal back to you in service quality.

The west-facing terrace is the move at sunset. Arrive 45 minutes before the sun drops, ask for a high-top by the rail, and stay through the transition. The full Hudson and the New Jersey ridge open up. After dark the room itself takes over and the bar becomes the focus. For our editors, Top of the Standard is one of the most reliably excellent rooftop bars in New York and a default recommendation for a special night out in Manhattan.