Rooftop at Riggs is the seasonal terrace bar above the Riggs Washington DC hotel at 900 F Street NW, a Penn Quarter perch built around Mediterranean aperitifs and downtown views. It opened in 2020 atop the converted 1891 Riggs National Bank building.
Published February 13, 2026 · By Daniel Okafor
Rooftop at Riggs sits at 900 F Street NW in Penn Quarter, on the roof of the Riggs hotel inside the landmark former Riggs National Bank. The hotel's own site and OpenTable describe a menu of Mediterranean-inspired aperitifs paired with panoramic views over downtown Washington. Yelp lists it open through May 2026, and washington.org features it among the city's rooftop options. The hook is an aperitivo-style rooftop in a heritage banking building, a short walk from Capital One Arena and the museums.
The room
The room is a light-filled rooftop with floor-to-ceiling glass opening onto a terrace that looks across the Penn Quarter skyline. Riggs frames it as a breezy daytime-into-evening space, and reviewers point to the open sightlines and the heritage building below as the draw. The terrace runs seasonally and trades on its downtown vantage rather than a large footprint.
What to order
Order a spritz or a low-proof aperitif off the Mediterranean list, the format the bar is built around, and pair it with a few small plates from the rooftop menu. The drinks lean bright and bitter rather than spirit-heavy, so the move is an Aperol-style spritz with the city laid out below. Prices sit at downtown hotel-rooftop levels, so a round and a plate or two is the measured order.
What regulars say
Reviewers consistently name the view, the design, and the heritage setting as the reasons to climb to the roof, with many calling it one of the more polished downtown terraces for an early-evening drink. Regulars praise the aperitivo format and the quieter daytime hours, and several recommend it before a game at Capital One Arena or a museum afternoon. The caution that repeats is the limited schedule, since the rooftop runs seasonally and on select days rather than nightly, so the standing advice is to check the hours before arriving. A few note the premium pricing, a fair warning for a hotel rooftop trading on its views and location. Several reviewers add that the rooftop works best as a first stop rather than a full night, since the bar menu stays short and aperitivo-focused, and they suggest pairing it with dinner in Penn Quarter afterward. Others single out the glass-walled indoor section for cooler evenings, when the terrace closes but the view holds.
Who it is for and best time
This is for view-seekers, aperitivo drinkers, and anyone touring Washington DC rooftop bars. It runs Thursday through Sunday on a seasonal calendar with afternoon-into-evening hours, so a sunset drink is the sweet spot. Skip it if you want a late-night room or a budget round; this is a daytime-leaning premium terrace. For the wider city, see the full Washington DC bar guide.
The verdict
Rooftop at Riggs earns its place as a heritage-building rooftop in the heart of Penn Quarter, a polished perch for an aperitif over the downtown skyline. Check the seasonal hours, arrive for sunset, and order a spritz with a plate to share. For more DC rooftops, compare the U Street perch at Lady Bird, the Shaw terrace at Roofers Union, and the Adams Morgan view at Summit Rooftop. Our rooftop bars guide rounds out the category.
