The Best Rooftop Bars in Midtown Manhattan

Spyglass earns the top spot because it does not pretend the view is enough on its own. The cocktail list is edited to around fifteen drinks, all of them built with imported spirits and fresh citrus pressed daily. The Empire State Building sits directly south, close enough that the building's upper floors pulse with colour changes after dark. Go Thursday evening — the after-work crowd has cleared out and the weekend influx hasn't started.

Order: The Midtown Mule — house ginger beer, Tito's, lime, a float of dark rum.

The least-known rooftop bar in Midtown is also one of its best. The Penthouse at Kip's Bay attracts almost no tourist traffic — the neighbourhood is simply too far east for people who aren't already there — and as a result it runs at about a third of the capacity of comparable spots. The views north toward the Chrysler Building are better than anything you'll get from a bar on Sixth Avenue. The spirits list is excellent and they don't water the cocktails down to extend margins.

Order: The Chrysler Sour — a daytime-appropriate whisky sour named after the view.

Carta Alta opened on top of a converted parking structure in Hell's Kitchen and brought with it a cocktail menu built around Latin American spirits — pisco, mezcal, rum, cachaqa — without making it a theme bar. The cooking comes from the kitchen two floors below and arrives via a small elevator the staff operate with visible pride. The view west toward the Hudson River is low by Manhattan standards but the atmosphere makes you forget about it within one drink.

Order: The Pisco Highball — house-clarified pisco, lime, soda, hibiscus salt rim.

The Prescott's rooftop bar is the most expensive listing in this guide and the most worth it, if you go on the right night. The cocktail menu changes quarterly — the spring edition runs heavily botanical, with house-made shrubs and fermented fruit sodas as modifiers — and the service is the most professional in Midtown. Table reservations book out two weeks ahead on weekends. On a Tuesday in March, walk-in at 5:30pm and you will have your choice of seats.

Order: The seasonal tasting flight — four two-ounce pours built around the current menu theme.

We include Ironclad Sky Bar because it is the most-Googled rooftop bar in Midtown and you deserve to know what you are getting into. The views of Times Square are genuinely impressive from above. The cocktails are sugary and expensive. The crowd is almost entirely tourists and bachelorette parties on weekend nights. On a weekday afternoon it is actually fine — uncrowded, the drinks are lighter on the sugar, and the staff have enough capacity to be helpful. Go before 6pm on a weeknight if you must go at all.

Order: A bottle of beer — the cocktails are not worth the markup.

The Garnet Room is designed to look as good in photographs as it does in person, which sounds like a criticism but isn't — the lighting is warm, the furniture is comfortable, and the cocktails photograph well because they are built with care. The view north along Lexington Avenue is underrated. Best for a date-night drink before dinner. The kitchen closes at 10pm but the bar runs until midnight on weekdays and 2am on weekends.

Order: The Garnet Spritz — Aperol, prosecco, elderflower, a sprig of fresh thyme.

Nine Floors does not take reservations and makes no apology for it. The queue on Friday nights can run forty minutes long. On a Wednesday at 6:30pm you walk straight up. The cocktail list is short and priced lower than anything else at rooftop height in Midtown. The view is partial — a building across the street blocks about a third of the skyline — but the savings and the no-fuss welcome more than compensate. A rare find in this part of Manhattan.

Order: The Nine Gimlet — gin, fresh lime, house cordial, served up with a cucumber slice.

Northside Terrace sits high enough on West 57th to catch the northern edge of Central Park in its sightline, which gives it a view almost no other Midtown rooftop can claim. The bar programme is strong — the team here previously worked at a Flatiron cocktail destination and brought their precision with them. Opens at 5pm daily. Expect to pay for the view but not to feel cheated by the drinks.

Order: The Park Ave Martini — Noilly Prat-forward, a thin lemon coin, served exceptionally cold.

The unpretentious rooftop option for people who find the rest of this list too polished. Hell's Kitchen Roof is where the neighbourhood's restaurant and theatre industry workers go after their shifts — which means late, loud, and extremely good value. The cocktails are priced at neighbourhood-bar levels, the beer selection is local, and the view west over the Hudson turns exceptional on clear evenings. Cash-friendly, no dress code, no judgment.

Order: A cold draft and a shot of Jameson — the unofficial house order.