Editorial
Brooklyn's rooftop restaurants do something Manhattan's largely cannot: they look back at the skyline rather than disappear into it. The 10 rooms below are the ones our editors keep returning to, weighed for both kitchen and view.
For the sibling lists, see the best rooftop bars in NYC, the Manhattan rooftop restaurants, and the Chicago rooftop restaurants for the cross-city comparison. The Brooklyn city guide covers the broader bar landscape, and the Brooklyn rooftop bars list is the cocktail-first companion.
The William Vale's 22nd-floor rooftop runs Andrew Carmellini's small-plate menu against the cleanest Manhattan-skyline view in the borough. Small plates $18 to $32. The New York Times has called Westlight "the only rooftop in the city that earns the elevator wait". Reservations open 14 days out and the Friday 8pm window is the hardest seat in Williamsburg.
The 1 Hotel's rooftop sits directly above the East River with the Brooklyn Bridge framed at one end of the terrace and Lower Manhattan at the other. Mains $28 to $44, the burger is the order. Eater NY has flagged Harriet's repeatedly as the city's most-recommended bridge-view restaurant. Walk-in only weekdays before 5pm.
The izakaya runs a seasonal rooftop above its Banker Street space with skewers $6 to $14 and a sake program that rotates quarterly. The Infatuation listed Rule of Thirds among Williamsburg's top three Japanese restaurants in 2025. Reservations open 30 days out; the rooftop is open May to October only, weather permitting.
The waterfront strip from Brooklyn Heights through DUMBO produces a different kind of rooftop: lower elevation, closer to the river, full-on Manhattan picture window.
Celestine runs a low-rise terrace tucked between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges with a Mediterranean menu (mains $26 to $42) and the city's most-photographed bridge angle. Time Out New York called it "the rare DUMBO room that earns the postcard". Reservations open 28 days out; the patio is busiest at golden hour.
St John Frizell's tropical drinks bar above Gage & Tollner runs the city's most-recommended tiki program with $16 to $18 cocktails and a short raw bar menu. Punch and Tales of the Cocktail have both flagged it as one of the country's best tropical rooms. The terrace is small; reservations are essential.
North and east of Williamsburg the rents allow longer terraces and weirder kitchens. These three are the ones worth the L train ride.
The reboot of the Wythe Hotel's rooftop runs a short shellfish-and-snacks menu ($14 to $36) and one of the better-curated natural wine lists in the borough. The New York Times' 100 Best Restaurants 2024 included Bar Blondeau. The corner banquette facing Manhattan is the seat to request; reservations open 30 days out.
The Garret's Greenpoint outpost runs a covered rooftop with a short Italian-American menu (plates $14 to $26) and a cocktail list anchored by spritzes and Negronis. Brooklyn Magazine has listed it among Greenpoint's three best date-night rooms two years running. Walk-in friendly on weekdays.
House of Yes runs a seasonal rooftop above the warehouse venue with a short menu (plates $12 to $24), a DJ program from 10pm, and the city's most-permissive dress code. The Infatuation called it "the rare rooftop that earns the velvet rope". Open May to September, Thursday to Sunday nights.
The Ides is the casual-drinks counterpart to Bar Blondeau on the same Wythe Hotel rooftop. Snacks only ($12 to $22) and a short cocktail list, but the West-facing seats deliver the city's most-Instagrammed sunset. Eater NY has flagged The Ides as the borough's most-recommended sunset drinks. Walk-in only.
Berry Park's rooftop runs the borough's most-recommended casual food: pretzels, schnitzel, German sausages ($11 to $24) and a 40-tap beer list. Time Out New York included it in the city's top 10 beer gardens. Soccer streams on weekend afternoons make this the best Premier League rooftop in the borough.
For more Brooklyn editorial, see the best cocktail bars in Brooklyn, date-night bars in Brooklyn, and the broader rooftop bars category index.
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