Editorial
Austin's rooftop scene is built around the warm weather and the downtown skyline. We checked the field and cut the Rainey Street yard bars and the venues that never had a roof. Three genuine rooftops are left, all downtown.
Upstairs at Caroline sits above the Caroline restaurant off Congress Avenue, right in the middle of downtown. It is more open-air deck than sky-high tower, with string lights, a long bar and a view across the rooftops rather than over the lake. The crowd is after-work downtown and it fills early. Go for the happy hour, grab a rail seat and stay for the sunset.
P6 is a downtown Austin rooftop that leans daytime and weekend more than late-night. The view takes in the surrounding towers, and the warm-weather crowd treats it as much for the sun as for the drinks. Prices sit at the downtown end. Come early on a clear afternoon for a seat, before the weekend queue forms at the lift.
Rules & Regs crowns the Fairmont on Red River Street, seventh floor, a Latin-leaning bar wrapped around the hotel pool. The pool is guests-only, but the bar and its coastal-Mexican plates are open to all from Thursday through Sunday. It runs later than most Austin roofs, to 1am at weekends. Come for a sunset cocktail and the downtown view, and book if you want a table.
Most Austin rooftops peak between 6 and 9 PM. Upstairs at Caroline and P6 are essential.
Senior US Editor — drinks his way through New York and writes about which bars actually deserve their reputations.