Editorial
Buenos Aires keeps a short rooftop bench, but the best of it is serious. The four below cover Puerto Madero, Recoleta and Palermo, the city's elevated drinking quarters. Porteños drink late, so none of them rush you.
Trade Sky Bar climbs the historic Comega Building on Avenida Corrientes, spread across the 19th to 22nd floors with a top terrace reading 360 degrees over the Obelisco, Puerto Madero and the Rio de la Plata. The World's 50 Best Discovery list flags it. Order a stirred cocktail, then an omakase plate on the upper floor. Best at sunset, before the after-work crowd claims the rail.
Crystal Bar tops the Alvear Icon Hotel on the 32nd floor in Puerto Madero, at 128 metres the highest rooftop bar in Buenos Aires; on clear evenings the view reaches the Uruguayan coast. Floor-to-ceiling glass, smart-casual dress. It runs Tuesday to Saturday, 6pm to 1:30am. Order a precise classic and time it for dusk. Best for a special-occasion drink with the city at its feet.
The Alvear Roof Bar sits on the 11th floor of the Alvear Palace Hotel in Recoleta, the city's most formal grande dame. Smart-casual or better; no sportswear or sneakers. The terrace looks over Recoleta's rooftops and embassies. Order a martini cut with the precision the room expects. Best for an early-evening aperitivo before dinner in the neighbourhood, not a late session.
Vain Boutique Hotel works a 1920s townhouse in Palermo Soho, its small rooftop terrace upgraded in a 2023 refit with a plunge pool and hot tub above the low Palermo rooflines. The service is intimate rather than grand, the crowd a mix of guests and locals. Order a glass of Argentine wine at golden hour. Best for a quiet, unshowy rooftop away from the high-rise terraces downtown.
Height and dress code sort the top end. Crystal Bar is the highest in the city at 128 metres, with Trade Sky Bar close behind for the river view; both Crystal and the Alvear ask for smart-casual.
Porteños drink late, so the terraces fill between 7 and 10pm. Crystal Bar holds out to 1:30am, while the Alvear Roof Bar suits an earlier aperitivo.
Which is the highest rooftop bar in Buenos Aires? Crystal Bar on the 32nd floor of the Alvear Icon Hotel in Puerto Madero, at 128 metres, is the highest rooftop bar in the city.
Do Buenos Aires rooftop bars have a dress code? The luxury rooftops do. Crystal Bar and the Alvear Roof Bar both ask for smart-casual and turn away sportswear and sneakers.
When do Buenos Aires rooftop bars get busy? Most fill at sunset and after work, roughly 7 to 9pm. Crystal Bar runs latest, to 1:30am Tuesday through Saturday.
Where is the best rooftop view of the Rio de la Plata? Trade Sky Bar's 22nd-floor terrace and Crystal Bar's 32nd floor both look across Puerto Madero to the Rio de la Plata.