The Best Rooftop Bars in NYC

As the luxurious season of summer approaches, you're stuck wondering where you're going to make some of the most remarkable memories this year. Well, look no further than this list of the eight best rooftop bars in 'the city that never sleeps'. Wine, dine, and take a dive:

A6 at Six Columbus

6 Columbus; 6 Columbus Cir., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-204-3000 Overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park, the rooftop lounge on the fourteenth floor of Six Columbus boasts a bar menu of summer cocktails from Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill and enclosed waterfalls. In the case of a real waterfall, a retractable roof hangs overhead so you can booze with views, rain or shine. It's for hotel guests or by reservation only, so things stay (relatively) civilized. Open now!

Jimmy

The James, 15 Thompson St., at Grand St.; 212-465-2000 The outdoor component of Jimmy at Soho’s new James hotel is finally open. Sip your cocktails poolside while taking in 360 degrees of rolling downtown topography, with sight lines stretching from the Empire State Building to the Hudson to the gradually multiplying floors of the future 1 World Trade Center. And if you happen to head indoors, even the women’s bathroom offers a view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Open now!

Hotel Chantelle

92 Ludlow St., nr. Delancey St.; 212-254-9100 A black-and-white-tiled Francophile park in the sky, Hotel Chantelle's rooftop restaurant furthers the theme of the bar below. Benches line the room and the roof is retractable (with a cigarette area if you really want to pretend you're French), a rarity on the Lower East Side. A new chef is still in the works, but they'll be serving French colonial fare for dinner and brunch. Opening May 16!

The Watering Tower

Hotel Williamsburg; 162 N. 12th St., nr. Bedford Ave., Williamsburg; 718-218-7500 Meatpacking meets Brooklyn at the forthcoming hotel's rooftop lounge, with light snacks and craft cocktails by Alchemy consulting, which you can sip on while taking in the stunning panoramic views of McCarren Park, the East River, and the midtown Manhattan skyline. And the best part? It'll be open till 4am. Opening in June!

Soho House

29-35 Ninth Ave., nr. 13th St.; 212-627-9800 The classic poolside (members-only) rooftop bar has been fully refurbished this season. Patrons can sip updated cocktails like the Soho Mule (vodka, fresh lime, housemade ginger syrup) on tap (!), while relaxing in new lounge chairs. Or lean up against the new bar while digging your high heels into the new flooring. But don't worry: It's new, too, so it can take it. Open now!

STK

26 Little W. 12th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 646-624-2444 STK is taking their MePa energy up to the roof with a café serving an abridged version of the regular menu with lighter grill and seafood additions. Sip an STK Strawberry Cobbler cocktail at the bar and hang on lounge furniture that is sure to be more of a scene than the restaurant itself. Opening in early June!

Gansevoort Park Rooftop

420 Park Ave. S., at 29th St.; 212-317-2900 This tri-level indoor/outdoor rooftop is a massive six venue space with dramatic views of the city's sky scape, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows twenty stories above the ground. The main backlit bar is clubby with guest D.J.'s and a private VIP Blue Room, while the rooftop pool deck—guest-only by day—allows late-night partiers to revel in 360 views and the mosaic of forties pin-up temptress at the bottom of the pool. Open now!

La Birreria

Eataly, 200 Fifth Ave., at 23rd St.; 212-229-2560 Like its multipurpose marketplace below, Mario Batali's Italian craft beer garden on the roof of Eataly is not just a bar, but a full seated restaurant with a rustic Italian menu and a brewery, complete with a copper-clad brewing system that had to be lifted up the fifteen stories with a crane (making it technically the highest brewery in America.) Three original cask ales will be on tap next to Dogfish Head and Italian craft brews, as well as selected wines. With a capacity of 160, it'll be bustling, but luckily it'll be open until 2am on weekends Plus, thanks to a retractable roof, it'll be brewing and boozing year-round. Opening Mid May!

Elite.