16 restaurants and bars with amazing views of NYC (2024)

Sure, you can get to Roosevelt Island’s Panorama Room by subway, bus or car, but you can get even more views out of your visit if you travel by tram or ferry. One of NYC’s only venues reachable by public air and sea transportation, the stunning spot has floor to ceiling windows inside and a wide terrace outside for optimal aerial imbibing.

It’s hard to overstate the sensational views from Overstory’s wraparound terrace, which seem to stretch from here to the heavens, or at least to the banks of Brooklyn across the East River. A glimpse will cost you: The drinks-only spot’s co*cktails are all $24. Its pricetag is firmly fixed in the special occasion category, but the sights from every angle are worth way more than a thousand words.

The first time we walked up Pier 17 toward The Fulton, we stopped in our tracks. A Greetings from New York postcard come to life, The Fulton looks out on the length of the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River. Its patio is the place to be on the nicest days when the breeze hits the water in the loveliest way and the sun sparkles over the waves like your glass of prosecco.

Turn summer into a verb on a historic schooner docked at the Southern end of coastal Brooklyn Bridge Park. Spring for the $69 caviar service, order a little bubbly and pose like the boat is your very own. Enjoy the seasonal spot while it lasts; 2023 is already going by fast.

Exit the elevator on theHotel Hendricks' 29th floor, approach a cozy window seat, order a martini, and your snapshot's practically framed itself, all with a glimpse of the midtown skyline in the background. Get an even closer look out on the 70-seat terrace. There are also just enough small bites on the menu to turn snacking into a meal.

The good news is that, after a two year pause, Manhatta rooftop restaurant and barreopened 60 stories above sidewalk level in downtown Manhattan. The less good news is that its previously established status as a must-do destinationmeans that reservations are already tough to come by. The sky-high spot does, however, save some of its 100 seats forwalk-ins seekingdinner and drinks.

The 22nd Floor of The William Vale hotel has plenty of space inside, a terrace with room to roam, and exceptional NYC views from practically every seat in the house. Its co*cktails are a little more interesting than your typical rooftop options, and there's a lengthy enough bites menu, too.

Sometimes you must slay the day from inside the belly of the beast, and NYC’s geographical equivalent is Dear Irving on Hudson in Times Square. Its beautiful après Mad Men mid-century design and Midtown tableau through floor to ceiling windows are indeed transportive from the tangle forty floors below.

North of the park andclose enough to the Manhattan Bridge to create a snow globe effect, Celestine frames the water and the skyline in one stunning shot. Its large terrace hastens the effect, as does the full complement of drinks on offer.

Your personal metaphor mileage will vary, but the rooftop at Electric Lemon makes us feel like we’re in the not-too-distant future, or the nicer parts of the 2001 Jason Lee film Vanilla Sky. The view across the Hudson River seems to go on forever, even though it actually stops at New Jersey, and the co*cktails bring the whole theme into focus.

If you are the sort of person who bristles at even the air of a velvet rope, the view from the 21st floor of the Hotel 50 Bowery will still take your breath away. Its clubby vibe is like what a teenager in a 90s rom-com might dream of, but it has alcohol and it’s our top downtown destination for showing visitors what the NYC skyline’s made of.