The best rooftop bars in Melbourne

Once you ascend the seemingly endless flight of stairs to the Rooftop Bar (passing Cookie and the Toff in Town along the way), catch your breath and quench your thirst while taking in the heart and soul of Melbourne from above. Kick back on the fake grass, or huddle under the heating on colder nights and lose yourself in the spectacular view. 

We love: how long this central rooftop bar's been the place to be. Today, it's still just as heaving as it is was back in 2006. 

Move over the Toff in Town – there’s a new multiple-floor hospitality venue in Melbourne and Her Rooftop is its crowning glory, boasting city skyline views rivalling the likes of Rooftop Bar and Goldilocks.  Brought to you by the same people behind Arbory, the venue has a one-in-one-out policy so expect to wait in a line that snakes around Drewery Lane on to Lonsdale Street on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s fast-moving due to the many frequented parts of the building, though the rooftop is evidently the most popular destination on a balmy summer’s night.

We love: Thai restaurant BKK downstairs.

Naked in the Sky is the restaurant and rooftop bar crowning Naked for Satan – Fitzroy’s bright and brassy house of flavoured vodkas and Spanish snacks. You can also get some cheese boards to share, and that might be the best accompaniment of all for the views. 

We love: the fact that we keep going back, even though it's so freaking difficult to get a table at peak hour.

Lulie Tavern might be grungy rock n' roll downstairs, but up top, all the sunny Cali-inspired vibes come out to play. Sit among the succulents and suckle on something fruity. And once you fear the L.A. energy has gone to your head, you can slink back downstairs for a game of pool, a burger and a pint. It's two worlds in one.

We love: how imaginative the cocktails are up here. Try the ethereal Blue Moon Martini or the Supernova Spritz. They're (literally) out of this world!

This rooftop incarnation sits two floors above King & Godfree, Carlton’s best known Italian-style grocer (it's been around since 1884). Up this high, Johnny’s gets unparalleled views over Melbourne; you can spy CBD high-rises, Melbourne Museum’s roof blades, Collingwood church spires and over in the distance, a parabola-like outline of the Dandenong Ranges. There is a nice collection of classic cocktails, local and imported beer and wines, but Johnny’s own cocktails are worth a shot. Perfect for pre or post dinner drinks after dinner at Di Stasio Carlton downstairs.

We love: Friday and Saturday nights, when the DJ's going off.

Located on Level 7 of Voco Melbourne Central, this laidback rooftop offers uninterrupted panoramic views of the CBD – perfect for an afternoon of sipping and grazing to your heart's content. Daily happy hour specials feature $9 Dal Zotto wines, refreshing Pucino Limoncello Spritzes and there are live vinyl DJs playing every Thursday. There's even a bottomless brunch every Saturday!

The Runner Up rooftop bar is located above the Collingwood Yards arts precinct and community space. Stepping inside this casual drinking spot is like being in a sleeker version of your creative mate’s sharehouse – full of random artwork, reclaimed vintage furniture and custom-made pieces, and stacks of house plants. The eclectic and laid-back feel marries well with the Collingwood Yards ethos and its other tenants like Hope St Radio downstairs. Downstairs, you’ll find some minimalist and clean art spaces run by well-established artists. But at Runner Up, it feels like the younger creatives have taken over and made this rooftop their own.

We love: the golden sunsets up here and the buzz of the surrounding neighbourhood at dusk. 

Undeniably the most exciting part of the QT Melbourne development has to be the huge indoor-outdoor split rooftop bar, appropriately named 'The Rooftop'. It’s a sleek and elegant addition to Melbourne’s bar scene that otherwise has a reputation for milk crates and astro-turf. A top spot for some serious sunset summer cocktails or, warming red wines under the cosy winter awnings. 

We love: the blending of suits, youngins and Champagne-swilling gal groups. Being part of a hotel, this is a bar that still holds onto a 'smart casual' dress code. It's fun if you're in the mood to look the part!

Just a stone's throw from South Melbourne Market, Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge is an ideal spot to gather your mates for a cheeky cocktail, or an even cheekier boozy brunch. Unwind from the busy work week every Saturday and Sunday with the Fairest of Them All boozy brunch session from 1pm to 3pm. For just $80 per person, you can enjoy two hours of free-flowing beer, cider, wine and select cocktails, with a side of panoramic city views.

We love: the Snow White-themed cocktails. So good.

Brought to you by the folks behind Fancy Hank's, Good Heavens serves Australian wines, craft beers, cocktails and casual bar food: think buffalo wings, BBQ corn ribs, and Brisket sandwiches from Fancy Hanks’ giant smoker downstairs. There are plenty of heaters to keep you toasty if there's a nip in the air, so no worries on that score. You can also while away many hours playing board games or card games here, no matter the weather.

We love: How ginormous this rooftop is! Plenty of room to roam around and take in the views.

Sitting high above the Goldfields House development in South Yarra, this swanky drinking and dining space offers unmatched 270-degree views of Melbourne. As the masterminds behind Melbourne favourites such as Grill Americano and Carlton Wine Room, it's no surprise the design team Mitchell and Eades have transformed the sky-high space into a serene and tasteful haven with pearlescent hues, earthy touches and an ingenious retractable glass ceiling perfect for Melbourne's quick weather turns. 

We love: the California-inspired food menu.

The eight beers taps here have a local, independent bent, as will the wines. With tasty tapas available at the restaurant downstairs – think anchovies and jamón, manchego croquettes,  and patatas bravas, it is not suprising that Bomba rooftop serves some serious snacks. And in a touch of New York whimsy, the bar projects 1970s black and white films onto the wall of the opposite building.

We love: the vermouth selection.

This venue boasts not just one, but two rooftop spaces, Loop Roof and Loop Top. The breezy twin-tiered spaces above Loop Project Space & Bar promise sparkling city vistas, primary-bright lawn furniture, AstroTurf and lush garden beds. A city oasis if you will. If knockoff drinks all-too-easily edge towards midnight, fortify yourself with inventive share plates and bar snacks.

We love: the $20 espresso Martinis on Friday nights.

Sitting on top of Taxi Kitchen and Transport Public Bar, Transit Rooftop Bar is the upper crust in the Transport hotel sandwich. From its lofty Fed Square digs Transit is ideal for watching the Yarra after a long day with a cocktail in hand.The bar knows they’re in prime viewing position and they make good use of it. Transit has a big outdoor deck, all the better for you to idly watch the river, city and sunset. There’s a good selection of beer and wine but where Transit really excels is with its cocktails.

We love: being in the heart of all the action.

This sultry new Latin-inspired bar is offering one of the CBD’s most sensual and thoughtfully curated casual drinking experiences above ground level. Consider puffing away on a Montecristo Short while nursing an El Presidente – a perfect balance of dark rum, dry vermouth, curacao and cranberry grenadine. Or swirling a glass of Emiliana Natura carménère from Chile while you take in moody views of the city’s nightscape. 

We love: the friendly and knowledgeable service. 

Meet Rufio: a new player in the St Kilda dining scene bringing Latin-fusion food, an extensive cocktail list and rooftop vibes to Carlisle Street. Oh, and Rufio also happens to be 100 per cent gluten-free. While you can always nestle in the sleek dining space downstairs, we recommend nabbing a seat in the sky for melt-in-your-mouth arepas, fresh grilled seafood and a round of tequila cocktails for the whole gang. Ahhh, summer's in the air. 

We love: how relaxed the energy always feels at this chill spot, which is only just a hop, skip and a jump from the sea. 

Ready for the city’s first-ever brewery rooftop bar? Anticipate a three-storey wonderland with capacity for a whopping 400 beer lovers, complete with 34 taps from head brewer Tim Miller. Here’s a man who was once Little Creatures’ brewing manager, so you know he knows his froffs. Brewmanity focuses on traditional beer styles, using natural fermentation methods without additives. It was co-founded by AFL legend David Neitz and gives back to the community through regularly raising funds for charity. You can read more about the brand’s impressive initiatives at the website.

We love: all the different beers you can try, of course!

The renovated Corner Hotel rooftop serves up share dishes, pub classics, and a late-night bar food menu, if you don’t feel like a kebab for your post-gig bite. There are plenty of covered areas and heaters to keep inclement weather at bay. Big props to Therefore Studio for making the rooftop wheelchair accessible and for adding more seating areas en plein air. A local Richmond favourite for a reason. 

We love: the live gigs, obvs.

This is an odd little elevated drinking establishment. Sort of a treehouse hideaway, it's nestled off Carlton's Jimmy Watson Lane and does craft beers and summery cocktail jugs for your outdoor drinking pleasure. Weave your way upstairs and laze the day away. The best thing about this bar is definitely the flood of sunlight that it seems to catch all year around.

We love: honestly, just how random this place is and the fact that downstairs is now called 'Snack Monster.' 

If there’s one thing that sticks out about Fable Melbourne – besides a 13-floors-up view of Melbourne city – it's attention to detail. Velvet salmon-coloured booths are matched against Ancient Greece-inspired flooring, olive trees and a stunning emerald green bar. It’s old-world Mediterranean with a modern flourish. And so is the menu. 

We love: that the cocktails are mostly gluten-free and vegan-friendly. The line-up swaps egg white for aquafaba in an effort to be as inclusive as possible.

This is a bar for all those who like to take their drink with a good view off starboard and a boat shoe underfoot. Captain Baxter's rooftop restaurant and bar offers panoramic views of the beach and is perfect for sundowner drinks, lazy lunches and everything in between. That's not to say you have to dress up. St Kilda's backpackers mingle with the glamour set, all united by the desire to be sat equidistant to sand, the Sea Baths (downstairs) and a bar.

We love: how summery this spot always feels. It's the perfect post-swim watering hole!

Say “rooftop bar” these days, and folks will start throwing money at you before you can show them the stairs. The rooftop here on the corner of Brunswick and Johnston streets has managed to stay classy without being aloof, providing a lovely spot to soak up the inner-north from on high. Up here, the surrounding redbrick buildings block the view of the city skyline, but they create an old Melbourne industrial feel that’s just as nice. Drinks at this rooftop are a great way to cap off a day checking out all that there is happening in Fitzroy. 

Perched 68 metres high on Vibe Hotel's 22nd floor, Fleet is a secret rooftop bar serving up nostalgic old-world cocktails and snack plates in a space designed by some of Australia's leading creative talents.  Expect classics drinksthat nod to the past made from Fleet's signature blends, such as the seafarers' Hurricane with gold rum, navy rum, pineapple, orange, lime and passionfruit, or a Manhattan with barrel-aged tequila, sweet vermouth, bitters and maraschino.

Marquis of Lorne boasts a boisterous public bar on the ground floor, the homey dining room and kitchen up the stairs and above that a small rooftop terrace with its own bar that serves easy-going craft tinnies and a couple of simple cocktails. Drinking up here feels like being on the deck of a boozy ship sailing the seas of Fitzroy. Yo-ho, me hearties, we say!

We love: pretty much everything about this pub, so much that it won our 2023 Casual Drinking Venue of the Year award. The people agreed as it also won our people's choice!

Imperial Hotel happens to be the third oldest pub in Melbourne, so you'll be enjoying the rooftop beer garden on a piece of Melbourne history. Your pint at the top of Bourke Street will come with 360-degree views of the Melbourne skyline and Parliament House. This is a sports-mad venue, which stays open late for all the matches and keeps it classy, clean and comfortable with a traditional English pub vibe, so wear your colours if you want to.  

We love: that this one's an oldie but a goodie.

Skinny Dog Hotel has always been a favourite for Kew locals, but last summer ushered in a new and exciting era for the 150-year-old neighbourhood watering hole. A lush new upstairs bar and bistro opened on the rooftop, Skinny Dog Upstairs, where you can channel your inner California cool amidst the greenery over freshly shucked oysters with prosecco foam, Spritz cocktails and share plates.

We love: Skinny Dog's legendary parmas. 

Just a stone's throw from South Melbourne Market, Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge is an ideal spot to gather your mates for a cheeky cocktail, or an even cheekier boozy brunch. Mirror Mirror is pumping great vibes Wednesday through to Sunday from midday until late. Do you have a big group? No problem. You can also hire Mirror Mirror's semi-private and exclusive spaces for events. 

The Rooftop at Farmer's Daughters is a tranquil city oasis. Sitting pretty above the deli and the restaurant, the rooftop bar’s vertical gardens include native herbs like strawberry gum and lemon myrtle, with mountain pepper bushes lining the sides.

We love: how top-notch the cocktails are. Ask for the bartender's fave; there are a few secret picks that aren't listed on the menu that'll blow your socks off. 

What was once Richmond's old and crumbling Great Britain Hotel is now Harlow: an old-school pub with new-school sensibilities. The rooftop bar at Harlow wraps around the building giving sweet city views. Music is a strong focus in the building, with DJs playing Friday and Saturday nights. The modern pub menu features favourites like chicken parmas, burgers and pies and lighter options like heirloom tomato salad and eggplant baos. 

We love: that you can really let your hair down here. 

At Goldilocks expect craft beer, pre-mixed cocktails for dispensing from siphons, and Rositas on tap. Try the signature cocktails aptly named: Papa Bear, Mumma Bear and Baby Bear. There is a good selection of snacks to share from fries and springrolls to baos and dumplings. There's even vegan calamari to try. 

We love: how easy it is to spend a whole day or night here.

This fancy modern pub hosts live jazz nights, cheap Negroni deals and all sorts of fun. Exploring more of the venue, you'll discover the rooftop brimming with life, even more beer taps flowing and modern beats pulsing into the city streets. Downstairs in the basement, there's a bonafide NYC-inspired comedy club, with photos of well-known comedians lining the walls. It’s looking ready to host the next Jerry Seinfeld Netflix comedy special and you'll want to go back for a gig, or even just for another bowl of those top-tier fries. 

We love: the contagious after-work drinks buzz on Friday nights.

Head upstairs above the Carlton Club, to Palmz Rootop Bar for a taste of the tropics – not least from the cocktail jugs. When it's chilly, heaters will keep you warm and toasty, just like you're really on a tropical holiday. There is even an extensive food menu with tapas and mains, burgers and share plates. 

We love: that this spot is open until 3am on weekends. 

Sitting high against a mural of wall art by local artist Sebastian Fransz, Lulu Bar is a gathering place for sunset Spritzes, tapas-style share plates, DJ sets, pizza dinners and everything in between. Though there is no shortage of buzzy drinking dens around Preston (Moon Dog World, Tallboy and Moose, The Keys, the list goes on...), a rooftop haven of this scope is a timely addition to the neighbourhood.

We love: the open mic nights.

Up on the rooftop, rainbow plastic furniture and coloured fluoro tubes reflecting off high white walls give the space the air of an adult crèche. This three-level bar from the clever clogs behind Fancy Hank's and Good Heavens is smack-dab in the middle of the city, so it's a primo spot for people watching. And if you get tired of the views, head downstairs for Asian-inspired snacks and karaoke. 

We love: heading here on a CBD bar crawl.