The 16 best NYC rooftop bars open during the winter

During the colder months, a cabin-themed watering hole temporarily taks over the rooftop of the McKittrick Hotel. The Lodge at Gallow Green is designed to resemble a cozy alpine retreat and offers the same level of detail as the set of Sleep No More (which takes place just a few floors below). Though there are plenty of cozy bars and restaurants in the city, the Lodge takes its theme to a new level—Visitors can snuggle on bunk beds, peruse books and specimens displayed on wooden shelves or sit at a desk covered in pinecones and rolled parchment. An outdoor fire pit surrounded by a small forest of evergreens give the sense of a true mountain getaway.

This LES rooftop offers a palm-studded oasis with white chaise lounges. On Saturdays between 10pm and 1am, the spot is often packed with large group reservations (fortune, it seems, favors the popular and organized). Head there on Sundays and Mondays for two-for-one well drinks.

While the Crown exudes its share of pomposity (especially on weekends), its welcoming demeanor and soaring bird’s-eye view makes it worth the hype. The Asian-influenced cocktails look beautiful. Full stop. The mythically named, vodka-based Black Dragon Tea just tastes like…tea, as it was mixed with oolong and green varieties and citrusy calamondin juice. 

Chunky ottomans and couches draped in fur skins give this newcomer a cozy antidote to the Meatpacking District's gloss and sparkle. It's a place for you to giggle, fist-bump or just decompress and give the city's wintery headaches a dose of Aspen.

Journey north for the winter at this mountain-lodge takeover of Eataly’s rooftop bar, La Birreria, revamped with Adirondack chairs, pine trees and vintage Dolomite artwork. The namesake concept, baita (literally, “small ski lodge in the Alps”), is a holistic idea of not only snowy slopes but also warm hearths, meat and cheese, and festive drink. The latter takes the form of a 60-glass Italian wine selection; three caldi (hot) cocktails with a base of tea, hot chocolate or eggnog; and classic-riffing cups like a Barr Hill Gin–charged White Hot Negroni and a frosty, espresso-laden Grappacino with almond grappa.

Part of the Hotel Indigo’s 26-floor expansion on the Lower East Side, this cocktail den sprawls across two outdoor terraces with a swimming pool and soaring views of the Manhattan skyline. The loft-inspired lounge is decorated with exposed-brick walls, reclaimed-wood tables and free-hanging light fixtures inside, while a flowing canopy and strings lights deck the terraces. 

This rooftop bar, 17 stories above ground, offers a view of the East River and craft cocktails from bar manager Sam Anderson (Hotel Delmano, Freemans). Sip the Weathervane, a mixture of rye whiskey, rosemary, ginger, Campari and lemon juice, while gazing at the vista.

A stylish glass box capping Williamsburg's tallest skyscraper. Take the dedicated elevator 22 stories up to the industrial yet swank space—set with black-and-white tiled floors, bright globe lights and a beamed ceiling—to experience a hotel rooftop bar that has all the goods to be a standalone New York cocktail den. 

You can pretend you're a successful business tycoon as you stare from the top of the Empire Hotel at all the little people below before marveling at the amazing sunset. Three separate terraces offer views of Lincoln Center and Central Park, and an appropriately sleek bar—constructed of stacked metal pipes—dispenses specialty cocktails like the Oran’gin the Mood (orange juice, Bombay Sapphire, Patrón Citrónge and club soda).

Find French-Mediterranean fare and classically inspired cocktails at this posh tri-level bar and restaurant. The rooftop's retractable roof makes the bar enjoyable during the winter months while sipping champagne or a winter cocktail.

Satisfy yourself with the excellent views of the Meatpacking District at this rooftop lounge at the Gansevoort. Unless you want to flash the cash for bottle service or cram into the back garden on the bumping weekend evenings, we recommend going midweek to enjoy the vista in peace while nursing a cocktail.

There are few better ways to enjoy New York than from above, cocktail in hand, gazing across the lights and landmarks that define the city. One such landmark is the historic Knickerbocker Hotel, onetime haunt of American elite like F. Scott Fitzgerald and John D. Rockefeller, which serves as base of this 7,800-square-foot rooftop bar and terrace. Named after the late-19th-century hotel that originally occupied the Knickerbocker space, the outdoor space is outfitted with plush "sky pods", metallic-finished wood floors and a cigar lounge from celebrated tobacconist Nat Sherman.

This rooftop lounge at the Kimberly Hotel offers views of the Chrysler Building. Sleek leather couches and wicker chairs decorate the airy space. Choose from cocktails, like the Oh Yoko, and small plates, such as lobster sliders, salmon fritters and yellowfin tuna tartar.

Getting past the doorman can be tough work at the rooftop bar of the still-trendy Standard Hotel, but your trials will be rewarded with stunning views of the Hudson River and downtown Manhattan. The bi-level boîte boasts an artificial-turfed alfresco bar with garden chairs and large, round pouf ottomans that can easily accommodate upwards of three reclining friends. Don’t just bypass the lower-level room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a Jacuzzi—it hosts appropriately hip parties with top-notch DJs, like the weekly Nouveau York bash.

Most rooftop bars rely on their expansive vistas to woo the crowds, noting the sky-high vantage as the main attraction. For Magic Hour, its view of midtown and the Empire State Building is just a footnote. The place plays up the idea of an “urban amusement park” in its palatial 10,000-square-foot space, with rotating carousel seating, a topiary garden and Foreplay, a putt-putt course filled with animal statues in NSFW positions. In addition to its playfully named cocktails, like All Spice No Drama (Bombay Sapphire, strawberry shrub, allspice dram, rosemary), the bar also serves small plates like duck carnitas tacos.

Warm up with the best hot toddies in NYC, which come splashed with booze and steeped with winter spices