16 best bars and restaurants with a view in NYC

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. 

Try this: The "Ascending Forms" ($20), made with Oka's sake-based "vermouth," Amontillado sherry, coconut, pineapple and cinnamon. 

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 cocktails 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. 

Try this: The "Terroir Old Fashioned," made with Reposado Tequila, high-grade palo santo and sea salt harvested in Fort Tilden

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. 

Try this: Warm octopus and fresh mozzarella with lemon zest and sea salt ($32), down with bubbly, of course

Turn summer into a verb on a historic schooner docked at the Southern end of coastal Brooklyn Bridge Park. Spring for the caviar service, order a little bubbly and pose like the boat is your very own. Enjoy the seasonal spot while it lasts; 2024 is already going by fast. 

Try this: The $69 Caviar Service, including one ounce of
Ossetra sturgeon roe, brioche toast, chopped chives and crème fraîche

Exit the elevator on the Hotel 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. 

Try this: The "Blood Orange Mule" ($18), made with Albany NY vodka, Don Q Naranja, blood orange, lime, ginger, white peppercorn and club soda

The good news is that, after a two year COVID-related pause, Manhatta rooftop restaurant and bar reopened in 2022 60 stories above sidewalk level in downtown Manhattan. The less good news is that its previously established status as a must-do destination means that reservations are still tough to come by. The sky-high spot does, however, save some of its 100 seats for walk-ins seeking dinner and drinks.

Try this: ‎Live scallop with seaweed beurre blanc and maple cured trout roe

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 cocktails are a little more interesting than your typical rooftop options, and there's a lengthy enough bites menu, too. 

Try this: The "Mezcal Julep" ($23), made with Ilegal Mezcal, green chartreuse, Elixir Vegetal, peach and lime

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.

Try this: The "Legends of Gotham" ($35), made with Jaywalk Heirloom Rye, DeGroff Amaro, Barolo Chinto and Cocchi Torino Vermouth

Bar Blondeau opened on the sixth floor of the Wythe Hotel in 2021 with lovely French parlour vibes, and the terrace spot is back for this season. Its long drink list includes cocktails, wine, beer and low- and no-ABV options. 

Try this: The "Martini Blonde" ($19), made with Amalfi Coast Gin, Cucumber Botanical Vodka, vermouth, lemon Oil, olive and house-pickled onion

For something a little different when your grid’s already full of buildings, the Rockaway Hotel’s sixth floor has beachy themes, outdoor seats, drinks, a raw bar and views of the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay. 

Try this: "The Cousteau" ($75), a raw-bar spread of fresh oysters, clams, shrimp and snow crab claws

A retractable roof makes this a good vantage point even when the weather skews moody. String lights twinkle overhead whether the stars are out or not, and on clear nights, the illuminated skyscrapers a little farther uptown do, too. 

Try this: A margarita tower ($165)—in classic or spicy—for you and your closest six to eight friends

The Brooklyn Bridge is so close to the tenth floor of 1 Hotel you can almost reach out and touch it–or at least pose for a goofy forced-perspective snapshot. Lower Manhattan’s in the picture, too, along with frozen margaritas, fresh daiquiris and sunny spritzes.

Try this: The "Far East Spritz" ($28), made with Hanson Organic Vodka, GH Mumm Brut Rose, lychee-rose cordial, grapefruit soda and Peychaud's bitters

North of the park and close 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. 

Try this: An orange pet nat ($16) and a shareable mezze platter ($32)

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 cocktails bring the whole theme into focus. 

Try this: Beef tartare with egg yolk jam and salt-and-pepper crackers ($19)

Napa’s nice, but Rooftop Reds lets you galavant among the grapes in its fully functional Brooklyn vineyard. Enjoy the red, white and rosé fruits of the roof in view of NYC’s inimitable architecture in the distance and the Brooklyn Navy Yard underfoot. 

Try this: A three-glass rosé flight ($25)

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. 

Try this: The "Chandon Spritz" ($20), made with macerated orange sparkling wine, Peychaud’s bitters and fresh lime juice